How to Find a
Great Web Hosting Company
There are thousands of Web hosting companies that claim to be
the best deal on the Net or the cheapest deal for the money.
So how are you supposed to know what ISP (Internet Service Provider)
to host with?
Support Issues
Recently I dealt with three very big, well known hosting
companies who hosted (past tense), my clients' Web sites.
I put the question to them, "How do I tweak a CGI-Bin
Perl script to point to a custom confirmation page?"
They stated, we don’t provide script support. I asked
another company, "Do you support ASP upload scripts?"
They replied, "Our windows servers are physically in
San Francisco and the technician who supports these servers
does not work weekends."
I made another request to a hosting company to resolve a
domain pointer issue. They said, "We will create a support
ticket and have someone get back to you."
I work 24/ 7 to get the job done because my clients expect
me to resolve Web site problems in a fast, expedient fashion.
You should expect no less from a Web site hosting provider.
Bells and Whistles
Hosting companies sometimes offer add-ons or additional services
as part of their hosting plan. If you're a Web novice when
it comes to technical aspects, you may have no idea what these
add-ons are all about, much less how to take advantage of
them. Some helpful add-ons to look for when shopping for hosting
include:
* Automated form-mail creator – Creates a contact form
on your Web site.
* Blogs by Word Press or Mambo – A template-based system
where people can post their rants, raves and feedback.
* Web Statistics – Real time feedback on a variety
of statistics issues such as: number of visitors, search engine
data, keywords, key word phrases, Web site hits, Web site
visitors and much more.
* Web Mail – Access to your email via a Web browser.
* Bulletin Board – A controlled forum where your Web
site visitors can post feedback and respond to each other’s
posts.
* Google Site map generator – A relatively new way
of generating an XML code whereby providing the Google search
engine a way to find and record all your Web pages within
your site.
* Web Template Creator – An automated way of creating
a basic Web site.
Recommendation
Since 2000 I have referred and recommended a hosting company
based in Delaware called HostMySite.com.
I do not resell their services, although they have a reseller
program. I recommend them because they are the best. They
make it easier for me to do my job and they provide my Web
site clientele a powerful base on which to grow their online
presence.
They also have great bandwidth for speed and 24/7 knowledgeable
support people who go the extra mile when it comes to resolving
technical issues.
I have dealt with 30 or more local and national ISP's across
the U.S. and Canada and no one comes close to their level
of support, expertise and service. Mention my company "Visionefx,"
and ask them to waive the $19.95 setup fee. Their hosting
packages are surprisingly low and extremely competitive.
Whether you have a $150,000 monster Website running Java
and Oracle, or a $300 site with Front Page extensions, choose
a good ISP. It’s well worth it.
Happy hosting
About the Author
Virginia
Web Design Company- VISIONEFX - President Ricardo Vidallon
has been in the creative business of advertising, cable broadcast,
animation and the World Wide Web for more than two decades.
His work has been featured on the Christian Broadcasting Network,
Inc., Fox News and NBC Entertainment. His career track in
Web consultancy includes the global companies of Reynolds
and Reynolds, CMGI Solutions, and Automark, Inc. |
