10 reasons to select a good Web Hosting provider

If you have a web business or are in the process of launching one it’s important that you select an affordable and reliable web hosting provider. The web hosting provider of your online business can make a difference between a successful website and failure, it’s that important.

Below are the 10 things you need to look for in a web host

1 ) Your target market
Google evaluates your website or blog based on the location of your servers, the Google spiders assume that if your website is hosted on servers based in US then your target market is US. Hence it gives your site preference when a users goes on Google.com and types the keywords you are optimising for, if you want to rank on Google.com you need to have servers hosted in US. Location of your web host is important for your web ranking and searches on Google.

2) Unlimited hosting space
When you have a website or blog you need to ensure that you don’t run out of hosting space as you add content and images to your website or blog. If your site has limited hosting or bandwidth that you will run out of disk space when people are trying to access your site.

2) Unlimited bandwidth
It’s important that your host be able to deliver your content in the event that a lot of people are visiting your site at the same time. In a Web 2.0 environment where your blog post has an equal opportunity to go viral on networks like Digg or Stumble upon it becomes important to ensure that your hosting has large or unlimited bandwidth capability.

3) Unlimited websites
You may initially start with one site or blog, but find that you want to launch a few more blogs or sites based on the opportunity in a particular niche. My first site was an adsense related site, my second site was a web forum for movies and music, this web marketing blog is my third site, my fourth site is a web directory. All these sites are hosted on one server

When I launched my first adsense related site I had no idea that in less than a year I would have four growing websites. All these sites are hosted on the same server that has the option to host unlimited websites, I can host as many sites on my hosting as I wish, it’s important that you have the option of unlimited hosting on with your web host.

4) Free website and blog setup
There’s no reason you should be paying setup fees or transfer fees. Web Hosts like Bluehost has FREE transfer set up facilities, which means that if you choose to host your blog of site with them they will take care of your entire website or blog set up.

5) 99.9% uptime guarantee
No one can guarantee 100% uptime, but some hosts can get awfully close to give you a 99.9% uptime and that is what you want to have for your web business. You want your websites to be up and running when your users visit your website. Having a 99.9 % uptime means that in a year your website will be down at least for four days if not less. That’s a lot of time for your web business to be down.

6) Installed software for systems, database, scripting, email and more

This will appear as CGI, Perl, MySQL, SSH, POP and other acronyms I don’t understand. It’s ok, you don’t need to understand them either. Most web hosts wil have these unless you prefer a free web host.

7) CPanel web hosting

This is the defacto control panel making it easy to administer your site, this is an essential element of your web hosting. Ensure you have a CPanal hosting with your web host.

8 ) Strong 24/7 support system
I have been with hosts who didn’t answer their phones when my site was down and had database issues. It’s scary. Support is critical and 24/7 support is the most essential feature when you choose a web host. Bluehost specializes in customer satisfaction and has 24/7 support for live chat, email and toll free number.

9) No contracts or hidden fees
Ensure you read between the lines when you sign up for a web host, some of the web hosts have hidden charges that are not upfront when you sign up. Ensure you read everything that your host offers before you decide on a web host.

10) A fair price
Most hosts start at $10 or so per month which is not bad but there are better web hosts that will provide a lot more value for your buck.

I’ve used a number of web hosts in the past few years and had some nightmarish experiences. So I am frequently asked who I recommend for web hosting.

The host I’ve found that meets all of the above requirements and beats the price on all others is Bluehost. In fact, all of my sites including this blog is hosted with them. I am happpy with Bluehost’s web hosting service and I think you will be as well.

Bluehost’s web hosting service gives you a lot of FREE online promotions and pay per click marketing credits, with Blue Host you get a FREE domain name, FREE ecommerce shopping cart script that can be very easyly integrated into your website or blog, FREE $ 25 credit with Yahoo pay per click search marketing and FREE $ 50 credit with Google pay per click adwords marketing.

The value of FREE credits from Yahoo Search Marketing and Google Adwords itself is worth $ 75, which covers up for your hosting charges for a year.

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50 comments

Seaward May 10, 2009 - 9:44 pm
Thanks for such useful insight for the web host providers. It is a great deed to have such insight thought.
social bookmarking demon May 14, 2009 - 11:27 am
I do agree because by learning such info you have just learned your very first step into owning a reliable online presence through your hosting company social bookmarking demons last blog post..Review Of The Email Messenger “Mostly Known” As AWEBER
Toronto Wedding Photographer August 6, 2009 - 3:08 am
earlier i made a mistake by seeing offers but later realized the importance of the good host
Hotels Sydney May 10, 2009 - 10:56 pm
I m totally agree with you that if we starting one site and blog then we get another ideas and we starting another sites and blogs also. Then its will be good we have a same domain.
zoom whitening sydney May 11, 2009 - 4:49 am
Most free web hosts impose advertising on your website. This is done to cover the costs of providing your site the free web space and associated services.
aweber May 11, 2009 - 5:03 am
I always wondered why they impose advertising on your site is it to give their service more recognition or is it so they can get you to upgrade to their hosting services? awebers last blog post..Review Of The Email Messenger “Mostly Known” As AWEBER
ZK@Web Marketing Blog May 11, 2009 - 7:58 am
Hi Zoom Whitening Sydney If you are serious about building a long term web business, I don't recommend a FREE hosting service for any site or blog. Hosting rates are very low and affordable. ZKs last blog post..10 reasons to select a good Web Hosting provider
aweber May 11, 2009 - 5:11 am
I also wanted to add to this post that you did shed some very useful information on selecting the right web hosting services these are all great reasons on why to select a good webhost. Although I certainly agree with your main points there are just so many to chose from such as the cheap and the more expensive ones its really hard to choose the right one. awebers last blog post..Review Of The Email Messenger “Mostly Known” As AWEBER
Web Developer May 11, 2009 - 8:51 am
You are right ZK , Web Hosting is very critical to my blog infact it's the backbone of any web business. A small investment in a reliable web host can go a long way to make your online business a great success Web Developers last blog post..Featured Articles WordPress Plugin
David@SEM Labs May 11, 2009 - 12:33 pm
Good tips for shared hosting. If you want good dedicated, I would recommend SoftLayer - they have the best support I've ever experienced. Support tickets are usually actioned within a few minutes. Davids last blog post..SEO Help - Advice on Search Engine Marketing
Ann @ Work From Home May 11, 2009 - 1:23 pm
I have to say that for me Hostgator is the only way to go, no one has better customer service.
ZK@Web Marketing Blog May 11, 2009 - 1:53 pm
I had all my websites and this blog hosted on Host Gator but I moved my services to Bluehost and I am very happy with them. HostGator had very frequent database issues with one of my sites that was running a PHP script. They did not have servers that could handle the loading of the PHP script and because of that all my other sites were affected. Bluehost can handle the most complex database and scripts and has a very strong 24/7 support system.
5 tips@Business Web Hosting May 11, 2009 - 11:24 pm
Small Businesses are constantly failing due to not having the right domain, marketing strategy and web hosting suitable for their company. I recommend any business owner read these tips before selecting a plan for Business Web Hosting.
Liz @ Pink Cellphone May 12, 2009 - 12:26 am
Interesting comment about locating the server in the country of your target market. I am based in the UK and use domain names with .co.uk which are self-evidently targeting UK markets. I think Google uses this to determine the market location and therefore ranks in that particular region. I can see however that the .com domain tail would prove much harder for Google to understand.
ZK@Web Marketing Blog May 12, 2009 - 8:01 am
Hi Liz , Google will look at the domain extension and the IP of the web host to determine the location and the target market. ie. if you own a .com extension and your website is hosted in the UK , Google will assume that you are tageting the UK market....However a local domain extension is a more powerful indicator to Google to rank your site in local searches. ie. in your case the .co.uk domain extension and website hosted in UK. ZKs last blog post..“Now is the time for Entrepreneurs” says Steve Ballmer at Stanford’s Entrepreneurship Corner
internet marketing strategies May 12, 2009 - 12:58 am
A number of great web hosting companies provide little extras to make sites more effective and user-friendly. These can include image upload galleries, blogs, control panels, order forms, support scripts, databases, and embedded video features. internet marketing strategiess last blog post..Best method for building a BIG Twitter following
ZK@Web Marketing Blog May 12, 2009 - 8:05 am
The latest being FREE Pay Per Click credits on Google and Yahoo to promote your website and blog. With the FREE Pay Per Click credits you can recover your first year hosting cost :), the FREE credits are valid for six month from the time you sign up for the FREE credits with Google or Yahoo. I recommend you to make the best by using these FREE Pay Per Click credits to promote your sites on Google and Yahoo ZKs last blog post..“Now is the time for Entrepreneurs” says Steve Ballmer at Stanford’s Entrepreneurship Corner
mediatechno May 12, 2009 - 6:06 pm
Hi, nice post. I have been wondering about this issue,so thanks for posting. I'll likely be subscribing to your site
underfloor heating systems May 12, 2009 - 10:16 pm
Ensure you read between the lines when you sign up for a web host, some of the web hosts have hideen charges that are not upfront when you sign up. Ensure you read everything that your host offers before you decide on a web host.
Lena Steuern@ sicher Kaufen und Verkaufen May 13, 2009 - 4:50 am
I've been thinking about starting up a new website.. and I have been looking around for ways to do so. I don't know whether to create one throught a company, using templates etc.. or whether to create my own and use a host. I'll have a look at Bluehost and see what they have to offer
History of UNIX May 15, 2009 - 2:41 pm
I might want a dedicated server or a reseller account, but shared might work too. I'm starting up a new site that will feature some of my artwork and I want people to be able to buy posters.
gilbert @ new bank account May 15, 2009 - 3:54 pm
I truly agree on this idea, this all are goo tips to keep in mind in choosing the right web hosting provider...
Web Hosting Art May 16, 2009 - 5:21 am
The most important feature for a web hosting client should be support. Almost everyone is dazzled by the gigabytes of disk space and the unlimitness of bandwidth and doesn’t give a dam about support. Unfortunately, when we have placed our order and notice that something is not going right, then it is already too late. I have come across many web hosting providers to whom their only problem is the user. Contact your software vendor, get advised by your cms community etc are the usual prompts by the support personnel. Right now I choose web hosting firms that are closely related to open source projects.
Medical Jobs Australia May 16, 2009 - 11:37 am
Totally agree with your points, and since there is a increase in number of hosting providers the costs for publishers have been reduced greatly, and won't have trouble finding a good hosting company. Thanks, Ben.
Colleen@Kennewick Wa Real Estate May 16, 2009 - 11:50 am
We are using BlueHost and have been happy with them. The decision was easy as BlueHost was one of the recommended providers on WordPress' website. Colleens last blog post..Search Kennewick Homes for Sale
ZK@Web Marketing Blog May 16, 2009 - 5:03 pm
Thanks Colleen for the comment , its a great testimonial for this blog post
Kit Homes May 18, 2009 - 2:56 am
Contact your software vendor, get advised by your cms community etc are the usual prompts by the support personnel. Right now I choose web hosting firms that are closely related to open source projects.
BlueHost Review May 19, 2009 - 8:27 pm
You make very good points. Well thought out and well written. Thanks for the information.
Seaward May 19, 2009 - 10:58 pm
I do agree because by learning such info you have just learned your very first step into owning a reliable online presence through your hosting company.
Bubba Moe May 19, 2009 - 11:17 pm
Always wondered why they impose advertising on your site is it to give their service more recognition or is it so they can get you to upgrade to their hosting services?
web host May 20, 2009 - 12:53 am
hi.. its sounds really good. i really like it .. very helpful. and one thing is that website should work on any platform.thanks .
gilbert@new bank account May 20, 2009 - 1:14 pm
Find a good host that you can trust in delivering quality service and save you from moving from host to host.
online community philippines May 24, 2009 - 7:54 pm
Is your web host a good neighborhood, this one is a little more difficult to explain and find out about but it is important. Some search engines punish websites who are in a bad neighborhood... I hope you find these tips helpful when you look for where to host your next website!
Windows Web Hosting May 27, 2009 - 12:32 am
Find a good host that you can trust in delivering quality service and save you from moving from host to host.
Goverment Money Club May 27, 2009 - 10:57 am
i dont mind spending more bucks i only look at reliable and Customer service
DotComSecrets Review May 28, 2009 - 10:34 pm
Although I certainly agree with your main points there are just so many to chose from such as the cheap and the more expensive ones its really hard to choose the right one.
lawyer makati May 29, 2009 - 1:30 am
Choosing a web hosting provider is different for everyone. Every website has a specific set of needs and you have to find a web host that provides the needs that are specific to your website. lawyer makatis last blog post..Nine Tenths of the Law
Postcard Mailing June 2, 2009 - 11:32 pm
A wonderful and extensive list of things to consider when choosing a good web host. It's really important that the web host provider is capable of living up to their work commitments. Otherwise, problems will arise. Be sure to weigh the options and think twice before deciding. Would you favor cost over quality of service, or the other way around?
matt@hosting reviews June 13, 2009 - 9:51 am
I always recommend finding a host that will allow you to pay monthly (w/o a set up fee) so that you can try them out. If they are able to provide good service, then opt for a longer term. If not, then you can move on with out fighting for a refund that you are likely to never get. .-= matt@hosting reviews´s last blog ..InMotion Hosting Review =-.
remesh@telephone engineers June 15, 2009 - 6:12 am
its really important to have a reliable web host. its a good post i would say. its useful.
tanmay@telephone engineer July 29, 2009 - 12:37 am
I really like these post very helpful and one thing is that website should work on any platform
kitchen taps August 8, 2009 - 6:32 am
This post has really some useful tips.
Ruri@Free article submission August 11, 2009 - 10:29 am
Unlimited space and bandwidth is something that customer need to worry about. This is hosting company to look competitive. Their actual limit is in processor and memory access. but they don't tell you about this. .-= Ruri@Free article submission´s last blog ..Convenience and Comfort of Online Stock Trading =-.
Blane@Whitening Pen August 15, 2009 - 3:10 pm
I think with the prevalence of quality low cost hosting that now exists with most of the features you describe included, it's hard to understand why anyone would use a free hosting service and not get their own domain. I was not aware of the Google rankings factor based on the location of the servers. That's quite interesting.
floor tape August 27, 2009 - 3:47 pm
I would say that Godaddy has done our company well over the last 3 years with no down time. I have had no issues I know some people don't like them but they offer way more for less.
George@At Home Whitening August 30, 2009 - 9:04 am
I have always been adamant about not signing any contracts with a hosting company. Many of the ones I've evaluated will entice you with a discounted price for committing to anywhere from a 12-24 month period. Thanks for the very practical tips and spreading your wisdom.
website promotion india September 12, 2009 - 5:49 am
That’s a great list. . This is extremely wonderful job. I appreciate your hardwork to find this job and thanks for sharing to the SEO community. You must have spend lot of time to compile it. Thanks website promotion india
Teeth Whitening October 30, 2009 - 11:32 pm
Well I would say that Hostgator and BlueHost both are really good at web hosting services..and I am really happy using them and fully satisfied....
may November 12, 2009 - 5:05 am
right now, i am using bluehost, dreamhost and hostgator on all my website and i am happy with my current hosting .-= may´s last blog ..Planning Your Stag Nights =-.
website creation November 27, 2009 - 12:40 am
40% of all purchases by the year 2020 will be online

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