Finding a New Web Host

Should you change your web-hosting company? Before rushing into anything, give your service a thorough assessment. "Ask yourself, quite simply, whether you've received the service you expected," says Sebastian Moser, U.S. director of technical development at 1&1 Internet Inc., a web-hosting provider in Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania. So what should you expect from a web host?

"First and foremost, it should provide speedy and reliable service, and give you all the tools you need to have a sophisticated and productive website at a reasonable price," says Moser. Before you switch, Moser suggests you ask yourself the following questions. If you answer yes to any of them, it might be time to change.

• Am I experiencing regular outages? The most important question is whether your site's availability is satisfactory, says Moser. While you will seldom achieve 100 percent availability, he says, "if you have experienced regular outages lasting longer than a couple of hours, it is time to switch."
• Does my hosting company meet my needs? "It's surprising how often we find people operating multimillion-dollar businesses on one dedicated server, with no backup or redundant hard drives," says Moser. "Talk to your hosting company to learn more about how to best match your needs with the right technology."
• Am I getting the best value for the price? At least once a year, do some comparison shopping--new hosting companies may have emerged, or existing companies may be offering better deals.

According to Moser, "Some of the bigger and more reputable web hosts will provide you with very feature-rich packages, with all the tools and resources you need at prices that are lower than ever, so it pays to do a little homework."

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