Making the decision on which hosting company to go with can be tough. Knowledge is power and knowing what to look for will make the process much easier. Some of the major aspects you should consider listed in this post are services, pricing and business standards.
Packages
Tech Support
If you're hosting your first Joomla site this an important consideration. Joomla is an excellent CMS but things go wrong sometimes, so are you going to have help available from the hosting company or you'll be on your own? Do they provide phone support? If you're doing this for the first time, having someone experienced to guide you through can be a life saver.
Space
Do you expect your Joomla site to become really popular really quickly? Does it take up lots of disk space? The cheapest hosting plan sometimes may not be the best choice if it won't handle the traffic you'd get. When you're starting out wour site probably won't have lots of content and multimedia on it so it won't be using lots of bandwidth but make sure you have enough for the best user experience.
Lack of ample available bandwidth will slow down your website to a crawl. That's horrible news in terms of user experience - as much as 1/3 of your visitors will leave frustrated! make usre to choose a hosting plan with generous amount of monthly bandwidth.
Reviews
Has this hosting company been in the biz for a long time? It's a booming market which means there are lots of hosts that don't make it in the long run. Save yourself the trouble and go with a host that has been around for a few years and won't disappear along with your site.
Bisiness Practices
Software Specific Support
There are different kinds of web hosting. Some hosts specialize in providing more targeted support for certain CMSs like Joomla in order to get targeted customer base. Look around the website of the company you've chosen and search for signs that they support Joomla or provide special assistance with it, etc. Also, almost every company that offers shared hosting offers some kind of app installer that can get Joomla running literary in minites.
Environmental Footprint
A company may seem perfect for your needs but does it share the same care for the environment as you? Some hosting companies have policies in place to reduce their environmental footpring by using energy from renewable sources. Check that out before buying, don't make a compromise with your ethics.
Is this web host a good fit?
Making the final choice for your Joomla web hosting can be a little difficult. Going with a more reputable, bigger company and a smaller more market specific web host have their advantages and disadvantages. Whichever is the right one for you the poitns made in this post are valid and will help you get the most value for your money.
The Price Tag
Initial Price
Are your ready to buy a whole year of hosting at once? Most hosts only offer eyarly payments and the advertised low montly price is valid only when you purchse for a period of one year or more. However don't go wit ha company solely becase of the price tag and remember the other advice in this article.
One option is to buy a web hosting package when you have your Joomla site ready and developed. This a good idea if you want to save some money and don't waste time from your hosting subscription without having your site at hand.
Additional Features
Almost all web hosts will charge separetely for additional products. For example if you deal with sensitive personal information like credit card transactions you'll need an SSL certificate which costs extra. Being placed on a server with less customers like with a semi-dedicated plan costs more that a shared plan. You see how it can get pretty expenisve pretty fast.
Summary
If you're not a tech person all of this can seem a little too much. But armed with this list of useful advice you can cut trough all the confusion and become an aducated website owner. Don't get frustrated, pick a few web hosting companies and compare them according to your criteria - I guarantee you'll be able to find the best fit for your purpose and website.
Packages
Tech Support
If you're hosting your first Joomla site this an important consideration. Joomla is an excellent CMS but things go wrong sometimes, so are you going to have help available from the hosting company or you'll be on your own? Do they provide phone support? If you're doing this for the first time, having someone experienced to guide you through can be a life saver.
Space
Do you expect your Joomla site to become really popular really quickly? Does it take up lots of disk space? The cheapest hosting plan sometimes may not be the best choice if it won't handle the traffic you'd get. When you're starting out wour site probably won't have lots of content and multimedia on it so it won't be using lots of bandwidth but make sure you have enough for the best user experience.
Lack of ample available bandwidth will slow down your website to a crawl. That's horrible news in terms of user experience - as much as 1/3 of your visitors will leave frustrated! make usre to choose a hosting plan with generous amount of monthly bandwidth.
Reviews
Has this hosting company been in the biz for a long time? It's a booming market which means there are lots of hosts that don't make it in the long run. Save yourself the trouble and go with a host that has been around for a few years and won't disappear along with your site.
Bisiness Practices
Software Specific Support
There are different kinds of web hosting. Some hosts specialize in providing more targeted support for certain CMSs like Joomla in order to get targeted customer base. Look around the website of the company you've chosen and search for signs that they support Joomla or provide special assistance with it, etc. Also, almost every company that offers shared hosting offers some kind of app installer that can get Joomla running literary in minites.
Environmental Footprint
A company may seem perfect for your needs but does it share the same care for the environment as you? Some hosting companies have policies in place to reduce their environmental footpring by using energy from renewable sources. Check that out before buying, don't make a compromise with your ethics.
Is this web host a good fit?
Making the final choice for your Joomla web hosting can be a little difficult. Going with a more reputable, bigger company and a smaller more market specific web host have their advantages and disadvantages. Whichever is the right one for you the poitns made in this post are valid and will help you get the most value for your money.
The Price Tag
Initial Price
Are your ready to buy a whole year of hosting at once? Most hosts only offer eyarly payments and the advertised low montly price is valid only when you purchse for a period of one year or more. However don't go wit ha company solely becase of the price tag and remember the other advice in this article.
One option is to buy a web hosting package when you have your Joomla site ready and developed. This a good idea if you want to save some money and don't waste time from your hosting subscription without having your site at hand.
Additional Features
Almost all web hosts will charge separetely for additional products. For example if you deal with sensitive personal information like credit card transactions you'll need an SSL certificate which costs extra. Being placed on a server with less customers like with a semi-dedicated plan costs more that a shared plan. You see how it can get pretty expenisve pretty fast.
Summary
If you're not a tech person all of this can seem a little too much. But armed with this list of useful advice you can cut trough all the confusion and become an aducated website owner. Don't get frustrated, pick a few web hosting companies and compare them according to your criteria - I guarantee you'll be able to find the best fit for your purpose and website.