In terms of web design I think about three things: 1) web domains; 2) hosting; and 3) content.  That’s to say I first focus on which domain is right for my client.  The domain I use for business may not necessarily be the right domain for a client who only wants a blog (or an eCommerce site).  Second, I need to look for a reputable service that fits my client’s tech and budget needs.  Domains and hosting are similar ideas but you need to make sure your hosting provider will be there for you when you need them.  And last but certainly not least is the site’s content.  This is the single most important thing to consider when choosing the right hosting provider.  Are you going to create a forum community, a rich media friendly site, or a bare bones blog to express your ideas to the masses.  OK, now that I’ve shared my point of view with you, lets continue our descent into the world of web hosting providers.

How much are you planning to budget for your site?  Pricing and rates can vary depending on a multitude of factors.  How much bandwidth do you need?  Don’t be lured in by price alone!  Are the hosting company’s servers located in your area or do they reside overseas?  Do you need a dedicated server for heavy eCommerce traffic or will a budget hosting plan with limited bandwidth suffice?  These are questions only you can answer depending on the site you’re looking to create.  When in doubt ask someone in the business for help.  More often than not we’ll happily guide you along in your decision process.

Reliability and speed is the most important thing to consider when narrowing your choices of hosting providers.  You can have the best site in the world, but if your visitors cannot visit your site quickly and easily, then your efforts are in vain.  Most reputable hosting providers guarantee 99% up-time.  This means your site’s server will be up and running all the time.  The better hosting providers maintain higher quality servers in order to facilitate this need.

The next thing to think about is bandwidth and space.  How much bandwidth is your hosting provider selling you at a certain rate.  Bandwidth can be defined as the amount of traffic going to and from the hosting provider’s server.  Think of bandwidth the same why you think about your cell phone minutes.  When someone visits your page the content of your site is sent to their browser.  How much bandwidth you need to allot for depends on how much content you have (a text blog is less content than a site with photos or video).  It’s always better to have a plan where you pay for more bandwidth up front than to get a bill for extra usage at a much higher rate.

How much space do you have on the server?  Think of space like you would your hard drive on your computer.  A smaller drive is fine for some, but if you have lots of digital media, you know that a larger hard drive is a necessity.  The same concept applies to your hosting provider.  Like bandwidth, it’s always better to pay for more space up front than to go over the limit and incur extra fees.

A final thing to consider is support.  Don’t overlook this crucial detail unless you want to be stuck on hold for an hour!  The better hosting providers provide 24/7 support where you can quickly reach a real person by phone or email.  I’ve called my provider on a Saturday evening and gotten the results I needed within 5 minutes.  Another important topic here is backups.  Look for providers who backup your site’s server on a nightly basis.  This way, if the server goes down for some reason, they can restore your site to its most recent state on a new server.  Otherwise, you’re stuck uploading your site to the new server!

Some other key areas for people depending on your needs are scripting languages (e.g. PHP), databases (e.g. mySQL), the server’s OS (e.g. Linux), and the Control Panel available to you.  The amount of control you have over your domain is important if you’re looking to do some development on the site.  These topics go beyond the needs for most casual users so I’ll just mention them in passing for now.

Well, there you have it!  I hope I’ve unravelled the mystery of web domains, hosting, and content.  While a 30-second commercial is much more entertaining to some, choosing the right hosting provider is a serious endeavor that should not be taken lightly.  My best advice to the beginner is to think of it like choosing a cell phone provider.  Do this, ask lots of questions,  and you should be just fine!