Choosing a web host is both an easy thing – there are, after all, a lot of good ones out there – and, well, the consequence of paradox. The paradox of choice. There are so many web hosting services online that it can be hard to narrow them down into the single decision required by you, the user, to actually get a site hosted! So how are you supposed to make sense of it all?
You can start by asking questions. Lots of questions. In fact, the magic number of questions you can ask is 19. How do we know? Because it’s in the title. So here’s a basic checklist of what you need answered before you make that final decision and start hosting:
- How much does it cost? There is no question more fundamental, more seminal, more primordial, than the ultimate question of dollars and cents.
- What does it cost on a regular basis? How inexpensive is it to buy in bulk and pay for six months all at once?
- What can I get for what I’m paying? It’s one thing to pay a little; it’s another thing to pay a little for great service.
- How much space are you allowed as part of your package?
- Do they handle domain registration? Or does it cost extra?
- How well do they answer your questions beforehand?
- How good is tech support? This is a great question to start with because, well, it may be the thing you need the most. Especially if you’re new to this website host thing.
- How often is tech support available? 24 hours a day beats 40 hours a week; trust us and don’t try to run the math yourself.
- How much does tech support cost? Is it part of the overall pricing plan or do you have to spring for it by paying a little extra?
- How many sites can you host per account? After all, you may have larger ambitions than what you’re paying for.
- Do you get a website builder along with your package? Is it good?
- Do you have to use a crummy website builder?
- Do you get unlimited email capacity with your domain?
- Do you get unlimited email addresses with your domain? If not, why not? It should be everyone’s right!
- How much do new email addresses cost at your new site?
- How do all of the measurable stack up to other hosting sites? It’s important, after all, to compare hosting sites against each other and not view each one in a vacuum.
- Which hosting site instills you with the greatest confidence?
- Which hosting site is the one you can see yourself using constantly? This is an important one, because if all goes according to plan, you’ll be using this hosting site for a long time.
- Which hosting site is the one that makes you feel welcome?
20) In which country is the server located?
-> It doesn’t make sense to host a site in the US, if all your visitors come from Germany (and vice versa). Some say it’s also important for SEO, as google might also think it’s strange, that your website is not hosted anywhere near your target audience…
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