Why would a company need a web hosting service?

Every business must have a web presence in order to maximize their business’s potential. Company website is fast becoming the first point of interaction with prospective customers. So it is important that the web site looks good and functions properly.

How do I select a Web Hosting Service?

There are hundreds of companies that offer small business Web site Hosting Service. Like any other service, before you start shopping, you must have a fair idea about what you are looking for. Look around on the internet for websites that you like. Pay attention to ease of use and aesthetics. Draw up a basic layout for you site, make a list of features and develop the content.

A poor Website Hosting Service can be disruptive for your business. It can tarnish your brand and result in lost sales. Instead of looking for a cheap Website Hosting Service, aim to find a reliable provider based on the services you will use.

Here are some questions to consider when choosing a Web Hosting Service provider.

• Does the Web Hosting Service company provide an easy to use interface to develop your web site?
• Does the Web Hosting Service company provide all the features and services you need for your site? Go down your prioritized requirements list and compare with the features and services provided by the Web Hosting Service. Pick the hosting service that provides majority of features on your list. If you need special services like web design, shopping cart, email, streaming audio and video, and forums, make sure they are offered by the Web Hosting Service.
• Does the Web Hosting Service provide secure servers with firewalls to prevent intrusion by hackers? Your site hosting server must support SSL (Secure sockets Layer) if you will be accepting online payment including credit cards and check writing.
• Does the service scan incoming and outgoing email for virus?
• Is the Web Hosting Service reliable? You need servers with close to zero percent downtime. Ask for an uptime report.  Be wary of Web Hosting Service providers with less than 99.5% uptime.  Remember, server downtime directly affects your revenue. If your site is not responsive during a customer visit, you lose a sale.
• Does the Web Hosting Service backup your servers and databases at regular intervals? If your site receives customer data every day, your site and database must be backed up at least every night. Is the backup data stored offsite? In case of a fire, your backup data is likely to perish with the server if they are both at the same location.
• Does the Web Hosting Service provide enough bandwidth? Is the bandwidth enough to allow for expected spikes in customer visits? A slow or unresponsive website is frustrating for your customers. If your site is unresponsive, it only takes one click for the customer to go to your competition.
• Does the Web Hosting Service offer great customer service? Is it easy to get to a customer service representative? Are they knowledgeable to help you solve problems? Select a Web Hosting Service company that offers 24/7 customer service. In case your site goes down after regular business hours, you would want to resolve the issue before the next business day.

How much does it cost hire a Web Hosting Service?

It is tempting to sign up a low cost or a free Web Hosting Service.  Be aware that such Web hosting companies offer poor guarantees and your website will suffer from slow load times and outages. You would not want to risk your reputation and customer service, especially after you have worked so hard to build your business. No frills Website Hosting Service is usually the cheapest and costs just a few dollars per month (or equivalent in local currency). More expensive Web Hosting solutions are priced based on the levels of service.