Despite the potential cost savings, businesses should avoid free hosting. These free services routinely place banner ads on your site, offer limited security and database support and don't provide you with a unique domain name.
Three other types of hosting that are suitable for small businesses are:
- Shared (virtual). Pay a monthly fee for a powerful server to host your site, along with hundreds of others. Widely used and low cost, this offers good support and your own domain name (Web address). But speed suffers at peak traffic times, and security isn't as tight due to multiple sites on one server.
- Dedicated. The costliest form, this gives you a server dedicated to your Web site -great if you have lots of e-commerce or thousands of visitors a day.
- Collocated. You own your server, placed in the data center of the service provider, which provides a fast Internet connection. Advantages: High band width, up-time, and security, plus unlimited software choices. You pay for maintenance and band width.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Discover the range of options online
Get rapid, reliable service that's existed for years, has a physical address, doesn't overload its servers and has plenty of available bandwidth.I recommend: Visit FindMyHosting.com for an unbiased resource of thousands of hosts with customer reviews and host reliability data. No advertising accepted. Get 10 free quotes from matching Web hosts.
Get what you need in one place
Many Web hosting services cater to companies that require large-scale solutions. But for many small businesses, especially those that aren't involved in e-commerce and don't expect high traffic, a modest hosting package will suffice.I recommend: GoDaddy.com is a popular hosting service that offers affordable plans geared to small businesses.
Look for reliability
Pricing is important, of course, but remember that lower fees may mean lower technical support. A cheaper host may go out of business soon, and you don't want to move to another host later. Be certain the host backs up server, Web site and database files daily.I recommend: Try these reliable hosts that have been around since the late 1990s: Boston Computing Network or PhastNet.
Look for live support
Call the tech support phone number, not sales, and see how quickly you get to a technician. Try it at 3 a.m. A real person needs to answer the phone 24/7.I recommend: See Concentric, in business since 1997, or Rackspace, whose motto is "fanatical support."
Use a host with solid financials
If you're depending on the Internet to sell products, partner with a host that won't shut down in six months. A financially shaky host could hurt your business. Ask for and read the financials.I recommend: Check out Hostway, which serves 400,000 customers. It's been profitable every quarter since its 1998 beginning.
Find a host that grows with you
When your business grows, you'll need to upgrade – and that means more than just increased storage and bandwidth. Does the host offers e-commerce products, SPAM filters, anti-virus protection and marketing software?I recommend: Check out these winners: Blue Host, IX Web Hosting, Pow Web, and Lunarpages.
Get help with site creation
Many hosting services also offer Web creation tools that will help you get your Web site up and running quickly. Look for design templates and easy online store set-up tools.I recommend: Hosting services, such as ApolloHosting.com and ValueWeb.com offer a number of site creation tools to help you build your site.
Avoid host networks that have been blackholed
Some networks will host any Web sites, including porn sites and spammers. If a network gets blackholed – or blacklisted for spamming – that will affect your customers, too.I recommend: Spamhaus is a third-party source that monitors and names blackholed networks.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- Get specific about charges. Which are free versus fee-based?
- If you're selling products, choose a host that will link you to PayPal, Amazon or eBay.
- Try a service for a month before you lock into a one-year contract.
- Look for a refund on any unused hosting, if you cancel before the contract expires.
the Web Hosting page at Business.com
Qwest® Business
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www.qwest.com/smallbusiness
Your one-stop small business shop for phone, fiber-optic Internet, web site development, digital security and high-speed networking solutions.
www.qwest.com/smallbusiness
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Microsoft.com/online/trial-bpos.mspx
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