There are so many web hosting packages out there that a beginner to the world of web development, or even a novice can find it difficult to find the right one.

In response to this ongoing problem here’s a checklist of things to look for to get the most out of a package:

1. Monthly or yearly fee? Unlimited bandwidth and unlimited email? – There are plenty of yearly fee suppliers that include up to 5GB bandwidth and unlimited email that charge around £25 per year. Be realistic with the package being ordered; do you expect to use more than the allocated 5GB (i.e. do you expect lots of visitors straight away)? Unlimited email addresses – are you expecting to use 999 email addresses? Don’t pay huge monthly fees when a one-off yearly fee will get you more for your money.
2. Web space – What is your site going to be? Are you housing downloadable videos and/or streaming content? If so – go large. If not, 500MB will do. Remember that the average webpage size should be 50kb. 500MB will house 10,000 webpages!
3. CPanel – CPanel is a great tool. Host your website in simple folder like directories and even use a tool called Fantastico to implement a massive range of packages for an online shop, blogging website, etc etc. Fantastico will automatically install content management systems like Joomla! Mambo, WordPress and Droopal and ecommerce software like Zen Cart, OSCommerce and Cube Cart.
4. PHP - Always choose a hosting site that has PHP5 installed. PHP is a server side programming language and won’t work unless it’s installed at the host. PHP is useful for forms, content managed websites and online shops.
5. Multimedia Compatible – is a must if you’re requiring streaming video and downloadbale videos etc. This also includes sound.
6. Support, Online Support and Support Availability – This has to be most important factor when choosing where to host a website. Getting online with a host and having lots of issues with downtime without being able to contact them will be, let’s say, a tad frustrating. 24/7 support, 99.9% uptime as well as phone, email and instant chat support should be on your checklist.
7. SPAM Assassin – Unfortunately due to the amounts of spam email being created, some hosting companies now include a facility called SPAM Assassin. It keeps junk email to a minimum and should be well-up the list of needs.
8. Place – Choose a hosting company that is in your country! If you’re a UK based outfit it is best to have a UK based hosting company.

This is not an exhaustive list, but if you’re choosing to build or re-host your website we hope this list will help you in choosing the correct hosting package.

Digg

Stumble Upon

Del.icio.us

Buzz