Finding a hosting company is the easy part, but finding the right new hosting company isn’t. Some companies offers super cheap prices with very little support, while others claim to offer a huge uptime guaranteed, but customer reviews show something different. Weeding through all the average hosting companies can be stressful. Here are some simple tips to make the process much easier.
Three Easy Ways to Eliminate Bad Hosting Companies
1. Call Support
If you call the support of a hosting company and you’re stuck on hold for more than a few minutes, cross them off your list. A busy support team usually means server issues. You need a responsive support team ready to help with your hosting issues. This will separate most of the good companies from the bad ones in a hurry.
2. Read Customer Reviews
Customer reviews of hosting companies can be found all over the internet and they will tell you the truth. By reading the reviews, you might find one company receiving negative reviews about a specific issue. Make sure to look at the date of the reviews and look at more than just a few reviews. Don’t look for an overall vibe with reviews, but look for specific issues. If you discover the same bad thing over and over again, eliminate that company from your list.
3. Look at the Price
Shared hosting packages are cheap. However, anything under $3 per month, on a multi-year plan is too cheap. When shared hosting comes with a very cheap price, often there’s something missing. Of course, the exception to this rule is a sale from a hosting company with a good reputation. Most of the hosting companies with packages under $3 a month (for shared hosting) can be crossed off your list.
Narrowing the List to Five Companies
Once you’ve crossed off any bad companies with the tips above, you need to narrow your list to a potential of five new hosting companies. By comparing a different companies and searching for “Company A vs. Company B”, you can look at how each company stacks up against the other.
With the remaining five companies, you can use the following tips to find the right one for your needs:
1. Call, Email and Chat with Support
Since you know the support of these companies is good enough to keep them on your list, you need to take it a little further. Contact them and ask a few general hosting questions. This will give you an idea of how fast they respond through all the support options, how friendly they are and whether they can provide the right answers or not.
2. Compare Features
Most hosting packages will give you similar features, but sometimes one company offers something another doesn’t. Look at the features and figure out what’s different between each company. If it’s something you need, it could make a huge difference.
3. Hosting Options
A new hosting company offering more than just shared hosting might fit with your situation better. If you plan to grow from a small business with a website to one with multiple websites and a high volume of traffic, you will need more than just shared hosting. Look at the five companies and compare the ones offering VPS and dedicated server hosting, as well as shared hosting. These might be better choices for your needs.
4. Trust Your Gut
After testing the support, looking at the features and looking at the options, you need to trust your gut. You will know which company fits best for your specific need, after all the research you’ve gone through. Trust your decision and move forward with the new hosting company you’ve chosen.
One Final Thought
Notice, price was barely mentioned as a deciding factor, except with companies offering hosting for too low of a price. Quality hosting comes with a price, just as any other quality product comes with a price. It’s necessary to make sure you don’t consider price in your decision because choosing the least expensive hosting company could end up costing you more in lost revenue than it saves you in hosting.
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Tags: choosing a hosting company, hosting company, hosting tips, new hosting company