Web Hosting: What to Look for in a Web Hosting Provider

Trying to find web hosting can be a difficult project for a business to undertake. Many businesses don’t understand what web hosting is and why they need it. There are several questions that often get asked of web hosting. After a web site is created why do I have to use web hosting? If my web hosting doesn’t work, what do I need to do to fix it? Is one web hosting provider better than another? Answering these web hosting questions will help you gain better knowledge of how your business can flourish online.

After a web site is created why do I have to use web hosting?

Having your web site designed by a professional is just the first step in having a strong online presence. The next step is crucial, and that’s finding the right web hosting company. This company is responsible for making your website available so that everyone in the world can see it. A web hosting company will typically have several connections to the internet. This ensures that they have a reliable service and that your website will be available whenever a customer tries to view it. The best web hosting companies will have multiple connections to multiple carriers with fiber optic connections. Web hosting companies will also have strong and reliable servers. These servers house your web site and when needed feed the web site data to your customers. The best web hosting companies will have servers with redundant drives, backup power, and most importantly tape backup solutions. These elements combine to secure not only your web site, but to make sure your web site is always available to your customers.

If my web hosting doesn’t work, what do I need to do to fix it?

This is a very important element to picking the right web hosting company. Hosting a web site is complicated. It requires a professional to trouble shoot problems that a web site may encounter. When picking your web hosting company it is important to keep in mind who you will be talking to and working with should trouble arrive. Experience tells us that 1-800 technical support which often sends us to India can add hours to the trouble shooting experience. Getting a professional quickly and finding someone who understands your problem is extremely beneficial.

Finding a web hosting company that can provide support that is based in the US, with support personnel who speak English can not only save you headache it can speed up the support process and keep your web site available to your customers.

Is one web hosting provider better than another?

Almost all quality web hosting providers offer the same technical specifications. They all have strong servers and internet presences. Most difference can be found is in the level of customer service one web hosting provider can offer over another. Like many services the companies that focus on providing strong customer care are the best to work with. Web hosting is a highly technical service and getting lost in a large corporate phone system or struggling to describe your question to non native English speaker can lead to frustration and possible loss of sales due to web site issues.

Presented By:
Ironkeep Technologies LLC
Albert Steed

Ironkeep Technologies is a technology provider located in the Traverse City, Michigan area. We have over 10 years experience delivering a wide range of consulting, web design, web hosting, programming, networking and other services to a variety of businesses both large and small.