How To Spot A Bad Web Host

How To Spot A Bad Web Host

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If you are thinking of getting yourself a website, then you need to shop around for web hosting services. Of course, there is no lack of web hosts advertising their wares on the Internet and everywhere else, so you may think it won't take longer than a minute or two to choose one. However, you need to bear in mind that the reason why you want an online presence is because you either want to make sales online or you want to promote your business more effectively. You need an efficient and reliable web host. The problem is, among the thousands of web hosts available, how do you find out which are the really good ones?

You could turn the question on its head and arm yourself with the skills to spot a bad host. That way, your purchasing decision becomes much easier.

So how do we spot a bad web host? All you need to do is keep in mind the following points.

Never, never, never under any circumstance hire a web host that has advertised themselves via a spam email in your inbox. Treat them like the most potent virus threat ever, avoid them at all costs.
Treat companies that give too many promises like the plague. Companies that have promises that sound too good to be true, probably are. Do some research, if no other company is offering such a bonanza of services, avoid them. There are many companies who offer so many things in order to get your money and then disappear.

Check out the web hosting company's website and try to find their contact details. If the site offers no phone numbers, then avoid the company like the plague. It often means the company is not a company at all, but is more than likely a service operated from someone's garage. If you call and the person on the other end does not sound professional, or if you hear dogs barking (or children playing), then chances are you should not waste your time with that company.

Pay attention to the company's website. How does it look? If it doesn't look like it has been professionally designed, it may not mean they are a bad web host but it should give you a warning that the company may not have enough resources to provide you with proper support.

If they have a support forum, check it out. If there are loads of complaints, then focus your attention move on to another hosting provider. One or two complaints are normal, you can never please all of your customers all of the time. If there are no negative comments, beware.

Find out how long the company has been around. New doesn't mean bad but new companies may mean they are still small and may not be able to provide proper support if anything goes wrong.

There is an easy way to check how old the company is, is by finding out how long the domain has been registered. Domain means the address of the company's web site.

To do this lookup the domain name using a whois service, these can be found by searching online for "domain whois". When you get to the service, enter the domain of the hosting company and you will get a report including information on when the domain was first registered. Look at the information available for the host. Look at the address, name, when the domain was registered and its phone number. If you spot something that looks bogus, like a phone number showing 987-654321, then there is no need to do any business with them. If a company is unable to register itself using a bona fide address and phone number then you should not trust them with hosting your website.

About the Author:
Shane Stafford works for WhoIsHostingThis, a website that contains reviews for hosts such as MyHosting.com, iPowerWeb and HostDime.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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