Websites are being created daily with new platforms always arising such as Wordpress, Drupal, and many more. Unfortunately some consumers get caught in advertising schemes from webhosting companies trying to rip their costumers off. The costumer then realizes that they were scammed into getting much more than they needed, then noticing that they’ve just put themselves in the middle of a contractual agreement. Today I’m going to help you in figuring out what you should look for in a webhost.

Of course everyone has different expectations of their webhost but there are a few general features that every user should look for before they enter a contract.

The first thing you should look for is Linux hosting. Most blogging platforms can only run on Linux such as Wordpress. Linux is also known to be one of the most stable operating systems in the world probably due to it being open source. Open source essentially means that the OS code can be edited by anyone, therefor allowing for constant improvements. Linux hosting is generally cheaper than Windows and Mac hosting because it’s free to run for Webhosting companies. Because of the fact that Linux is one of the most stable operating systems in the world it also has a terrific uptime percentage. When you’re a business selling a product a down server means lost sales and lost website traffic. Again that’s why most website owners use Linux for their servers.

If you’re running blog on some sort of content management system it’s essential to have MySQL databases. These databases are used so that website owners can access their servers without going into the hosting control panel. An example of this would be posting a new blog post on Wordpress. When you’re posting a new post on Wordpress you don’t go into the actual server itself but publish from your WP-Admin page. Without MySQL you’d have to access the server directly by going to your hosting control panel.

Also, you want to have easy access to your files. That’s why it’s important that your hosting company provides an easy to use control panel that allows you to access all aspects and features of your website. Whether you need to access your email account, website files, or MySQL databases, having a simple control panel that is easily understood is essential to running and managing an efficient website.

Look for unlimited bandwidth and disk space. If your hosting company isn’t offering this they’re the wrong company. I recommend choosing Hostgator for these reason and the fact that they offer an easy to use control panel. Unlimited disk space means that there is no limit on how much content you can upload to your server. Bandwidth allows your users to access your websites and view various media such as video or audio files.

Make sure your hosting company performs regular backups of your website. If they aren’t doing this you’re not using a very good hosting company. By backing up your site you’re protect yourself from lost data and information. Backing up is essentially saving your data so that if you’re site goes down you’ll be able to go back to a previous form of your website. This should be included in the price of your hosting package. If the company is charging extra for this there is no guarantee that your data will be safe.

Don’t get ripped off. Basic hosting packages should start under $5.00. These packages should include all of the above features plus free costumer support. Most companies offer start up plans such as the Hatchling plan by Hostgator that include unlimited disk space, bandwidth, and allows for 1 domain to be hosted. Make sure that your company offers at least a 30 day money back guarantee. If they don’t they’re probably in the business to scam and rip you off.

I hope that the information above will assist you in your quest of purchasing high quality hosting. Ask your friends and co workers about their experiences with various hosting companies and what you should expect from them. This is the most crucial investment when running a website and knowing whether your hosting provider is a respectable company is essential.