Planet Host - Selective Web Hosting Reviews
20 Things To Look For When Picking A Web Host
Once your site has the right design, the single greatest factor in creating a successful web site is probably picking the right web host. Unless you host the web site yourself, your host's actions will affect your site's uptime, usability, speed, accessibility, and features. Given the importance of this decision, what should you look for? Here are twenty things that you should think about when picking a web host:
- Type of Host
- Price
- Payment Plans / Contracts
- Host Connection
- Speed
- Stability
- Customer Service
- Redundancy
- Security
- Reliability
- Server Software and Applications
- Storage Space
- Support Tools
- FTP Access
- Data Transfer Limits
- IP Addresses
- eCommerce Features
- Domain Management
- Referrals
- "Blackholed" IP addresses
Not all web hosts are created equal. Different hosts provide shared, co-located, and dedicated hosting services. The different services make different provisions for the ownership and support of the web server that runs your web site. Shared, or "virtual" hosting means you share a server with other clients of the hosting company. The company manages the server completely and you manage your site.
Prices for this type of hosting are generally lower, but you are sharing hardware and bandwidth resources with other users. Co-located hosting is an arrangement where you own the server and the host provides for power and Internet connections. Although the server will be located at the host's facility, you are still responsible for server maintenance unless you also outsource hardware management.
Dedicated hosting means the host provides a server just for your web site, without sharing it with other clients. Dedicated hosting comes in two flavors: managed and unmanaged. In managed dedicated hosting, the host performs all necessary maintenance and support. Unmanaged dedicated hosting is similar to co-located hosting except you don't purchase the server. Support levels vary a great deal for unmanaged hosting. The decision about which type of host to use will depend mostly on the resources, both financial and technical, you can devote to the web site.
Price is obviously going to be a prime consideration in any web hosting selection. You should not simply pick the host with the lowest possible cost. You should look for the greatest value - getting the most bang for the least bucks. It doesn't help your site if you choose a cheap host with poor support and a shaky record of reliability. On the other end of the scale make sure you don't pay for services you don't need or won't use.
Most hosting companies have a variety of different payment plans and contracts available. For example, a host may offer monthly, quarterly, bi-annual, and annual contract terms. Monthly plans generally offer the most flexibility, but most hosts offer better rates for longer terms. Other contract terms to consider include the length of any trial periods, money-back period, service guarantees, and other fine print. Have a lawyer look over any terms you aren't sure about.
The type of backbone connection provided by the host determines the bandwidth available for your site. Ask the host what kind of backbone connection they have. The following table shows the maximum bandwidth available for the most common types of connections:
| Connection Type | Maximum Bandwidth |
|---|---|
| OC-256 | 13.271 Gbps |
| OC-192 or STM-64 | 10 Gbps |
| OC-48 or STM-16 | 2.488 Gbps |
| OC-24 | 1.244 Gbps |
| OC-12 or STM-4 | 622.08 Mbps |
Speed is not just the raw bandwidth available. Server-side factors like memory, hard drive speed, processor speed, etc. all affect the response speed of your website. If you are providing the server in a co-located host, you can control most of these factors yourself. In other hosting environments, be sure to compare the specifications provided by various potential hosts.
If you want your web site to be there tomorrow, you should spend some time checking into the host's stability as a company. How long has the host been in business? Has the company had to reorganize (go through bankruptcy, get sold, etc.) in the last five years? Are they profitable? You can find financial information for public companies on many Internet sites. If the web host is a private company, you'll have to ask them directly.
Find out what customer service contact options, such as e-mail, live chat, or phone support, the host offers. Does the host charge for some or all types of customer support calls? Also find out the customer service hours. Another important factor is the kind of support representatives you have access to. If you call "technical support" and find your self talking to a non-technical CSR when you really need a system administrator, you can get frustrated quickly.
Since one of the things you are paying for is 24-hour web site availability, it's a good idea to find out what the host offers to support that goal. What happens when power fails? Do they have redundant power supplies? What about generators or back-up data centers? How often do they do fail-over testing? Is your data protected at redundant facilities?
Since one of the things you are paying for is 24-hour web site availability, it's a good idea to find out what the host offers to support that goal. What happens when power fails? Do they have redundant power supplies? What about generators or back-up data centers? How often do they do fail-over testing? Is your data protected at redundant facilities?
It is a sad fact that almost every site on the web will eventually attract some form of hacker or cracker. Besides availability, another thing you are paying the host for is not having to fight spammers and hackers yourself. The host should have a data protection policy to prevent denial of service attacks as well as the various hacks and cracks, as well as make sure they keep these measures up to date to counter evolving threats.
You should find out what kind of service guarantees the host is willing to make. Do they promise 100% uptime? Does 100% really mean 100%? What about bandwidth guarantees?
Given the premium placed on security and reliability, many hosts restrict the types of software that are available to run your web site. Unfortunately, this can mean that the site you designed won't work correctly without certain software, e.g., PHP or CGI scripts. Make sure the host allows the use of the tools your site needs, as well as has experience supporting these applications.
Make sure that the storage space provided is enough to host the files necessary for your web site as well as any data you expect will accumulate in normal operation.
A control panel or web-enabled management application will make maintaining your web site easier. Tools like remote reboot or VLAN may also be necessary for unmanaged or co-located hosting.
Ideally, your host should provide unlimited FTP access so you can maintain and update the files on your web site at any time.
Most hosting plans place some sort of limit on the traffic your web site can receive. Make sure the limit accommodates your anticipated needs.
How many dedicated IP addresses does the host offer for each service level?
If you plan on running any sort of business through the web site, these features are vital. See what kind of SSL support, including the SSL certificate and server, the host has.
How many domains does the host offer? Do they offer domain contact management? If you leave the host, do they keep the domain names or are they portable? These are some questions to consider, get the full policy on the domains you will have available.
If you can, find out how the company's current clients feel about their hosting services. Pay special attention to current clients of the prospective host that are successfully running a configuration similar to what you anticipate using. Most hosts are happy to provide references of satisfied customers.
Blackholed addresses are ones from which other networks and servers refuse e-mail, usually for reasons of spamming. If your host has IP addresses included in one of the major black hole lists, your IP addresses may also be affected. This has obvious negative effects on your ability to send e-mail and other communications. Spamhaus is a good place to check for blackholed IP addresses.