When visiting some of the web hosting forums out there, it seems that everybody is asking the same question, and nobody else has realized this but a select few.  More times than not, somebody will have a list of four or five web hosts and then saying, “Which one is the best?”.  There is no way anybody is going to be able to tell you that.  Why?  Well, what is good for you might not be good for the guy down the street.  With that in mind, I have decided to give my own shopping list for people out there looking for perhaps their first web hosting account.

What do you plan to do on and with this web site?

Why put the cart before the horse?  Before you go out looking for a web hosting account, you need to figure out what type of web site you wish to build.  For example, if it is a store – you will want to look for deals on dedicated SSL certificates, payment processors and shopping cart scripts.  If it is a blog, you will want to look for compatibility with scripts like WordPress or Joomla.  The web host in question you look into should be able to tackle your questions about any web site niche you wish to develop and create.  Ask them how they can make your web site work, and what will they provide you with to get the job done.

What features do you or don’t you need?

Once you figure out what type of web site you wish to create, you are going to need to dive a little deeper and figure out what do you need to get that web site up and running.  Here are a few examples:

• Blog Hosting – look to see that they support the blogging script you would like to use, or if they provide any blogging tools out of the box.
• E-commerce Hosting – look for costs on dedicated IP, SSL certificates, payment processing and shopping cart scripts.
• Forum Hosting – See if they meet the needs for you forum script you wish to use, and see if they have had any trouble supporting that script’s necessities in the past.

Also, don’t get suckered in by features they promote that you really don’t need.  Sure, we all love icing on the cake, however you need to make sure you have the eggs, flour and sugar you need to make the proverbial cake that will be your web site.

How much support are you going to need?

Support always plays a big part in any customer and business relationship.  There is no web host alive that has perfect service, 24/7.  If you go out trying to find the perfect web host, you will be shopping for a very long time.  Instead, you need to go out and investigate how reliable support is when something bad does happen.  Go check out the public forms of support they provide.  Are their tutorials in-depth and user friendly?  Also, if they provide them, be sure to check out their user forums.  Here you can really see how well the customer and support relationship really is.  The important factor isn’t that bad things happen (because they will, no matter who you decide to go with).  The important factor is to find out how they react to problems and pressure.

Have you reviewed all the legal documentation available?

This is a step that many people overlook.  Most people will never read the legal documents that a web host provides, and then when they break one of the rules – they act as if they have no clue what is going on.  The key legal documents you need to review are:

• Terms of Service
• Acceptable Use Policy

Be sure to find these two documents (most web hosts will have them posted somewhere on their web page) and go over them from head to toe.

Figure out your budget.  How important is price to you?

Money is the last important check mark box I want you to have on your shopping list.  Do not just look at the final costs though.  I want you to do your best to plan a budget around this web host and customer relationship.  Add the hosting costs to the domain name registration costs, and then figure out the price for the next five years.  Remember to add or subtract any discounts that are available. Now compare that with some of the other web hosts you are looking at.  Your first instinct might be to go for the cheapest one.  That is wrong.  You should go for the one that gives you the most bang for the buck.  Weighing in all the earlier questions, and adding those to the final price you get, which is the best offer?

I want you to copy this address, or quickly write down these questions before you go shopping any further for a web hosting company.  If you can answer these five questions yourself, you should be in better shape to find the web host you are looking for.  There is no need to submit a list of five or six web hosts to any group of people and toss your decision out to them.  This is your purchase to make and to live with, so you had better do your best to make sure you find the right web hosting situation to meet your needs.