You may be new to web hosting, or simply ready to burst into the scene, and you’re brimming to the top with incredible ideas and moneymaking thoughts. However, do you really know what you’re looking for in a web hosting service supplier? Do you have any real idea what your site is going to need to make it out there in the real world? If not don’t feel a sense of panic: because we’re going to be serving up a big plate of knowledge below.
Go With Shared Hosting
Right out of the gate, we’re going to make an important decision for you. Unless you’re somehow exploding onto the Internet with a huge interest in your content, we’re going to suggest that you go with a traditional shared account. Now, we have in the past urged our users to go with more solid utilities like a virtual private server or even the more expensive dedicated option. But when you get down to it, the odds of you needing either of those right out of the gate are pretty minimal. Besides, if you’re seriously considering those other two options, you don’t likely need our tips on how to find the best personal hosting. So to sum things up, just go ahead and stick with a shared account for now: You can always upgrade later.
How to Spot the Best from the Rest
With that in mind, all of our following tips are going to be aimed at shared hosting accounts. However, that doesn’t mean some of these aspects can’t be the frameworks for your more serious hosting search later in life. In other words, stick to our tips for a traditional budget account, but internalize their deeper meaning for a more professional search as your site expands. Now that word of warning is out of the way, let’s get cracking!
The Features You Need
Many Web hosts offer limited features in their starter packages and then expand the offerings (sometimes tremendously) for higher-tier plans. Read the small print to make sure the plan you are selecting offers what you need. If you need a site builder application to design your website, make sure that the low-cost Web host you are picking actually comes with a site builder. Many of them require you to pay for the builder as a separate add-on. Website builders usually don’t cost a lot of money, but if you can find a Web host that includes one for free, that’s money in your pocket. And, if it’s integrated with your hosting service, you’re more likely to have a smooth, supported experience.
Many Web hosts offer limited features in their starter packages and then expand the offerings (sometimes tremendously) for higher-tier plans. Read the small print to make sure the plan you are selecting offers what you need. If you need a site builder application to design your website, make sure that the low-cost Web host you are picking actually comes with a site builder. Many of them require you to pay for the builder as a separate add-on. Website builders usually don’t cost a lot of money, but if you can find a Web host that includes one for free, that’s money in your pocket. And, if it’s integrated with your hosting service, you’re more likely to have a smooth, supported experience.
You also want a Web host with 24/7 customer support—if not by phone, then at least by chat. Forums, knowledge bases, and help tickets are all well and good, but sometimes you just need to communicate with another human to get things ironed out as quickly as possible. That said, not all 24/7 customer support teams are equal. Companies like GoDaddy and Liquid Web boast incredibly knowledgeable and helpful customer support squads—a fact that we confirmed in our in-depth reviews of those Web hosting services.
When it comes to server operating systems, Linux is typically the default option. Still, some services offer a choice of Linux or Windows hosting. If you have specific server-side applications that require Windows, such as SQL Server or a custom application written in .NET, then you need to make sure your Web host has Windows hosting. But don’t let the idea of a Linux host intimidate you. Nowadays, most Web hosts offer a graphical interface or a control panel to simplify server administration and website management. Instead of typing at the command line, you’ll click easily identifiable icons.
Windows hosting is often more expensive than Linux hosting, especially in the dedicated server area. That’s not always the case, but it’s something you should be aware of as you shop around.
Uptime, Uptime, Uptime!
The aforementioned features are valuable to the Web hosting experience, but none matches the importance of site uptime. If your site is down, clients or customers will be unable to find you or access your products or services.
The aforementioned features are valuable to the Web hosting experience, but none matches the importance of site uptime. If your site is down, clients or customers will be unable to find you or access your products or services.
Recently, we’ve added uptime monitoring to our review process, and the results show that most Web hosts do an excellent job of keeping sites up and running. Web hosts with uptime issues are heavily penalized during the review process and are unable to qualify for top ratings.
Some Additional Information
One thing we learned in reviewing the services listed here (and many more) is that even though the packages are very similar, they are not identical. Some are more security-focused than others, offering anti-spam and anti-malware tools. Others offer a variety of email marketing tools. While most of the hosts we’ve reviewed have built-in e-commerce, you may want to consider using a more-robust third-party online shopping cart application like Shopify instead.
One thing we learned in reviewing the services listed here (and many more) is that even though the packages are very similar, they are not identical. Some are more security-focused than others, offering anti-spam and anti-malware tools. Others offer a variety of email marketing tools. While most of the hosts we’ve reviewed have built-in e-commerce, you may want to consider using a more-robust third-party online shopping cart application like Shopify instead.
If you’re ready to select a great Web hosting service, check out the chart above to see PCMag’s top picks in the space. When you’re done with that, click the links below to read our in-depth, tested reviews of the biggest and best names in Web hosting.
