If you’ve ever thought about moving your website into the field of eCommerce, there are a few things to think about. Your next priority would be to establish shopping cart functionality on the site. Some companies that do web hosting offer this, but not all do. Review the piece that follows in order to better understand how to shop for a web hosting service.
When deciding on a host for a large site, you need to figure out how much bandwidth you will use. Depending on the amount of traffic your site gets, you need to make sure the host can accommodate large files and downloads. If you have a host that cannot handle large amount of traffic, then you will experience a lot of downtime.
Switch web hosts if an outage lasts for more than a day. Even if the host explains why the server is down, the most likely reason is that the host did not invest enough into back up plans as far as outages are concerned. Any truly professional web hosts will have ensured that outages will be short and infrequent.
If you have been used to the same web host for several months, look at the availability of your website. An availability of 99% or more means your website is accessible all the time. If you notice a lower availability rate, look for a web host that does not encounter as many outages.
Take email needs into account when choosing a web hosting plan. Most plans will include some basic email services, but if you need additional mailboxes or storage, you may have to purchase an extra package or select another tier of service. Some inexpensive plans may also limit the number of emails you can send in a day.
Web hosts will typically charge you on a per-traffic basis. Ask your host how your bill will be computed. You may find that you are going to be billed a flat rate or based on the traffic that your site experiences.
If money is tight or your website has not begun to profit yet, you can always go with a free hosting site. While they may not be the most ideal web hosts, and may not offer the amount of options you would like, free hosts are a good place to start when starting up a new website.
Figure out how much bandwidth you need before shopping for web hosts. Keep in mind that you need more bandwidth if you plan to include photos or videos on your website. Compare different bandwidth plans and purchase a plan that gives you a little more bandwidth than you need so that you have room to expand your site.
When in doubt, go over these tips and tricks to see if your web hosting provider has the features that your business website needs or any of your websites need. Avoid overpaying for things that you do not require, or pay too little for a plan that does not provide enough.