Shopping for a Web Hosting Company
My ideal web hosting company must be reliable (ideally 100% uptime), provides good and efficient customer support (24/7), provides an open source content management system and at the same time support an array of languages for developers. Sounds reasonable?
Well, there are thousands out there that fit my simple criteria! So, I started to do some research and came across these sites that rate the quality and reliability of each hosting company.
For now, my strategy is to pick a few that are rated highly on these sites. I guess method of elimination may ease the level of confusion for now!
webhostingjury.com
top-10-web-hosting.com
webhosting-rated.com
besthostratings.com
findmyhosting.com
webhosting.info
How to Shop for a Domain Name Registrar
Research has shown that it’s advisable to buy different variations of the company domain name e.g. the same name ending with .net or domain names with similar spelling. It’s a good precaution but this may also mean I may end up buying multiple (maybe 5-10) domain names.
Cost is definitely a deciding factor when purchasing multiple domain names but here are other assessment areas when selecting a domain name registrar:
* Make sure the registrar or authorized reseller is accredited by ICANN. Check here: icann.org.
* Find out the cost and procedures for transferring the domain name to another domain name registrar. Avoid registrar that charges exorbitant fees.
* Consider extra features, like email accounts, e-mail forwarding and domain forwarding.
* Consider add-on services, like private registration which hides you identity from Whois searches. However, it may affect the credibility of your business website.
* Consider support options. Registration should be simple and usually tech support is not needed. However, it’s always good to know what kind of support/service is provided.
* Make sure the domain is registered to you, as opposed to your web host or registrar.
More reviews can be found on ConsumerSearch, Webhosting.info and Registrar-reviews.
