Enterprise Mastermind

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6. Control Panel

Look at a demo Control Panel (CP) if you can. You need to be able to login via the web and alter your domain name settings, access your database, edit email address etc. and this is made all the easier with a well thought out CP. Some hosting accounts will mention cPanel, which is the industry standard, extremely comprehensive and the one to go for if possible.

7. Customer Service

Another important aspect of any domain parking/hosting service is the support you receive. My advice would be to look for free web based support such as ‘live chat’ or email support and test out the response time and quality of that support by asking any questions you need regarding the ISP you are considering. I think good support is worth its weight in gold and should be considered as important as any of the other points in these posts when making your decision. I have spent many an hour talking with foreign based telephone support only to find they have hardly understood a word I have said.

8. Reliability and Service Speed

One of the biggest causes of problems for website owners is the speed with which their site loads in a visitors browser. This can be down to many factors beyond your control but an ISP with fast servers is certainly going to help. Look out for servers that exceed 40Gb (Gigabit) connectivity. Reliability is an issue, no-one likes to see a webpage down so look for a guarantee of at least 99.5% uptime and statistics to prove that they keep their word!

9. SSL (Secure Server)

If you have plans to use your webspace for ecommerce you might want to ensure that your host provides this facility. It is an essential feature if you intend to collect credit card details via your website. Be prepared to pay extra for this feature.

10. Extras

Look out for time saving extras like Fantastico which takes all the hassle out of installing things like blogs. Also look out for virus protection, FTP, Perl CGI-BIN access and crontabs, while you may not know what they are now, you may find that as your site grows you may need these features in the future.

I have purposely omitted cost from the list above. After all is said and done, you only get what you pay for. Price will always be an important consideration but try and get the best service you can. Cutting corners with your web hosting may cause untold problems in the future.