You’ve built a knockout website, you’ve talked to your friends and relatives about a possible web host, you’ve got all your ducks in a row. You’re ready to go live and start showcasing your great blogs and photos. But before you leap into choosing a web host, take a break and do some serious digging into who will best suit your needs. Above all, don’t make these common mistakes so many have made.

Don’t Look for ‘We do it All’ Web Hosts

Bloggers eager to expose their prose to the masses or travelers who can’t wait to share their adventures with family and friends often look for the ‘we do it all” web host. The reality is, the web hosting industry simply can’t allow their customers to host unlimited domains on a hosting account. And forget about unlimited storage and bandwidth. It’s just not going to happen regardless of claims to the contrary.

Don’t Opt for the Lowest Price

 

This applies to just about any product or service you plan to purchase on the web. Don’t be a bargain hunter and go cheap. That’s not to say you shouldn’t look for the best overall value, just don’t let price rule the roost. A good host needs money to provide even bare-bones service.

Avoid those that charge less than $3 for hosting. You should pay a host more than $5 to get any kind of decent service. Consider what you need, what you’re willing to settle for and let that be your guide.

Don’t Blithely Ignore Terms of Service

Don’t be like most newbies and ignore the dreaded Terms of Service or a host’s Mailing Policy. Some ToS have strict and unforgiving refund policies. Others automatically renew your contract unless you cancel in writing. Hosts that offer ‘unlimited features and service’ will finagle their way out by limiting your resource usage in their ToS. And do check your ToS for Mailing Policy restrictions on how many emails you can send per hour. Hosts that loudly claim ’30 days hassle-free refund’ will have a lot of wiggle room in their ToS.

Don’t Sign up for Eons

Most hosts will offer incentives for you to sign up for one year and even bigger incentives if you stay with them for three. If you’re a newbie and don’t know much about the host, pay for a month first. See if their service quality matches their promises.