If you’re in the market for a new web host then price is most likely a huge factor. If you take a little time to do a proper web hosting comparison you’ll find a lot of deals out there! Not all hosting companies are created equal though. In addition to price you also need to be aware of many other features in their plans.
Before you shop for a web hosting plan you need to figure out what type of service you need. If you don’t have a website yet you should think about what kind you want! Are you interested in being a blogger? Do you want to run a forum? Do you want to create an application with a powerful software? Not all hosting providers will offer all of these services so make sure yours does!
For example, I can think of two very popular and powerful software packages that are not always offered on a shared hosting plan. These are Magento and Ruby On Rails. Ruby is used for a lot of high profile and nicely made applications. It’s really a frame work, but it tends to be resource heavy so not all hosts support it on their shared plan.
Magento is a really awesome e-commerce package and again it’s a little resource heavy. You may have to double check to make sure your new host will run it if you want to use this for your online store. I know that Host Gator offers both of these options; and they even have a one click installer for Magento which is awesome!
If you’re not tech savvy and just want a blog then you’re in lucky. Pretty much every web provider can offer you hosting for a wordpress blog which is the most popular software for bloggers available. Many of them also offer the one click installer which can get you up and running in about five seconds if you don’t know squat about how to build a website!
You should also look at uptime, bandwidth, and storage space. Many providers say they are unlimited, but if you use too much they’ll start capping your usage. If this bothers you then purchase a plan that will tell you upfront how much usage you get.
If the site has a demo of their control panel I would suggest you give it a test drive before purchasing. Some of them are made better than others and you’ll be using it a lot! You may even be able to register for a free account before upgrading to a paid option later. This gives you a great opportunity to make sure you like the hosting service before being stuck with them for a year or more. If they have a monthly payment option I might even pay for the one month before giving them twelve months upfront. Just to see if I like their service.
Never purchase a web hosting plan without shopping around the net for a hosting coupon site! You could be cheating yourself out of a lot of money or even freebies like domain names. Several companies offer big discounts of 25% off or a free first month!
Need to know more about hosting plans? What about the latest on great tech gadgets or just about technology in general? Visit AnalogJunkie.com to get the scoop on tech.
