1. Web Hosting Check List Tips and Tricks when looking for Web Hosting Presented by Web Hosting Resource Kit

2. Web Hosting Basics Determine if you need Windows or Linux Web Hosting. Do you need ASP Hosting or Apache Hosting. Do you need PHP and Perl or maybe DotNet (Microsoft)? Analyze the expected traffic for your website as you will need that information to determine what kind of hosting do you need (Shared Hosting, VPS, Dedicated Web Server, etc.) Buy a Domain Name that matches your needs

3. Location, Location, Location … Define your geographical target audience. Where will most of your traffic come from? Place your website as close as possible to your targeted audience to increase site performance for your visitors Register your Domain with Google.com/webmasters and set the geographic location to let Google know where the site “belongs”

4. The Web Hosting Competition Web Hosting is a competitive market with thousands of companies wanting to be your web host. Read Web Hosting Reviews, Web Hosting Forums, and consult with friends, industry partners, and maybe even family. Consider a web host with a money back guarantee and test their services first before making a commitment

5. Unlimited Web Hosting Some web hosts offer so-called unlimited web hosting. While it sounds tempting to put your high traffic, script-heavy website onto an unlimited web hosting package and save some money, be aware that unlimited web hosting is designed for smaller websites with an occasional burst in traffic and resource needs. Unlimited web hosting does not replace the need for a dedicated server or VPS.

6. Domain Name Registration Even though some Web Hosts offer a free domain name registration with a web hosting package, it is recommended to register your domain somewhere else. Avoid being held hostage by a web host. Use something like Dynadot, Namecheap or even Godaddy (be aware of upsell traps at Godaddy)

7. Long-Term Commitment Sometimes it pays to make sort of a long-term commitment. Some web hosts offer extremely low prices if you prepay for up to 36 months. You can do this with well-established hosts usually without fear. Even if you decide to move away with your website, you will receive the remaining funds back.

8. Backups Even though your web host will usually provide a backup option of your website, you still need to make recurring backups and store them locally. If a catastrophic event happens you want to be able to recover your website as quickly as possible. This is also another reason why you want to register your domain name with a dedicated domain registrar to maintain absolute control over your Internet destiny.