[TIPS] Find Web Hosting Provider That Best Fit For You

There are thousands of web hosting provider that you can find on the internet. They are offers a different features, bonus, price plan, payment choice and many other things. But to find the best fit web hosting provider for you is a challenge. You have to consider many aspects and options they are offered. And you should consider your traffic and your target visitors too.

Below are the aspects that you should consider to choose whether that web hosting is good for you. Please keep in mind, be realistic and don’t get fooled by the ads!

1. Features
Different web hosting offer different features. Some of them says Unlimited space and Unlimited bandwidth. Hmm… sound interesting, isn’t it? As i said, be realistic, don’t get fool by the ads. There is no such thing unlimited space and bandwidth. It is just ads. I rather go to limited space and limited bandwidth, that’s more convenient. But i have to find big space and huge bandwidth. So how much space and bandwidth do you need? That’s relatives, you should know it from your files and traffic. For a standard WordPress blog, 5 GB should be enough. And the other feature you should consider is CPanel. For me, CPanel is the most powerful hosting control panel. It makes my life easier to configure my website. Find out if they have CPanel available for free.

2. Price Plan
Price plan related to the resource and features they offered. Compare the price plan of one hosting provider to another, see which one have the best deal for you. Share hosting usually go from $2 – $7 per month. Know what you need, and choose what is the best for you.

3. Payment Option
Payment option should be consider too. Find out what are they payment options available. Can you pay with that option? For example: i don’t have a credit card, but i do have money on my Paypal. So i should find web hosting that have Paypal payment option.

4. Read Their TOS
Yes, i am serious! Read their TOS before you buy their service. Take your time and pay attention to their TOS. Like i said in point 1. For example: Hosting A offer Unlimited space and unlimited bandwidth on their ads. But if you pay attention to TOS, it says you cannot have more than 25.000 files. If you don’t read that, then you have more than 25.000 files, somehow they suspend your site and you lose your visitors. This is not good! Another one said unlimited bandwidth, and after your website growing and have 10k visits per day, they suspend your website and said you take too much resources. So seriously pay attention to their TOS. Don’t get fool by the ads!

5. Good Support
This is always what i looking for, i always look for good support team. Good support means, fast response and quick resolve your problem. Shit happens! Sometimes your website broken, and you don’t know how to solve that. All you need to do is submit your support ticket and ask their help. Good support will not reply more than 12 hours (consider different timezone and holidays). Find out this by try their service in 1 or 2 months, if you are not happy then go somewhere else. Also you can find their reviews on the net, see what customer feedback for them.

6. Reliability & Uptime Guaranty
Reliability is one of the most requirement you need. Don’t choose the hosting that often down. And see whether your website can be reached from all the country. You can use host-tracker.com to find out. See the other customer feedback about their reliability. Don’t get fool by the ads says 99,9999% uptime guaranty, that’s bullshit. Shit happens, sometimes if the server load too high and make the server down, the admin should have fast response and re-up in no time. That’s a good web hosting should do.

7. Billing cycle and Agreement
See what their billing cycle option. Whether they have monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. If you purchase them by credit card, please pay attention to their billing cycle and agreement. Read their TOS about this. See when they will bill your credit card, and see how you can terminate their service if you don’t want to use their service anymore. Don’t get the bill but you don’t use their service because you late or don’t know how to terminate your account.

8. Find review and other customer feedback
Yes, find another point of view and another customer feedback would be wise for you. There are lot of websites that review web hosting provider. See what they says and see the customer comments and feedback. Read it wisely and be focus on what you need and what you don’t need.

9. Server Technology (speed, bandwidth, memory, cluster)
If they have online support and chat, it would be nice if you ask them about the server technology. See if they using the latest technology available. I would go to server that have 8 core and more than 32 GB of memory. But different provider will use different technology, find which one have the best deal for you.

10. Server location
This is another important thing for you to ask the online support. Ask them where the server location. Is it inside US or outside US. Why? This is for your target visitors. If you want your visitors mostly from US, then buy server inside US, it will have faster connection for your visitors. But if your visitors come from Asia, buy server outside US, for example  Hong Kong, Japan or Singapore. If your visitors mostly from Europe, then buy somewhere between France, German or Netherland. It’s your choice, you should know what you need.