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Questions to ask a shared web host provider


Questions to ask a shared web host provider

  • Do they offer Windows and  Linux solutions?
  • Do they offer an easy to use control panel?
  • Do they charge setup fees?
  • How many emails do they include their packages?
  • Does their network have  BGP bandwidth?
  • How much space and bandwidth are they offering?
  • Do they offer any Dynamic Controls?
  • Do they offer live chat support?
  • Do they offer 24/7 phone support?
  • Do they offer disaster recovery plans?
  • Are their plans scalable?
  • Will they customize a plan for you?
  • Will they provide references?

I’m sure there are many many more questions you may think of, but these are a great place to start. Finding the right provider with whom to entrust your data requires some forethought and research. Don’t over think the entire process. Search the Internet for positive / negative reviews, narrow down your list and then call each prospective vendor. 

Gauge which provider best fits your business model. How important and relevant are each of the above? Assign a value to each, total the numbers and compare vendors. Often, the correct match jumps of the page and hits you square in the forehead. Often the offer seems too good to be real – for instance, an offer of unlimited bandwidth or disk space. That’s just not realistic given the finite limits on disk space and the cost of bandwidth to the vendor. 

I would recommend assigning a heavier weight to a disaster recovery plan. And also to their technical expertise, as it directly relates to the level of service you can expect to receive from them. 

You’d be amazed how many hosts do NOT offer phone support, or only during business hours. Uptime can be verified to some extent as there are sites that monitor hosts, but those do not necessarily monitor every router – so the numbers can be misleading. If your prospective host publicly lists anything less than 99.99% uptime, I’d recommend looking elsewhere. Downtime can cost thousands in lost revenue and disgruntled clients. 

Do you recognize their references? Are those references credible? 

Even if your application doesn’t fit a plan you see featured on their website, call and ask them if they’ll customize a plan for you. You may be pleasantly surprised.



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