I have to admit, when I first started my internet marketing journey, I completely avoided getting web hosting, thinking it was scam, and totally not necessary. Boy, was I wrong? When I got web hosting for my main company site, it was like I had been lead into the VIP washroom and saw how the other half lived. I actually had bandwidth that could handle hundreds, if not thousands of visits every day. Professionals now watched over and took care of my site so it could not be hacked by some loser criminal. Complete back up files in case of some catastrophic failure or loss. Not only that, but I noticed right away when my site got hosted Google, and the other search engines, started taking me more seriously, and increased my page ranking as well as free traffic, and links. So take advice from someone who has been there, if you are still debating about getting hosting, don’t!

Now when looking for “the right” hosting company there are a few web hosting tips that you may want to keep in mind so you can choose the correct company and plan for yourself. Now everybody’s needs are different. Are you just throwing up a friendly personal blog, or are you a hardcore programmer that is also marketing your products online? Also, when choosing a hosting company take a look, and see if they offer you any deals on their domain buying. A lot will, when you open an account they even give you a domain for free. Try and find a company that has been in business a while and has built up a reputation in the business. Make sure they do not have frequent power outages. Look for a site that has live customer support at least during normal business hours. You may need to talk to somebody right away, and not wait days for an email to fix your problem. These are all things I tell my students when they ask for web hosting tips.

Also, you might want to try and find ones that offer you free FTP. That stands for file transfer protocol. Basically, this is a service that allows you to upload or transfer files to your website. It is sort of the back office for your site. When it come to billing it is also very helpful that the hosting company offers automatic billing, or renewal. That way you won’t have to worry about your account being suspended, and site taken down because you forgot to make a payment. This actually happened to me during a high traffic period and costs me hundreds of potential customers. Remember, when looking for a hosting company come at it with the approach of “I’m the customer, what can you guys do for me?” I hope these web hosting tips will help you choose the correct company, and plan for your particular site.