Introduction
When starting an online business you will want to have a reliable small business hosting plan. A hosting plan is what will enable you to have your website seen on the Internet. The hosting company will give you a certain amount of space on their servers to store all of your website's files so it is important to find one that is reputable. You don't want a hosting company with a lot of downtime as this will result in your website going offline which in turn will have you losing potential business.
Step 1
Determine what kind of server you want to use for hosting your small business online. There are a few different servers from virtual, clustered and dedicated. A virtual server is simply a cheaper substitute to a dedicated server. Often many times people choose these type of servers because of the low overhead that is required to start their online business.
A clustered server is good if your business is growing with more traffic and is much more reliable than a virtual server. A dedicated server is for those who are wanting the most customization and to be able to withstand a lot of traffic as well as be the fastest website possible. You can rent this server, choose hardware and software too. Since you are renting your own server your website will be the only one on it. Of all the options this one will cost you the most money.
Step 2
When selecting a hosting plan for your small business look for what kind of customer service they offer their clients. You will want a company that can provide prompt and efficient service when you need it through varies means such as phone, email, chat support.
Before signing up with any web hosting company look over their support information and also do a search online to find any relevant customer reviews. Many times you can find customer reviews which will help make your decision easier.
Step 3
Check out the the small business hosting's interface before committing. Most business hosting companies will offer some sort of trial period to become familiar with their system. Take this time to get used to the online interface to see how user friendly it is. Look to see how the email accounts, database and domain/hosting are arranged and how comfortable you are with making changes to your account.
Conclusion
Check to see how much space and bandwidth there will be for your small business with your hosting plan. Not every company offers the same amount of space so you will need to be sure you will have the proper amount of space you need. Some web hosting companies will say that you will receive unlimited disk space when in reality this is not true. It is important to read every detail and to clarify all points before signing up.
Ask the web hosting company if they have nightly backups for your small business. It is important to know that your information is backed up on a regular basis or else you can lose valuable data. Another thing to ask a small business hosting company is if they have some form of a disaster plan in place. This is if a emergency shall arise such as a fire, earthquake, etc they have a plan to take measures to prevent any loss of your information.
