YOU'LL NEED A GOOD WEB HOSTING SERVICE -

Some must read tips about the Web Hosting industry,
and how to avoid grief! 
 
1. Test Drive their Support System - before joining them!

Do not join any web hosting service without testing out their support first. Generally, you should have 3 options for support - Phone, Online Support or Email. Phone support is the best service we can receive, for any service, you just can't beat it. Online Support, rates a close second. I would certainly always like to receive "talk to a live person right NOW" but it's not always possible. I'm a realist, I'm a happy man if I can resolve my issue NOW via Online Support. Emailing a web hosting company or submitting a ticket is not the way to test a host.

2. Scam Plans – Be Warned!

It’s the same as anything in life, if the web hosting plan sounds too good to be true then it usually is! All web hosts have the same basic limitations when it comes to server resources and specifications. There is no magic server that has a never ending supply of RAM and CPU. If a host ever claims to give unlimited space or bandwidth DO NOT JOIN THEM. They simply make up plans with phenomenal figures of storage and bandwidth that the average person doesn’t understand.
It’s a numbers game and it looks good. The thing to remember is that the average web site uses about 50 MB of space and less then 1 GB of bandwidth per month.
Very few people that signup on the plan are going to use all that bandwidth. Most people don't realize that resource usage has more to do with the amount of CPU and RAM that a site uses. If a site uses a lot of bandwidth they aren't kicked for using their bandwidth they are kicked for using up most of the servers CPU and RAM. Another thing to remember is that the cheaper the plan is, and the more space/bandwidth included the more sites per server the web host will have to pack in to make their money back. So, don’t base your choice simply on their plans! You should shop based on recommendations and experience!

3. Yearly Plans – Think Twice!

Another consistent thing with these incredible scam plans is to get the good pricing they force you to pay for a year up front. What difference does it make to the Web Hosting Company if you’re billed monthly or yearly? Especially as it’s an automatic debit. Why? If you are under contract then you are likely to stick around longer even if you are not happy. Do you know what a drama it is to move Web Hosting Company, especially if you have a few sites with a lot of links? Hostgator has one yearly plan because they need to have one super priced plan to match everyone else, simple as that. They prefer you go monthly but you can always upgrade later.

4. Domain Name Tips – Be Aware!

Be careful when a free domain name is included with a hosting package. Make sure the domain name is being registered to YOU. We mean the WHOIS registration. If YOUR information isn't in the WHOIS registration then you don’t own or control that domain name, even if you paid for it.

5. How Long Have They Been Around?

Do a WHOIS check on their domain name. Then look for the creation date. If the domain name is not a year old then obviously they are a newbie. It doesn’t mean that they won’t be a great host but you just never know – it comes back to recommendations and experience!

6. This is a Really Cool Trick

You can also test the speed of a Host's network to your location by...
Clicking start > run > type in "command" and hit enter, and then type “ping hostdomainname.com” So, it would look like this ping hostgator.com
Wait for it to finish and look for the average ping time. The lower the number the better. Theoretically your site will load faster. Any number around an 80 average would be really good. Anything over 100 is not good (unless you're living in another country from where the host is based.) Do be careful on this test. Rather than making the figure itself all important make the comparitive figure between the hosts you're looking at the speed issue.

7. Customer Reviews and Testimonials

Well, most testimonials are suspicious at the best of times. If I could write a testimonial, get on page 1, with a link to my site then I might be tempted to stretch the truth and give a good testimonial whether it was true or not. What about you? The highest bidder gets the spot. Another good place to check would be the company's forum, but don't always believe what you see. If someone writes something bad in the forum most hosts will delete their post and ban the user... Hostgator’s customer testimonial forum is located here so they can certainly and proudly say we support freedom of speech. Some users are just not happy, you can't keep all the people happy all of the time. At least these guys are up front. You can always check Google and various reviews too.

8. Uptime – or is it?

All Servers need to be rebooted, security issues need to be dealt with and upgrades need to be done. Obviously 100% uptime is not a reality. I do know that Hostgator honour there Uptime Guarantee. I’ve certainly never had an issue or I wouldn’t risk running so many sites with them, would I? Let's be upfront, this report is unbiased, but I do just love these guys Have a look for yourself…..

You can design and host your site in any way you like, thanks to the web design books. It does not end here. There are tutorials available to work about the designs too. A cheap web hosting is good enough if it fulfils the web hosting claims it has made. Added perks of backup is of course most welcome The basics of internet marketing can be carried out from there too. This is the usual way one goes about search engine marketing.