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Checklist of Features to Look for in a New Web Hosting Company

Looking for a new web hosting provider can be a daunting task, especially if you don’t understand all of the hosting lingo that is presented to the average web user. Some people don’t know the difference between a megabyte and an over bite! This article and checklist can help those that are comparing hosting companies.

Some of these features might not be required for your website. You can choose to decide to concentrate on the features that matter most to you. For example, if you only have a 10 page static html website with no database you aren’t really going to care if they have UNLIMITED MySQL databases or UNLIMITED web space. So keep in mind what your website really needs versus getting an account with GOBS of features. You essentially need to take into account:

• Features that your site REALLY needs.
• Level and quality of support. 24/7, email, toll free phone and/or chat.
• Price (monthly and yearly pricing)

Here is the checklist of features to look for and to compare in different web hosting companies:

Main Features
Price
Operating System (Linux or Windows)
Web Space
Web Traffic
Site Builder
24/7 Support
Email Support
Phone Support
Uptime Guarantee

Domain Features
Host Multiple Domains
Free Domain Registration
Subdomains
Parked Domains
Dedicated IP Address

Email Features
Email Accounts
POP3
IMAP
Webmail (Browser Based Email)
Email Forwarding
Catch-All Email Addresses
Aliases Allowed
Auto Responders
Mailing Lists
Mailbox Quota (MB/GB)

Database Features
MySQL
SQL Server (which version?)
PostgreSQL
PhpMyAdmin
PhpPgAdmin
Database Quota (MB/GB)

Scripting Features
PHP
ASP (Windows Only)
ASP.NET (Windows Only)
Python
Ruby on Rails
Custom PHP.INI Files
Perl
CGI
CGI-BIN
ColdFusion
SSI (Server Side Includes)
.htaccess support (Linux only)
Any 3rd Party Components or Scripts Installed?

Free Scripts
This can vary greatly from one host to another. This is usually only important if you require that particular script (forums, blogs, CMS, portals, etc.). Keep in mind that you can usually get these free scripts online easily. Some hosting companies have “one click” install features that make it easier to install these scripts. This is all a personal choice of what you really want and how much control you require.

Site Administration
FTP Accounts
Anonymous FTP Accounts
FrontPage 2000/2002
Webfile Manager
Web Site Statistics
Log File Access
Password Protected Directories
CRON Jobs
Custom Error Pages (404, etc)
Control Panel (Which Type?)

E-Commerce Features
SSL – Shared or Dedicated
Shopping Carts
· OS Commerce
· Agora Shopping Cart
· Zen Cart
· Cube Cart
· Other Carts

Multimedia Features
Streaming Video Support
Streaming Audio Support
Real Audio Support
Real Video Support
Add own MIME Types

Security Features
Monitoring
Firewall
UPS Power Supply
Backup Diesel Generators
Spam Filter
SSL

Other Things to Consider in a Web Hosting Company:

Year Established. This will let you know how long they have been around. Be leery of recently established companies unless you they have a strong backing or reputation.

Quantity of Websites Hosted. Quantity doesn’t necessarily mean quality but it can be a good indicator that they can handle a lot of different types of websites.

Quality of support. It is very difficult to find personalized and extremely responsive support with low cost web hosting companies but you can still get a respectable level of quality. This all depends on your website’s needs. If calling at 4 AM and talking to someone responsive to you is important then you should test your prospective web hosting company accordingly.

Quantity of Employees. Once again, quantity doesn’t mean quality but it can be indicative of how seriously they take their support. How many are dedicated to sales, support, server administration and management?

Quantity of Web Servers. There is something to be said of a hosting company that has 1,000 servers versus 1 server.

Security. What type of security precautions do they take with your site and their facility? Some data centers have thumb or retinal scans for entry. Others do extensive background checks on employees. Some have halon fire extinguisher systems. Some hosts are located in facilities that are similar to Fort Knox. Other hosts are located in their spare bedroom. If you have data that is highly sensitive you want to make sure they take security seriously.

Website per web server ratio. This will let you know how many websites are hosted per server. This can be indicative of your websites speed and quality of service. It is usually better if you have less websites hosted per server. For example, it is better if you are one of 100 sites on a server than one of 1,000 sites per server. You will have to ask the web hosting company about this since it is rarely published online.

Overage charges. If your hosting account uses more storage or transfer then you are allowed you will be charged an additional fee. If your site is small and/or doesn’t get much traffic then you usually don’t have to worry about this but you should be aware of these charges. Most hosts notify you if you are about to go over your allocated amount.

 

In conclusion, these are most of the features to look for when you are researching discount web hosting companies. If there are features that you require whereas your prospective host doesn’t appear to offer in their hosting plans you should contact them to see if they can create a customized hosting plan for you. Most of the larger affordable web hosting providers will not provide this level of service but some of the smaller hosting firms might be able to assist you for an additional fee. It never hurts to ask.

Trying to located new hosting company with great features and low costs? View some suggestions of our discount web hosting plans.

View additional web hosting articles.