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No matter which hosting solution you choose, you should look for certain features from
your Webhosting service provider. This list is oriented toward a small business
user.
Setup fee of no more than $50
No charge for registering your domain with InterNic
At least 5 mailboxes included.
Unlimited email forwarding.
At least 1GB of monthly traffic allowance
24/7 toll-free phone tech support
(Very important!)
Microsoft Front Page support
Good webserver log analysis reports
30 day moneyback guarantee (they usually keep the setup fee, but refund
any monthly service charges that you've paid).
If you are planning on accepting orders or providing access to any
databases via your Web site, then you'll want the following additional features:
Support for database access (usually ODBC)
SSL Encryption
Some sort of E-commerce package
CGI and/or Active Server Pages support
Can I get some help choosing?
This above list looks long, but it is possible to
satisfy. You just need to shop around!
When you're shopping, you might want to check some of the webhost lists.
These sites list the Top 5, 10, or however many sites, using some criteria that
they sometimes describe. Make sure that you put your
skeptical cap on when looking at these lists. The sites have a lot of paid
banners and buttons, and it can be difficult, to separate editorial content from
advertising. On any site you use, try to find the criteria that is used for
selecting the "Top N" sites.
In the end it's your money, so choose well. A good webhost is a
wonderful partner. A bad one can be pretty painful. Believe me, because I've
had two bad ones!
Web Hosting Lists
First, I'd try CNET's
Web Services page. CNET's editorial standards are pretty high and
they clearly state their selection method for the Top 25 sites. The site includes a
Voting Booth where you can vote for your favorite (or not-so-favorite) webhost or look at
the ranking based on how others have voted.
(At least part of this site used to the the Ultimate Web Host List site.)
TopHostshas
another Top 25 list and a host database. No voting capability.
Hostindex bills
itself as "the world's largest hosting directory". Maybe that's so, but
they're pretty vague on how sites get into their Top 25 list. There's a simple
Voting Booth, where you can vote for a webhost, but you can't directly see
ratings for companies. Their Web Host Guide was nicely done, and contains helpful
information on the process of choosing a webhost.
