In this article I will not tell you where to go , I do not promote a certain hoster , and this is not an advertisment .

I will discuss what you need to do to find the best hosting service you need , what to look for and how to not get tricked by the flashy banners and promotions.

There are many hosting companies online , each having something special to offer. It can be the greatest thing in the world to end up with a good one , but also a nightmare when you end up with a not so good one

What to look for :

Live support

This is a must , although in our days there are a few hosters without customer live support it is still something to watch out for

24/7 ticket support

A ticket is a way to communicate with the hosting service via email. It is fast , simple and efficient . Also the ticket is a way to ensure you that no one else can make requests for you , anyone can come in live support , bun only via a ticket can anything get done .

This is good for you and for the hosting techs.

Hosting plans

All the hosting companies must have plans . The hosting plans are pre-set configurations from where a customer can choose. A good hoster will always have balanced plans , with pre-set applications and features. Balanced is the key word here .

If it is too good to be true - it isn’t

Do not go for the cheapest solution , shop around , think , read reviews . If you see promotions that are insanely cheap , there IS a catch . Nothing in this world comes free . Your business will suffer in the long run and you will end up paying more than expected

Free hosting

Stay away from this , unless you have a one page site that you don’t care of . Free hosting is not something you can rely on , even if you have non-profit sites , family websites , do not go there. I saw stories of people loosing data that would make anyone weep . If you are serious in making a name for yourself online you need to spend some money first . Choose a well known hosting service.

Reviews

Listen to people and the experiences they had , the best feedback comes from people like you. Read reviews , opinions and do not rush into signing up . Hosting is like a marriage , think before jumping in.

Do not pay in advance

Even if you are offered a discount / special offer if you pay one year in advance , don’t do it . You may be sorry later , you may discover that the service is not the one promised , your websites are not running as you would like or any other reason . Best way to approach it is with a maximum of three months in advance.

Present clients

Each hosting company should have a short list of its best clients . I was amazed to see that some hosting companies that where unknown to me until recently that had huge and very popular clients. I will not state names , but all I can say , when you see that the giants of the internet has chosen a certain company , you just know that they are good at what they do. Even if the list is not public , you should enter the live support chat and ask a tech for references .

Backup system

Do not go to any hosting company that does not offer a certain level of backup . Not RAID in case the hardware crashes , I am talking about backups that you can restore at any time . Some sell this feature , I do not agree with that , indeed I would buy a better backup system plan , but by default I should have something also .

Datacenter personnel

If you go with a dedicated/colocated server you need to make sure they can access the hardware very fast. Always ask if the company has its own datacenter , or if they have a tech in the rented datacenter space . It is always good to know there is someone there 24/7 to do an emergency reboot or a disk replacement .

Go with your instinct

If your first impression is a bad one , there is a big possibility that you are right . If you think something is not right , leave do not linger in doubt . You will sleep better at night knowing your data is safe

Conclusion

It is up to all of us to search and compare , we can get all the feedback in the world about a company , until you try it out you will never know for sure how it is . I advise everyone to search and send feedbacks , real ones so someone new to the system would know where to go .

It is true some hosters have good and bad periods , you may come in a bad time for them , and catch them off-guard , do not be discouraged , try and try again .

We are all here to help each other .