Newbie's Guide: Ten "Golden Rules" To Follow When Choosing A Web Host

Before signing on the dotted line, have a gander at some of these rules if you find yourself looking for a new Web host.

By Dimitar Avramov
CEO, HostColor.com

I have been managing a Web hosting company long enough to know who in this business plays by the rules and who doesn’t. Making the right decision when choosing a hosting service is difficult enough now and it will become even harder. Why?

The hosting market has grown a lot within the last two years and many newcomers have stepped on the scene. Most of them have been attracted by the industry’s promise of significant growth. The Asian market (excluding Japan) is projected by IDC to increase by 15 percent a year until 2008. Europe will enjoy 25 percent growth and hit $6 billion by the end of 2007 according to Probe Group.

Attracted by the good omen many of the new hosts get down to work without having a complete service solution or a business development plan in place. As usual with newcomers, they often try to beat down the prices or start offering high rate, or even unlimited, bandwidth and space to the potential customer. By flooding the market with a “mess of big promises” providers only confuse most people who seek hosting services. Many of the new companies fail to meet requirements and as a result the industry’s quality of service does not live up to expectations.

We have to work hard to prevent the large number of unhappy customers. The industry should introduce stricter rules and standards that must be respected by both providers and customers. Of course we should all strive to keep the market open and to prevent any chance of an oligarchy led by a few big corporations.

How to sustain the hosting industry’s growth is the subject of substantial debate. Realizing the importance of this issue I’ll put in my thoughts into the discussion. Here are suggestions and advice to new Web hosting companies and especially for those customers who need to choose a new Web hosting provider.

1. Do your Own Research

Forget testimonials on the host’s page. You have to judge for yourself if the company is as reliable as it claims. Just contact them and ask for information. Where is the data center located? What happens if you exceed a bandwidth limit? Do they provide basic help with scripting? Are you going to have full control over your domain? Ask any question that might affect your online business.

2. Ask for reviews

Ask for reviews about a particular provider in leading hosting/webmaster forums. This way you will be able to find out more about the host’s reputation versus its peers. You will see the pros and cons of the service provider. There is no “perfect provider” but there are a lot of awful ones.

3. Check for a Provider’s Business Establishment

Check if a host lists its business address or phone number. If a particular host doesn’t have this information on its website or does not provide a phone number, it may mean no physical offices. Ask the hosting company representatives: Do they have a legal presence? Where are they incorporated? Where do they pay their taxes? You should not really bring business and profits to people who are not responsible. Paying taxes is a substantial engagement of any business worldwide. It is always better to support companies located in your own country if they provide good service at a low cost.

4. Insist On Phone Support

When choosing a host make sure they provide phone support. Hosts generally provide phone support if they are reliable. While it doesn’t need to be a Toll-Free phone number, having one is an advantage.