If you are thinking of setting up a website, then you should also be planning where to host it. Your web hosting company will determine the quality of services you can provide to your online audience, and the cost of maintaining your website. For anyone running a website, there is nothing as disparaging as using an unreliable webhosting company. If you hope to engage and maintain your online audience, your website needs to always be accessible and running quickly. Your costs should also be manageable and predictable for an anticipated period of time.
So what is webhosting? Simply put, webhosting is service provided by webhosting companies, by providing web space for their client’s websites, on a computer server. There are two types of services you can access from website hosting companies: free hosting and commercial hosting. Depending on the type of services you are looking for, you should consider both options carefully. With free hosting companies, you should consider the amount of bandwidth you have available to you per month, the type of files you can upload on your website and any other conditions that they may have to provide those free hosting services. But, if you are a running a professional business online, we suggest you consider the services of a commercial hosting company, to ensure reliability and full functionality of your website.
Another factor you should consider is the amount of technical support provided by your prospective webhosting company. A good web hosting company should be accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days in a year. Unfortunately some webhosting companies are not able to provide that level of quality. Make sure to perform some background research on your prospective webhosting company, and look at the level on technical support provided by them in case of an emergency or technical difficulty.
Also look for personalized services like a distinct email address for yourself, or your company. This will give your website a more professional look. They should also be able to provide FTP access, which will allow you to make any changes you may like, to your website. Through FTP access, you can be able to upload, modify or delete web pages, without having to contact their technical support team.
Ultimately, choosing a website hosting company is very much dependent on your needs, as the website owner. Make sure to shop around, to get the best possible deal, from a reliable hosting company.