As mentioned in our first article in this series, "Questions to ask a web host", there are many traps and pitfalls to be aware of when selecting a web site hosting company. In that article, we explored a number of points and outlined some basic questions you should ask a hosting service.

The following is a more complete summary and description of areas you should be aware of before parting with your money. Successful web hosting is a partnership based on  honesty. Entrusting the future of your online destination to a hosting service is a big step, especially if you are involved in e-commerce or disseminating important information to the community.

"Unlimited" bandwidth or transfer offers:

This is probably one of the more popular ploys that some companies use in order to attract your business. It's worked on this principle - the vast majority of web site hosting clients will not be big bandwidth users, therefore lowering the average bandwidth usage across the entire client base. 

This situation allows hosting companies some room to move and if a few clients use a few hundred megabytes above the average, it's no real problem. But if you start using a few gig or more above the average, they will start getting nervous - all bandwidth costs money - anywhere from around 50 cents to $3.50 a gig - depending on the company's upstream provider. 

Bottom line: for the companies that offer "unlimited bandwidth" hosting, it is not in their interests to have clients that will actually use appreciable bandwidth.

Try testing this out. The next time you visit an unlimited bandwidth company web site, send a note to their sales department stating that you are interested in using their services and that your site draws 50 gigabytes a month (See our first article, "Questions to ask a web host"). We would be very surprised if you received a "hey, no problem" type response, unless the company is charging a sizeable flat rate.

Unlimited disk space:

The Unlimited Disk Space offer is much like the unlimited bandwidth scam. All disk space must be paid for by the company and if you greatly exceed their user average, you may find that you cannot upload any more files once you reach their "reasonable use" limits. Worse still, they may see you as being a problem and drop your account altogether - without warning.

Daily transfer limits:

Like any business, some days are busier than others. Unfortunately, some hosts don't recognize this and limit the amount of bandwidth able to be used in any one day. If you have a web site that is date/day active e.g., the weekends, this may have a serious effect on your site's viability. 

Capped monthly usage/excess data rates:

Sustained traffic surges can also be a problem. In a usual month, your quota may be more than sufficient, but what if you become No.1 on a major search engine overnight? - this does happen. Suddenly, people are flocking to your site and your quota is gone! If your web host doesn't allow excess, your sudden good fortune may also be your downfall. If a web host does offer excess bandwidth, check on the prices.

Bandwidth "throttling" and load balancing:

It is important to ascertain whether your host will decrease the availability of your bandwidth based on server activity. This isn't a decrease in your quota itself, but a "slowing" down of how fast this bandwidth can be used. Bandwidth throttling can result in your entire web site being slow to load. Excess throttling can mean that some of your visitors may not be able to access the site.

File size & type limits:

A prospective host may offer generous bandwidth and disk space, but it's wise to check whether they restrict the types of files you can host and the size of those files.

File downloads:

It's all well and good to be able to host your MP3's, but will others be allowed to download them? Enquire with the hosting company about their downloading policies. Some very well known host companies do not allow you to use their accounts for the express purpose of being a software or music archive - even if the items are legal.

FTP limits:

As with the previous 2 points, check with the host about FTP limitations.

Database limits:

A MySQL or Access database may come under a separate set of rules in relation to size and usage. Check the site carefully for details, including the terms and conditions.

Script limitations:

Some scripts are well known to cause undue loads on servers and many hosting companies are very specific in regards to the kinds of scripts you can run - to the point that the hosting company will require that you submit any script you wish to use to them; before making it available to your site visitors. Scripts include everything from the simplest of feedback forms to complex forums - any element that requires processing can be considered as being a script.

Money Back Guarantees:

Sounds great doesn't it - "If you aren't satisfied with the service within 30 days we'll refund your money!". Some companies are genuine in their offer, others aren't - check the fine print.

Uptime guarantee:

As with money back guarantees, it's wise to check the fine print. Some uptime guarantees exclude just about every event that could lead to serious down time and are totally useless.

Content objections:

In the terms and conditions of almost every web hosting service is a clause stating that they can terminate your account at any time, for any reason. In most instances, this is to protect the web host from the increasing number of unscrupulous individuals in our society who have a passion for litigation.

There is a down side to this - you may express a political opinion or religious view that may be in opposition to that of the web hosting company management. They are well within their rights to terminate your account. Check with the hosting company before signing up if your content is the subject of controversy, is highly political or religious.

Low fees/Setup fees/Contract length:

In some instances, the low fees stated on the home page of a hosting company web site may only apply to long contracts, so it's important that before you commit that you are aware of minimum contract lengths and any hidden setup fees. 

If you do find the lure of a very low rate over 12 months very attractive, think about how you'll feel if after one month you discover that the quality of service is not as indicated. Never commit to long contracts unless you are totally sure that the company can deliver what they've promised.

Extra domains

While you may only have one web site for the time being, is there a possibility that you may have another in a few months? A good web hosting service offers multi-domain support, i.e. you can host a number of sites with their own domain names under the same account. This is very economical especially if your main site is only using a fraction of the bandwidth and disk space quota. Again, check the costs and conditions in relation to hosting multiple domains - some charge outrageous setup and monthly fees for this service.

Customer support

Does the company offer true 24/7 personalized support? A very important aspect. Even if you only utilize the support team once every 6 months, it can mean the difference between having a successful online presence or one that falls over due to a simple issue that only the hosting service could rectify. Our previous article in this series, "Questions to ask a web host", contains some strategies for testing out a web hosts support system before purchase.

Get it in writing

Wherever possible, pre-sales enquiries should be submitted in writing and reponses returned in same. An email is a legal document, wheras the memory of a telephone conversation is nowhere near as convincing.

A note on free hosting

As the prices of web hosting have dropped dramatically and the general acceptance of the Internet has increased, so has the number of start-ups offering free hosting. There are mainly two business models that free web hosts work on:

a) The hosting is subsidized by the company displaying advertising on your site.

This can be quite undesirable due to the quality and content of some of the "sponsor" ads that free hosts use. The ads could include popups, popunders, top and bottom banners, annoying side bars etc.

b) The host offers bannerless free hosting.

The way these offers usually work is that the hosting company runs at a loss for 6 months to a year, gaining as many new free account holders as they can. Then, and usually with very little warning, a note is sent out to account holders stating that increases in costs have meant that the free host must now start charging fees.

Other major challenges with many free hosting services include a poor standard of support, frequent outages, draconian changes to terms and conditions without notice, poor documentation and a slowdown of services as the service becomes more popular. Even more frightening is that some very unscrupulous free hosts consider any content you publish to be their property! 

There have been many thousands of free web hosts come into being over the last 4 years and very few survive past the first 12 months. If your site has an ecommerce aspect or is promoting an important sales or community message, can you really afford to host it on free space given the problems that tend to haunt these services?

We hope that you have found this article to be of value. If you would like to learn more about what you should know when looking for hosting and what questions to ask, read our first article, "Questions to ask a web host". 

Other hosting related articles can be viewed in our New to Hosting? section.

Do you have other questions about hosting not covered in our articles? Contact our friendly support staff for free, no-obligation advice.

ThinkHost - Honesty, Integrity, Trust.