A company is only as good as its weakest link, something that is often its web server. If your experience with programming is limited, the technical terminology and directories can become overwhelming. When things seem messy, we sometimes make a random purchase decision instead of doing a proper evaluation. This article should quell the confusion.

Find out what kinds of web pages you can create using each potential web host. A lot of the time, free sites offer only static pages, which means you can’t add any custom language scripts. If your site requires scripting to run, you’re better off searching for some good paid shared hosting.

Pick a hosting company that tends to not have very much downtime. Don’t choose a company that makes excuses for lengthy outages. You don’t want to support a company that has frequent downtimes because most likely, they are unprofessional and your own website will be what suffers in the end.

Web Host

Choose a web host that allows you to pay by the month instead of one that requires large, lump-sum payments. Because most businesses and even web hosts are unpredictable, you never know what your hosting needs will be in the long term. Should your web host decline, your business outgrows the host or even if your account is closed, you would lose any paid monies, unless otherwise stated by the host.

Choose a web hosting company that provides the space you need for your website to grow. While a simple HTML page is small, as soon as you begin adding pictures, video, or other media, the size can balloon quickly. You’ll want to have at least 100 megabytes of space allotted to your account with the ability to add more at a reasonable price.

Be wary of web hosting packages claiming unlimited services. Unlimited in one area might mean serious restrictions in another. This might just adversely affect your business goals. Unlimited bandwidth will usually mean that you can get all the bandwidth you need, but there will be additional fees for overages at the end of the month. Read the fine print and see what “unlimited” actually means. It may be less than what the company wants you to believe.

With the information you have picked up, it should be easier for you to read through the confusing terms in hosting plans, and figure out which one is best for you. If you have already signed up for a hosting contract, you can still make things ready for the installer.