We’ve all had that dream – a web host, of the absolute best quality, our customers love, and their hosting plans and services are of the highest quality. Until that dream arrives we have to take the extra step to make sure that we get decent service. We all need a couple things in our web host for a successful web hosting experience – a website, content management system (CMS), email account, bandwidth, support and security.

When you’re considering a website, you probably should ask, “Does it have enough to support my needs and not too many other factors to say, ‘just enough?'”

A web host helps you make your website better. They host your website, serve up the content, and help you manage your other online assets. In fact, you may notice that all the internet is on a web host. In fact, most major websites are hosted on a web host.

When you pay a web host, you pay to host their content and you get the ability to manage it, optimize it, monitor and deliver to the rest of the world.

Any tool you buy is an investment that can pay off over time, depending on what you need, and what you choose. If you spend a few hours on the search engine to get reviews of your possible web host, it’s important to note what the host has to offer. It’s also important to take in to account when and how you can obtain a free or discounted service and how much you can save on hosting.

The Basic Rules for Hosting

I realize that I’ve almost spent four whole pages talking about how to look for a web host without ever giving specific advice on what web hosts you can actually sign up for. I’m aware that some people have successfully found hosting after spending a lot of time researching these items.

Despite this, I’ve done my best to compile a list of items I think you should ask when looking for a web host. If you follow these basic rules and you are ultimately successful at landing a web hosting, you’ve got yourself a solid website.

Yes, a web hosting package is an investment, and the initial investment could be $3-$8, depending on your specific needs. But if you’ve done your homework and you’ve set a reasonable budget for your web hosting, you’ll reap the rewards in just a few months, as long as you stick with the rules.

There are a few basic hosting features that I feel are critical to successful hosting:

No Overselling

If you’ve looked into hosting services and you find a list of multiple domain names, you’ve probably found the host. Remember to sign up for a host that is limits the number of sites on the same server.

Having fewer domain names will limit the the requests your server will get. Having a bunch of domains packed on the same server can be disastrous.

Flexibility

You can never go wrong with flexibility, but what you need to keep in mind is the level of flexibility your web hosting provider offers. Depending on how flexible your company is, you’ll have to carefully consider your budget.

For example, there are several hosted options for a WordPress website that offer 24/7 support, but you’ll probably want to get more support during the regular business hours, so that you’ll have to deal with a full-time specialist on-call, rather than your own web content.

So be aware of the total amount of support that your web hosting provider will be offering. If you have to consider a live-chat and email support for your site, you’ll definitely want to be choosy about what you’re looking for.

Low Monthly Bill

And lastly, if your web hosting company offers no monthly account fee, then don’t worry, you’re doing it wrong.

Pay attention to the prices. For a regular account, it’s wise to contact your host about a monthly plan, because you can only manage the site yourself without the assistance of a web designer or developer. If you can, choose a paid plan, but do not consider paying a monthly fee.

Where to Start With Your New Site?

Regardless of how you intend to use your website, it’s important to understand the basic concept of creating a website. Although there are plenty of free and cheap hosting services available, it’s not uncommon for a larger number of people to fail to get access to the same basic web tools they need for their website’s success.

If you’re ready to take control of your website and develop your own website, there are several things that you must consider in order to ensure that you’re creating something you can be proud of.

Start your search with GreenGeeks for the best web hosting plans at the best prices.