How to shop for a Hosting Package.

Many webhosting companies these days are offering dirt cheap prices to host your website and email. Some of you might be caught in a dilemma. Don’t be hasty in making those decisions. Here are a few pointers for you to consider:

Research on the Hosting Company
The webhosting company should be one that has been around long enough to understand the industry well. We sometimes have frustrated new customers coming to us for help because their previous webhosting provider has gone “MIA” (Missing In Action). They could not regain or renew their domain names which were registered under the old hosting providers details. Always do research on the webhosting company before signing up with them. You can always google their details to see how long a history they have.

Words are Cheap
One day, Tommy said to his lover “I will climb the highest mountain, swim across the widest ocean and go through the deepest valley for you.” Of course the lover was flattered by these strong statements.

Then he said, “Honey, if it rains tonight I will not be seeing you.”

Words are cheap. There are many webhosting companies out there who are like Tommy, who promise you the sky but are not there in times of need. They may offer you the cheapest bargain in town and even the largest web space, but if there is no past record that indicate they are dependable in their support, do think twice before signing up with them.

Let their Clients do the Talking
Don’t blindly believe what the salesperson has to say. Find out who their clients are. Normally, you can tell how established a company is by the client base they have. For example, Auto Bavaria or Hilton will not go to just any Tom, Dick or Harry to host or design their website for them. After much deliberation, they will of course choose a reputable company with good service. Save time, follow the “Big Guys” and you should be on the right track.

Bandwidth
As much as we, the hosting companies would like to give you unlimited bandwidth, there is no such thing as UNLIMITED bandwidth. Bandwidth is expensive. Hence, check how much bandwidth the webhosting provider is giving you. Think twice (or not at all) if there are companies out there who tell you they are offering unlimited bandwidth. It’s either:
1. They are paying lots of money to let you use unlimited bandwidth.
2. They are lying
3. They are lying
4. They are lying

Hope you get the point.

Features
Do not assume that everything is given to you for free. Some companies will charge you extra for add-ons. Check the features they are offering you. Ask for the versions of the software that is installed for compatibility sake. You do not want to subscribe to a package and later find out that your database is not compatible with the version that is on the server. Or better still, tell them exactly which version of the database or programming language you require, so they can arrange it for you. (assuming they have good customer service, and care for your well-being)

Data Centre
If most of your website visitors are from Malaysia, we advise that the server you are hosted on reside in a data centre located in Malaysia for faster connectivity.
I hope that these few pointers will be able to assist you in making better decisions. You’ve heard the phrase, “if you pay peanuts, you will get monkeys“, and as such I do suggest you pay more attention to the support and service you get when you are shopping for a hosting plan. Are you willing to risk your mission critical emails on a provider that seems to be charging you something that seems too cheap?

Not happy with your current host? Come to us now with your previous hosting invoice as proof and we will host the remaining months for you FOC (maximum up to 4 months).

Have a good day!