Gigabytes and Bandwidth Are Not Criteria for the Best Web Host

Have you really taken a hard look at the real criteria for the best web host?

All over the Internet, you read ads for web hosting that tout the number of gigabytes of storage and the bandwidth that the particular web host will supply to you.  Do you think this is the real criteria for the best web host?  

These are measurements of hardware capacity and can be provided by any web host, good or bad.  Web hosts that advertise in this manner are a dime a dozen.  Many of them come and go in the Internet business.  

Some of these are resellers of web hosting that do not own their own hardware, but resell space on the server of another web host and you do not even know it.  You sign on with them, they go out of business, and you are faced with a problem.  

Any web host can provide gigabytes and bandwidth since these are necessary for a web site to function on the Internet.  However, there are many other criteria for the the best web.

Criteria for the best web host:

1.                            Fast, reliable hosting

2.                            Reasonable cost for services provided

3.                            No initial set up fee

4.                            Domain registration included in hosting charge

5.                            Unlimited data transfer

6.                            Email customer support

7.                            Telephone customer support

8.                            Point and click page building

9.                            Unlimited web pages

10.                       Tools for brainstorming key words for your site theme

11.                       Tools for evaluating the supply and demand for your keywords

12.                       Assistance in building your web pages to make them search engine friendly

13.                       Uploading your own web pages if desired

14.                       Automatic submission of each new page or each updated page to the search engines

15.                       Page templates for your site

16.                       Customized 404 error pages

17.                       Automatic creation of Google and Yahoo site maps.

18.                       Inclusion of a blog site

19.                       Unlimited email accounts

20.                       Email forwarding

21.                       Email domain forwarding

22.                       Support forum of other users

23.                       Point and click custom input form creation tool

24.                       Unlimited autoresponders

25.                       Ability to upload XML code for RSS pages

26.                       Link exchange and link builder

27.                       eZine publishing tool

28.                       Email marketing list builder/distribution

29.                       Reports

a.    Search engine ranking report

b.    Traffic statistics and analysis

c.     Click tracking and analysis

d.    Keyword search report for search engines

e.    Tracking of search engine spiders

30.                       Any other additional services  

You should not expect to receive this level of service for the cheap hosting prices that are advertised on the Net.  The low prices are “lost leader” prices to hook you and get you signed up.  After you have wasted a year trying to build a successful web site and failed, then you will start studying the criteria for the best web host to help you build a successful web site.  

Don ’t waste that year.  Spend the time to find the best web host before you start building your web site.  

Good luck on finding the best web host.