Sponge Project Blog

So you need a website…”I’ll get some hosting” you say. Google it and you’ll get over 2.5m results. “Cripes…where now?” you ask. In this article I aim to help you by looking at the different things to consider and where to find the best hosts.

What functionality do you need?

If you have an idea of what you need form your website, you’re already on the right track. By deciding on what functionality you want to offer customers, you will in turn dictate what services are needed from a web host. For example, if you want to offer online shopping, you need a web host with online shopping or eCommerce capability, database support and suchlike. Many hosts will bamboozle you with techie talk and acronyms like PHP, MySQL, Wordpress, CGI scripts, etc…but some, like Fasthosts or Star ^?? for example, don’t. They offer clear, easy to understand wording is used to convey their services, which makes them the sort of company you should be looking to work with.

What traffic are you expecting?

Another thing to think about is traffic and customer volumes. A difficult one to predict if you don’t already have a site, I know, but essential to think about. When you know this you can start to consider the different usage options available. Just like broadband suppliers you get a range of volume limits from a few gigabytes a month to unlimited. In turn the prices goes from cheaper to much more expensive respectively. If you have a website at the moment and can get hold of usage stats, then double or even triple them and you’ll have a good measure for the next few years’ usage. If you don’t have a website speak to the people building it for you. They should be able to help with relevant advice.

Legal stuff

Contract term, get out-of-jail fees and service level agreement (SLA), although dull sounding, are essential elements when considering the host. Just because the 3 year deal is cheaper than the 1 year deal, do you really want to commit for 3 years? There may be an early cancellation fee, just like your mortgage, if you elect to move within the contract term. SLAs can make of break a hosting provider. Without them there is no legal recourse when something goes wrong. This might be as simple as a billing error or more major like a system crash. Each of these elements should come with an SLA whereby the host will commit to responding to you within a given time or providing service availability for a given period (eg: 99% uptime, 6 days a week). Avoid anyone who says they have 100% uptime like the plague. They’re probably liars and just want the business. Any host worth their salt will only commit to something like 99.9% uptime.

Support

When can you and how easy is it to get help? 24 hours a day might seem overkill, but should reassure you that the hosting company you’re choosing is committed to offering you a great service. Also self-help is always a useful thing to have if you don’t feel you can bother them with trivial queries. Look out for online help, forums and real-time chat as good signs.

What does the future hold?

Unknown is probably the usual answer, but the hope is always to increase from where you are today. Be that general website traffic, number of leads generated or eCommerce volumes. Either way you’ll need to spend time considering this and looking at the options from your host. Can you move from your current hosting plan to a higher grade one? Will you need to move hosts completely? If you can choose a host that gives you the option to grow your hosting as your needs develop, then do so. Moving hosts is a major event and can sometimes be fraught with difficulties.

At the end of the day it’s a partnership, one where you pay them granted, but a partnership nonetheless. So you need to ensure the best for your business. Think about all of the above and you shouldn’t go far wrong.

I am not affiliated with Fasthosts or Star in anyway and I don’t use their services. However, they are local firms based in Gloucestershire with good reputations, clear services and I’ve worked with both in years gone by.