How to Find the Right Web Host

If you’re doing business online, it’s likely that at
some point as your business changes you’ll want to
switch Web hosting companies or consider using one if
you don’t already.

by Reid Goldsborough

The greatest benefit of using a Web Host is the greater
assurance that it will keep your site up. With
redundant connections, backup power and security
safeguards, Web hosts specialize in keeping you online,
allowing you focus on your core business.

Finding a Web host is easy, but finding a quality host
that’s right for you can be a bit harder.

Jupitermedia’s list of Web hosts, at
http://www.webhosts.thelist.com, lets you search for hosts
according to type of host you need and the services it
provides, though it offers no quality ratings or
opinions. (At the same site, Jupitermedia also provides
useful background information about Web hosting.)

TheHostingChart.com, at http://www.thehostingchart.com,
provides reviews and ratings for a small number of Web
hosts.

Netcraft, at http://www.news.netcraft.com, offers monthly rankings
of Web hosts in terms of reliability, as well as
rankings for longer periods of time (search for
"reliable"), but doesn’t indicated what type of host
each company is.

The most important consideration in selecting the right
host for you is knowing which type will best serve your
needs and budget, says Dev Chanchani, president of
InetU (http://www.inetu.net), a Web hosting company in
Allentown, Pa., that has consistently ranked high in
Netcraft’s reliability rankings.

You have four main choices in types of Web hosts.

With shared hosting, sometimes called virtual hosting,
you share one machine with other clients of the hosting
company. The hosting company manages the server (the
machine), while you manage your site. This is an
economical option, but it can limit your use of special
software programs and is better for lower-traffic
sites.

Co-located hosting involves buying the server and
supplying it to the host and is appropriate for
do-it-yourself hosting. The host takes care of the
network connection, including providing redundant power
systems, and you take care of the machine. For an extra
fee, some co-located hosts will provide server support.

With unmanaged dedicated hosting, you lease a server
from a host, which typically supplies limited Web-based
support. Unmanaged dedicated hosts can be appropriate
for gaming and hobbyist servers.

Managed dedicated hosting, like unmanaged dedicated
hosting, means leasing a server from a host company.
Only the company provides full range of services, from
backups and monitoring to security and support of
specialized software. It’s these services that makes
this the most appropriate option for many sites whose
business relies on their Web site.

One of the keys to reliability in a Web host is
redundancy. Ask any host you’re considering about the
number of lines coming into its facility, the average
utilization of its connections, whether it has a
generator on site, the network and physical security
measures it uses, and the type of fire suppression
system it has.

Ask about fees, but don’t base your decision on price
alone. Very inexpensive hosting companies may skimp on
performance, reliability or support. Ask any host
you’re evaluating for a list of support services
provided and whether any come with extra fees.

Stability of your Web site can be influenced by
stability of your Web host. Ask how long the host has
been in business, has the ownership changed recently
and whether or not the business is profitable.

Look into references, but ask specifically to talk with
clients who have had problems. You want to find out how
accessible the hosting company’s support staff is,
whether you can reach a systems administrator as
quickly as a non-technical customer support staffer,
and how quickly the inevitable problems get resolved.
You should also be able to talk with clients who have
similar needs and configurations as your own.

Make sure the hosts you’re considering aren’t known for
hosting spammers, inadvertently or not, by checking
with OpenRBL.org, (www.openrbl.org. If you go with such
a host, this may cause problems with your own e-mail.

Reid Goldsborough is a syndicated columnist and author
of the book Straight Talk About the Information
Superhighway. He can be reached at [email protected]
or http://www.netaxes/com/~reidgold/column.

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