I'm a partner in a web hosting company so am pretty much aware of most of the things that happen in the industry. You can use this article as a checklist to make sure you don't get a duff host, and believe me, there are plenty out there!

Choosing a web host can be an arduous task, especially if you are new to the area and aren’t really sure what you should be looking for. It's easy to be distracted by promises of one form or another to find that once you're in the door the company behind the operation isn't as good as the website looks. But it doesn't need to be a hassle; follow these guidelines, do your homework and apply your own common sense and intuition, and you're more likely to get a fast, reliable and well supported web host that you can grow old with!

1) Compatibility

Firstly, it's important to realise that not all websites will work on all servers.

For example, a web site written in .NET (a Microsoft framework) won’t run on a Linux based web host without the installation of additional software, which could reduce performance. Therefore, if you are running .ASP pages you should look for a windows based host, while PHP & MySQL sites often run better in a Linux environment.

If you are unsure whether your web site is compatible then it is worth emailing the support desk. This is useful for two reasons, you can; -

i) be sure that your site will work before purchasing the hosting plan and ii) test the web hosting company's support system.

2) Resources

You’ll need to understand what resources your web site will require before purchasing the appropriate plan. The main points to consider are:

Web Space

This is the total amount of disk space at your disposal to which you can upload and store files. This covers web pages, emails and database so factor this into the equation. Avoid “unlimited” hosting – nothing in life is truly “unlimited” and unfortunately it's no different on the Internet! If something seems too good to be true then it often is. Check the T&C's and AUP and it'll probably have a “fair use” clause, which means it's not actually unlimited after all!

Bandwidth

This is the amount of data that can be transferred between your website and the Internet. These days plans are generous and few people hit the allowance, if you do it's not uncommon for accounts to be suspended, though normally alerts are dispatched as you near the limit. Sometimes a host will charge overages, which can be extremely painful! Check with a potential host which system they operate.

If you've already got hosting and are transferring then you can likely get this information out of your control panel.

3) Performance and Location of Servers

The geographic location of a website is becoming increasingly important. Google and other search engines now use this information to influence regional results, for example a UK based website will rank higher on Google.co.uk than a US based one. It also makes sense to put the server closer to the people that will visit the site as they'll have a better experience.

It is also important to test the performance of the server to be sure that they aren’t overloaded. Some hosts will have a test download or video stream accessible from their web site but if this file isn’t readily available ask the host for client web sites that you can look at to check the speed.

4) Reputation

This is one of the most obvious but commonly overlooked clues as to whether a hosting company is reliable. Check Google for “<> downtime” and see what comes back. If you're really thorough sign up to web hosting forums and search for posts about the host, but remember to gather the opinion of the majority rather than the token ‘troublemaker’ customer, 1 bad customer makes more noise than 100 satisfied ones.

5) Final Checklist

OK, so your host has passed all of the above, now check for the following:

* Telephone Number – Do they openly list one? Give them a call to make sure their support is up to scratch. One call is often all it takes to get a feeling.

* Registered Company Number – this should be displayed somewhere on the site.

* Contact Details – Look for an address, make sure they don’t hide behind a PO box.

* Uptime stats – Does your host provide an uptime history? Check that servers have been up for at least 99.9% of the time.

* Year Founded – find out when they were founded, longer established companies have more experience and stability.