First, service and support. Find out how their current customers describe the support level, the amount of time to resolve issues, and the amount of help they give them. You can do this through reviews here on WHT and some other discussion forums (you can't trust the "top ten" type of review sites as they are often just affiliate marketing sites.) If they have uncensored forums open to the public, that's always a good sign, and you can read the comments in their forums for complaints and how they handle them.
It is very hard to generalize about larger companies, as they may have some servers that are crowded and slow, and others that are fast. But a company that has happy customers is probably a company that has fast servers that are not overcrowded. They are probably a company that, like most, have their servers in a commercial data center with all of the security and redundancy typically required (most don't "own" the datacenter, but lease servers, or have their own equipment leasing space there).
Stability: How long has the host been in business? You can check their domain name against services like http://whois.domaintools.com to see how long they have had their domain name. A new host isn't necessarily bad; in fact, some of the hosts getting the worst reviews have been around a very long time. But there might be a risk in someone who is brand new in the business. On the other hand, you may get more personalized service from someone just starting out.
Beyond service and support, you also want to find a host that fits your needs. What is your site for? Are you going to sell items from it?
You may have special requirements ... say you are a religious organization or producing content for children. You will want to find a host that does not put porn, hate, or other sites on the same server as yours, because the blacklists often list the server's IP address. Your customer could see a warning from their firewall that your site is blocked due to pornography. Not good.
Other special requirements are related to storing of financial or medical information, streaming video or image storage, etc. Different hosts will be able to accommodate these. You have to know your needs first, and then choose accordingly.
Look at howmuch diskspace they will give you for what you pay. Some hosting providers will charge you more, however will have a better infrastrucutre, or provide you a beter speed or connection to the server. Another thing to consider is how important is the reability of the server to you. Do you mind it going offline every now and again or do you or your company rely on a constant uptime. Location can be important also. The location of the host's datacenter can be key depending on your target audience.
If there is one industry where the old saying "you get what you pay for" applies, it's certainly web hosting. All to often people choose the cheapest offer which often results in customer dissatisfaction. In most cases if you are willing to invest a reasonable amount of money into your hosting solution, you'll find it to be much more stable and reliable.
It is very hard to generalize about larger companies, as they may have some servers that are crowded and slow, and others that are fast. But a company that has happy customers is probably a company that has fast servers that are not overcrowded. They are probably a company that, like most, have their servers in a commercial data center with all of the security and redundancy typically required (most don't "own" the datacenter, but lease servers, or have their own equipment leasing space there).
Stability: How long has the host been in business? You can check their domain name against services like http://whois.domaintools.com to see how long they have had their domain name. A new host isn't necessarily bad; in fact, some of the hosts getting the worst reviews have been around a very long time. But there might be a risk in someone who is brand new in the business. On the other hand, you may get more personalized service from someone just starting out.
Beyond service and support, you also want to find a host that fits your needs. What is your site for? Are you going to sell items from it?
You may have special requirements ... say you are a religious organization or producing content for children. You will want to find a host that does not put porn, hate, or other sites on the same server as yours, because the blacklists often list the server's IP address. Your customer could see a warning from their firewall that your site is blocked due to pornography. Not good.
Other special requirements are related to storing of financial or medical information, streaming video or image storage, etc. Different hosts will be able to accommodate these. You have to know your needs first, and then choose accordingly.
Look at howmuch diskspace they will give you for what you pay. Some hosting providers will charge you more, however will have a better infrastrucutre, or provide you a beter speed or connection to the server. Another thing to consider is how important is the reability of the server to you. Do you mind it going offline every now and again or do you or your company rely on a constant uptime. Location can be important also. The location of the host's datacenter can be key depending on your target audience.
If there is one industry where the old saying "you get what you pay for" applies, it's certainly web hosting. All to often people choose the cheapest offer which often results in customer dissatisfaction. In most cases if you are willing to invest a reasonable amount of money into your hosting solution, you'll find it to be much more stable and reliable.
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