Web hosting is one of those things you just can’t get around if you plan on developing your domains. Saying it’s important that you choose a good web host would be an understatement. Stay away from web hosts making unrealistic offers (eg. 2000GB bandwidth for $1.99) and remember that you usually do get what you pay for, with cheap hosting leading to poor service. Do you think you’ll need help with server maintenance? If so, it might be a good idea to signup with one of the managed hosting provider. Shop around, look at web hosting review websites, and read on for more ideas of what you should look for in a web host and what questions you should ask before buying a web hosting package.

There is no such thing as unlimited bandwidth.

Some hosts have an unmetered bandwidth option, however there is still a bandwidth limit based on port size. A 10mbps unmetered port in example could theoretically process a maximum of about 3200GB of traffic per month. Most people aren’t going to need more than 50GB of bandwidth per month unless they’re running either extremely popular websites, have a large number of websites, or are employing bandwidth-intensive features (eg. anything resembling video sharing).

Most web hosts oversell.

Again, this is why it’s important to read the contract and ask any questions you have before signing up. Simple math and economics – disk space costs money, bandwidth costs even more. With 100mbps ports currently around $2000/month (I’m sure the large web hosts get a good discount, but that’s not the point) and yielding around 32TB of bandwidth, a host offering 2000GB of free bandwidth on a shared plan can only keep that promise for 16 customers. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that between bandwidth costs, server costs, and data center related expenses, $3.99/month isn’t going to cut it. Free shared hosting generally means unsightly advertisements on your pages and getting harassed to upgrade to paid hosting should your traffic start to pick up. Try and determine how disk space and bandwidth you’ll need before signing up with a host. Will you need FTP, shell access, or the ability to upload large files? Hundreds, sometimes thousands of accounts placed on each server and a long list of restrictions that will pretty much guarantee you get nowhere near using all that disk space or bandwidth they promised you.

How web hosts cut costs

Some hosts cut costs by delivering a low quality network infrastructure plagued with unacceptable downtime. Unreasonable lock-in periods, usage restrictions, large bandwidth overage charges, outsourced customer service, and fine print in web hosting contracts are some of the common cost cutting tactics used by many web hosts to deceive customers into believing they’re providing greater value than they actually are.

Take the time to read the Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and all other legal agreements of the web hosts you’re considering and make sure you understand what you’re agreeing to. Browse their frequently asked questions (FAQ) section and ask any unanswered questions you have. This will give you an opportunity to see first hand what their customer service is like as a bonus.

Server management may vary from you being on you being expected to manage your own server to your host providing installation of software and operating system updates, firewall setup, malware protection and operating system hardening, control panel software (eg. Cpanel, Plesk) installation and customer support for both server related issues and non-server related issues.

Good hosts can go bad at any time – regardless of discounts, it’s a bad idea to prepay more than a few months in advance. In addition to hosts going bad, your server needs may change in the future.

If you don’t agree with their rules, don’t use them as a web host. Don’t host domains with your domain name registrar or register domains with your web host.

Related posts:

1. Server Uptime
2. Most Registrars and Registries Don’t Get It
3. Do you own your name as a domain?