A bad web host can really be a pain for any business. It’s unfortunate that a lot of businesses do not understand the importance of web host and just make a hasty decision without doing a proper research. However, we can’t blame them for this completely. Searching for a good web host is not such an easy job. There are thousands of web hosts available; all making big claims about their services. Validating these claims seems an impossible task for most people. However, this task would look quite straight forward if we apply the same principles that we would apply to any service provider being considered for use for the first time. So, look for reviews/references from people who are using or have used the services of a particular web host. For this, instead of going to a number of websites, you can use http://www.webhostingreviewdirectory.com ; a website that consolidates reviews from a number of places and puts together at one place. Go through the reviews and go through hundreds of them.
Two approaches are suggested for short listing and choosing a web host. The tasks performed in both the approaches are same; only their sequence changes.
Approach 1:
Shortlist the web hosting services first on the basis of your requirements and then make a selection based on their reviews. The advantage with this approach is that you start with your requirements as the selection criteria and then eliminate based on reviews (i.e. requirements are at the prime). However, a big disadvantage with this approach is that you will have to sift through a lot of rubbish too i.e. web hosts which are good for nothing (and remember there are thousands of them).
Approach 2:
Short list a few web hosts based on their reviews at http://www.webhostingreviewdirectory.com and then check which one of these caters to all of your requirements. The advantage with this approach is that you can quite easily eliminate the rubbish web hosts upfront and concentrate on evaluating only the good ones. The disadvantage is that you start with a narrow spectrum of web hosting service providers and moreover, the requirements come second (reviews being the first).
What approach you use is a matter of personal choice but a lot of people do find the second approach much faster and easier than the first approach.
No matter what approach you use, the primary criteria for selection of web host remains the same i.e.
- Your requirements
- The reviews/rating of the web host
