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Choosing a web host poses challenges. Advertisers hammer on two things consistently:

1. bandwidth
2. disk space

Don’t believe the hype. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of hosts promising unlimited bandwidth and huge amounts of space. I will say it now (listen carefully);

bandwidth and disk space are not the most important things to consider when choosing a web host.

Too often people choose the wrong host for the wrong reasons. Then they wonder why their site disappears randomly, why customer service seems nonexistent, why they can’t get a refund, why they’ve been charged for excessive usage, and why (gasp!) their host suddenly vanishes into thin air.

Consider the following when choosing a web host.

• Long-term Business Plan
  Many (if not most) hosts have a very short shelf life. They come and go in a moment. Research their longevity. Discover if they have a long-term commitment to staying around. Check out their community forums. Find out about the owner. If they’re a fly-by-night company, you won’t find much information. If that’s the case, be afraid. Be very afraid.
• Security
  Does the company have a deep and abiding interest in security? You need your site up and running for a long time (like non-stop, forever), without glitches. If you agree with that, then you should be very interested in security. Top-quality security means less spam and fewer headaches for you. If the web host doesn’t have an up-to-date, cutting-edge security solution, you might want to search elsewhere.
• Speed & Stability
  Many things seem simple, like, “Company A gives me 500GB of bandwidth per month, while company B gives me 30GB. I’ll go with A because my site is very popular.” Again, you’re buying the lie that bandwidth outweighs other aspects of web hosting. Wrong! Most websites will never come even close to 5GB per month. Most personal websites won’t come close to 1GB per month. It’s overkill. Pay attention to the equipment the company uses, not the amount of bandwidth they offer. Do they use servers like the desktop you’re on now? Or do they invest in high quality machines (like a $20,000 drive array with SCSI drives with serious redundancy) and a high quality peering network built for speed? If you don’t know, and you can’t find out, avoid the company like the plague. Many companies use cheap IDE drives from the Dollar Store (OK, maybe Target) with little or no redundancy. Crappy equipment equals crappy performance and little security or stability for your important site.
• No Fine Print
  Everything should be clear and out in the open. Check for fine print. If you find it, get out immediately! Fine print usually means something nasty. E.g., unlimited bandwidth typically means something else. If your web host offers a terabyte of space and endless bandwidth (and you run a high-bandwidth site), don’t be surprised to get a ridiculous bill for excessive use. It really happens. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? Can you cancel if you’ve pre-paid for three years and you change your mind? Will your information be kept private? Will it be sold? Do secret fees lurk in the shadows? Is there a price lock guarantee? If you can’t find the answers to these questions, find a different web host - the one you’re looking at sucks.
• Features Included
  What features does the web host include? If you need PHP or ASP, find out if it’s supported. Do they offer dedicated application pools, databases, web statistics, secure folders, custom error pages, the ability to customize plans, etc.? Now, finally, how much bandwidth do they offer? How much disk space? You should ask these questions, but only after you’ve researched the far more important aspects.

Hopefully you understand by now; bandwidth and disk space offerings should not drive your decision on which web host to choose.

You should look for a company passionate about serving and protecting customers, unafraid to invest in the highest quality equipment, willing to be completely open and honest about all policies, and that commits to staying in business for the long haul.

Do you know any web hosts that can meet all these expectations? I do. They’re called Parcom and I’ve been with them for nearly ten years. My main website (truthsaves.org) has reached 40,000 hits per month and has been on the $3.99 plan (cheaper because I pre-paid for three years). I’ve recently upgraded to the $9.99 plan to handle the traffic.

Dave, Parcom’s owner, welcomes all customers in the Renton area to stop by and visit. He might even take you up to his super-secure datacenter. I stopped in a couple years ago and that’s exactly what he did. He’s available in the Parcom forums on a regular basis. Sign up and see for yourself. Ask questions. Push the envelope. He’ll talk to you and lay it all out on the table.

Security, speed, stability, and service - Parcom has it all.

And no, I get nothing for this. It’s appreciation for long-term, top-notch service.

About Dave
About Parcom
Parcom Intrusion Detection System and Firewall Solution
Parcom’s Datacenter Layout
More About Parcom
Hosts that Give Too Much Space
Customer Testimonials
Another Article on How to Choose a Good Host

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