Opinionated steps to take when choosing your next web hosting provider.

[bnehost]

These days web hosting company's are leaking through every side of the internet. Some here for a long time, with proper reasons to be here; some here for a month, until their bills are due and then disappear. It's honestly getting harder and harder everyday for people to wisely choose the correct web hosting company. I'm not stating that every web host out there will be gone after a month. I am stating that over 50% of them will be gone without a word, and you will never get your money back. I have compiled a little bit of what i believe to be "worthy" aspects to look out for when choosing a web hosting company. In hopes that this will help mitigate the issue of having to find a new web host 30 days after you just payed your current provider.

What to look for

How long has there domain been registered?
This is almost always the first thing you want to look at when even considering a web host. Always view their public information and check their registration date. Just because their website has pretty colors and says they host over 500,000 domain names don't mean they honestly do. There is a very simple way to figure this out. If you want to check the information on a domain name just simply goto http://whois.sc/webhostsdomainname.com and replace "webhostsdomainname.com" with the web host in questions domain.

I checked their public whois information and it shows the information is private?
This in my opinion is a big NO NO! That would scratch that web host off of my list immediately no matter how long his/her domain has been registered. There is one reason and one reason only why a persons domain name information is not publicly shown. They have something to hide! Move on to the next host in question.

Google has the answer to almost everything.
The next thing you want to do is search Google for reviews on this web host. Keep in mind that nobody can please every single client. There is almost a 100% guarantee that every web host will have at least one bad mark on their record. Just keep looking, go about 5 to 10 pages into your Google search. Some of the search terms you may want to consider using are:

• Hostsdomaininquestion Scams
• Hostsdomaininquestion Reviews
• Hostsdomaininquestion RipOff Report
• Hostsdomaininquestion Webhostingtalk

This will result in a little bit of time spent, but if your time is worth your money, it is highly suggested to do this with each web host your considering paying for services.

Don't let pretty colors sidetrack you.
Just because their website looks professional, don't mean they are. Have you ever heard the saying "don't judge a book by it cover?" This is very true in your situation. It is very important that you don't buy from them just because they "paid" someone to build there design.

Test there support team.
Go ahead, click that live chat button that is on their website. Go to their client support desk and submit a ticket. Test out how fast they answer you. No matter what your question is, no question is to dumb. When they answer you back, ask them a few technical questions. See how they answer it.

Call the number!
Do you see that 1800 or 1866 number at the top of there website? Go ahead and call it! See if they answer. Speak with them for a few moments and see how professional and knowledgeable they sound. Be sure to test them on the phone with a few hard questions you have put together prior to calling them.

Purchase the small plan first.
Most web hosts offer more then one plan. If you can, purchase the smallest cheapest plan first just to test out their services. You can ALWAYS upgrade at a later date. Why? Because if you get ripped of by the host, its only a few dollars in comparison to a 20 or 30 dollars.

Be sure when making yearly payments.
This is solely up to you, but in my opinion you should never ever pay yearly. Anything can happen at anytime. No matter how long the web host has been online. When a web host goes offline they are trying to save as much money as possible. Chances are they are going to forget about refunding the 400 dollars you paid them for the rest of the year. If you take a look at their terms of services, a lot of them will probably say "Yearly payments are non refundable".

Read there Terms of Services
This is one of the most important things you can do, and you will thank yourself for doing it. There may be a lot of stuff to read but its always worth your money. Make sure you find their terms of services and read them! Understand them! Follow Them! This will save you from getting into something that you have a hard time getting out of.

Unlimited Don't Exist.
Nothing is unlimited, no matter how much you pay for it. A web host cannot provide you with unlimited disk space. I don't care if you are the only person on the server and that server has 10TB of hard drive space. Chances are there is a limit set in there terms of services that is not posted in there package details.

Don't be fooled by unmetered.
A lot of web host's have made the switch from unlimited to unmetered. I'm not sure if they think its less frowned upon or what. It typically means the same thing. The host isn't paying attention to how much space you are using. But i can promise they are paying attention to how many resources you are using. Again this set limit is usually able to be found in their terms of services.

There are so many different things you need to watch out for when looking for a new web host. These are just some of the simple things that can save you money. If you follow this guide i can't promise you it will save you from being ripped off or scammed, but it sure can help. I will add to this as i come up with some more stuff to add. If you have something to add to this post, please be sure to add it. If i like what i see i will edit the post and add it in here for others to read. I hope this helps out at least one person from paying a web host that will be gone when they wake up the next morning. Good luck in your web hosting search, and remember.......

Do the research, take the time, ask questions and save your money in the end.

bnehost Reviewed by bnehost on 3rd Oct 2012. Opinionated steps to take when choosing your next web hosting provider. These days web hosting company's are leaking through every side of the internet. Some here for a long time, with proper reasons to be here; some here for a month, until their bills are due and then disappear. It's honestly getting harder and harder everyday for people to wisely choose the correct web hosting company. I'm not stating that every web host out there will be gone after a month. I am stating that over 50% of them will be gone without a word, and you will never get your money Rating: 5

[almosthere]

you're right
you gived me a new iformation
"about hosting that hides their infos "whois""

thx for this great topic

[bnehost]

Your welcome, i will update this most likely everyday as i come up with new information. If you have anything to add just post and i will add relevant information.