Many features offered by the web-hosting companies can vary quite drastically. It is critical to research and compare web-hosting companies before signing a service agreement.

Over the last few years there has been a rapid growth in the number of companies that offer web-hosting services. This has resulted in making the selection of the right web-hosting company quite a daunting task. Here are the top 10 features that you should consider when choosing the best web-hosting firm to meet your specific needs.

1. Technical Support:

It is important to test the technical support offered by different companies before you sign up. It is recommended that you send an email to several web-hosting companies with a question or two. If the company responds quickly, this is a good sign that they will rapidly respond to your needs as a customer. Measuring receptiveness is a way of understanding their customer service policy. Secondly, verify their availability and response time, as this is a necessary element of a quality web hosting company. Are they available to assist you around the clock? Will a service representative respond to you with 1 hour?

2. Uptime:

A qualified web hosting firm should guarantee at least 95% uptime. You will want to work with a company that is passionate about meeting a high quality service level. It is important to keep this in mind: every minute that your web hosting company's server is down means you lose business.

3. Bandwidth and Storage:

This is usually overlooked until the bandwidth limit is reached. If you exceed your allowed bandwidth, you may get assessed a hefty bill. If your site contains a multitude of downloads or images, such as a photo post site, then your bandwidth usage will be a lot higher as opposed to a site with mainly text.

The amount of disk space your site requires is critical in relation to your web site. Be sure to calculate the size of your web site in relation to the disk space the web-hosting plan allows..

4. Traffic Analysis Report:

A good traffic analysis report is necessary in order for you to keep an eye on how many visitors the web site is receiving and where these visitors are coming from. Some companies offer excellent statistics programs as standard, while others offer basic statistics but you have to pay extra for an advanced service.

5. FTP Access:

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) access is critical and is required to transfer files. Do not consider a web hosting company that limits or restricts FTP access to your site.

6. E-Mail:

Almost all web-hosting companies offer email accounts as part of their hosting package. Before signing up with a company, consider how many accounts you need and if you will need to access the accounts remotely (from a web based application). Most web-hosting firms charge an additional fee if you exceed the number of mailboxes allowed under the specific package. In addition, the firm may not offer the ability to access the email remotely or may charge an additional fee.

7. Supported Scripts:

If you have a web site that accepts credit cards then you will need to ensure that the web hosting company offers a Secure Socket Layer (SSL).

Server Side Includes (SSI) are great if you want to spend minimal time updating your site. Some programs require a MySQL database to run, thus you must consider how much money the web hosting company may charge for each database, along with the amount of MySQL databases you will need. Many new scripts and programs require PHP support, as this feature is practically standard today. Note that the latest new free Toplist, Blogging, and Shopping Cart scripts require PHP.

8. eCommerce Support:

If you opt to sell products or services on your web site, then the web hosting company should provide your site with a shopping cart and proper security service.

9. Internet Marketing:

If you don't want your website to be lost in the sea of competition, then inquire with the web-hosting company as to what they offer for Internet Marketing services. These services vary greatly from automated submission to search engines to working with a consultant who will help to optimize your entire site.

10. Integrity of the Company:

Always ask how long the web-hosting company has been offering the service. In addition, ask for client references that you can speak with in regards to their overall experience with the service provider.

Summary:

Almost all web-hosting firms require a long-term contract to be signed, so it is important that you conduct a thorough comparison of the various web-hosting providers. Compare the features offered against your specifc business requirements to ensure your needs will be supported.

About Jonathan Coupal:

Jonathan Coupal is the Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of ITX Corp. Mr. Coupal manages both the day-to-day and strategic operations of the Technology Integration Practice Group. Among Mr. Coupals greatest strengths are evaluating customers unique problems, developing innovative, cost effective solutions and providing a best practice implementation methodology. Mr. Coupals extensive knowledge and experience enables him to fully analyze client systems to recommend the most effective technologies and solutions that will both optimize their business processes and fulfill immediate and future goals. Mr. Coupal and his team build a high level of trust with clients, establishing ITX as their IT partner of choice. Mr. Coupal holds certifications with Microsoft and CompTia, including MCSE, MCSA, Security+, Linux+ and i-Net+, and served as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the development of the CompTia Linux+.