SELECTING A WEB HOSTING COMPANY
Here are a few great tips for selecting a web host for your website. There is an ever growing amount of web hosting companies making it hard to make a decision on which way to go. A good rule of thumb is to go with companies that contain great reviews about service and ease of use.
For clients who use Let’s Talk Productions Multimedia services, we are able to remove the worry of web hosting since we provide the solution on their behalf. Many business do not have the time, nor do they want to be burdened with website hosting and security. Your web development company is in the best position to select the web host that is most compatible with the services they provide.
Many times small businesses who choose to build their own website are tasked with trying to find their own web host. The tips on this page can help.
Tip #1: Website Hosting Customer Service
When a website goes down, it can be a very painful process to restore your site. Will your hosting provider assist you in this process? You also may have many technical questions if you are hosting your own website and will need assistance. A company that has knowledgeable staff can save you time and money by sharing their expertise with you. While you may choose a company to design your website, you may choose to be responsible for your own web hosting. This can offer many advantages, especially if you decide to go with a different website designer.
When selecting a web host good questions to ask:
- How accessible is your customer support?
- How long will you have to wait on hold?
- How long will you have to wait for your issue to be resolved on average?
- What are your customer support hours?
- Will you be responsible for your own website security?
- Do you offer backup service or am I responsible for my own backup?
- What kind of services will your website need? Do you need to be able to blog?
Tip #2: Does The Web Hosting Company Communicate Effectively?
Communication is a very important factor in selecting a web host. It is important to be able to articulate (describe) your problem, then your Support Team will be able to understand the problem and present the right solution.
When I first started hosting my own sites I would have to call in for hosting support. I spent 2 hrs with one of my websites down because the support staff didn’t understand my question. One person finally listened and resolved the issue in 5 min as opposed to telling me to wait 24 hrs like the others support staff advised.
Tip #3: What Features Does The Web Host Offer?
The functions and features you need determines the kind of hosting you should purchase. What kind of site will you need? Do you plan to host video? Do you plan to have a high volume of traffic and will the website host be able to accommodate it? Do you need to consider special programming or hosting a database? Do you plan to host more than one domain? This may not seem important until you get ready to take advantage of new and “cute” technologies that come about. Does your web host support what you need?
USE COMPARISONS FOR SELECTING A WEB HOSTING SERVICES PROVIDER
Features you want to at least be able to utilize is the ability to host a blog on your site. It requires PHP version 5. PHP is a language that is used to write blog software. It’s kind of like what an operating system is to a PC. It allows your blog to work. The version number tells how up-to-date it is. A blog (web log) allows small businesses to be able to add or modify their own content, meaning text or photos without affecting their site design.
When it comes to selecting a web host, do your research first. Compare different offerings. Let’s Talk Productions is an authorized reseller of website hosting services and we are located in Dallas, Texas if that is of interest to people looking for a local company. We partner with industry giants to provide services at competitive rates and the latest web technologies. Our hosting control panel is easy to navigate with the ability to set up email, one-click installs for blogging and more including the ability to host multiple websites with databases. Many web hosts limit the number of databases you can have.
Website Hosting Service Providers
Network Solutions, a more popular company has been around since at least 1998. They are a little more complex for self-hosting and cost a bit more, but very reliable. If you have a designer who manages your site for you, this hosting plan may be a better option.
GoDaddy is popular mostly because you can purchase a domain for cheap. It is limited on what you are able to do having a self-hosted site but if you just want a basic informational site or just want to purchase your domain, it is a great service.
And finally, Let’s Talk Productions offers web hosting packages that contains the most updated features for hosting websites, blogs, and other web-related projects. We offer unlimited hosting packages and database storage. We partner with a company that has been around since 1998 and are able to offer a nice selection of services. Our hosting is currently an option offered only to customers.
Other web hosts are HostGator, Hypermart, 1and1, and many more. Research them all and compare them for yourself. Hosting is a decision a lot like moving; when you move your business there, you plan on staying there a while, and equally as important, you want there to be good service. Nothing beats having an actual person to talk to when you are having issues.