Use These 8 Tips to Find a Web Hosting Service
If you’re looking for web hosting, your options may seem limitless. However, many of those options aren’t as sweet as they look. As a business owner, you want to devote your time to making the best product or service you can; the details of managing your website are likely the last thing on your mind. Those details, though, can be crucial when it comes to your customer base finding you and engaging with your company.
- Be Cautious With the “Free Domain” Offer
- Ask Before You Accept a “Free First Year” Offer
- Research Any Company Before You Agree To Use Their Services
- Consider Keeping Hosting Separate From Your Domain
- Pay Attention to Bandwidth and Disk Space Terms
- Recognize the “Unlimited Storage” Gimmick
- Use Caution When Giving Your Financial Data
- Maintain Positive Communication
Be Cautious With the “Free Domain” Offer
“Free” sounds appealing, but with this kind of offer, you should consider carefully before you decide. If a web hosting service offers you a free domain, make sure to ask who owns the domain. Generally, the hosting company – not you – owns a domain. It’s not so much free as not yours. Most web hosting companies will explain that to you, but you should know that you might have to use hosting company forever because it owns the domain.
Ask Before You Accept a “Free First Year” Offer
Some web hosts will offer businesses and organizations the first year of hosting for free, but then charge a $19.95 or more for renewal. At the low end, that’s about a 200% markup over an average domain name cost. Your web hosting company should be upfront about the way all charging works.
Research Any Company Before You Agree To Use Their Services
You’re busy and probably don’t have time to look through every review for every web hosting businesses to determine which company is trustworthy. However, once you have a few names, do a quick Google search to make sure the company has more positive reviews than negative.
Consider Keeping Hosting Separate From Your Domain
Know that you can choose to register your domain with a different company as your web host. Most web hosting companies would like you to register with them because it’s one way they are profitable, but make sure your web host is reputable before entrusting them with the most expensive and irreplaceable of your assets.
Pay Attention to Bandwidth and Disk Space Terms
Most organizations won’t go past their bandwidth quota from traffic, but if your site offers downloads, it’s possible. And, again, it may not be likely, but you don’t want to pay an extra charge for an unexpected data transfer in the event that your website sees a ton of traffic for an expected reason – like your Twitter game is finally paying off.
Recognize the “Unlimited Storage” Gimmick
Many web hosting services offer “unlimited storage,” which sounds great to those who don’t know a lot about web hosting, but the truth is that unlimited storage isn’t real. Most web hosting Terms of Service (ToS) list that if your website uses more than a certain amount of storage, it can be terminated as it violates the ToS. This clause protects the web host from improper usages on their services. This is an unlikely occurrence, so they are promising you something that will likely never happen and using the ToS to dodge their promise should it happen.
Use Caution When Giving Your Financial Data
That’s good advice for anything you purchase digitally, but it’s particularly true for web hosting services. For these types of transactions, PayPal is the safest option. Your bank information stays safe and the hosting service can’t add additional charges without your consent. If you can’t use PayPal, make sure you use a credit card that is not tied to your bank and has a limited line of credit.
Maintain Positive Communication
Make sure to communicate with a web hosting service before you start a transaction with the company. Ask questions and use this guide to consider whether their answers are reliable. Choose a company that can talk reasonably about the difference between a host and a domain name. Early communication can also give you an idea about how responsive they may be in the future. You want to work with a company that will communicate with you well after your site is live. Be sure to ask if the company will be available for support and consultation once your website is up and running.
Trust Imagine Monkey for Web Hosting Services
If you’re looking for a reputable web hosting option, Imagine Monkey offers fair and competitive web hosting options. Despite being an agency for the new age, we take an old-fashioned approach to the nuts and bolts of everyday business – that means customer care and communication are a priority. As one of the top rated web design companies in Orange County, you can trust our specialized services no matter your industry.
Updated: 2/17/2023
