Choosing hosting or five tips for beginners

Yesterday I’ve read an article about choosing hosting and decided to share my experience of choosing hosting for my websites.
We don’t suffer from the lack of hosters – it’s a fact. It’s not so easy to make a decision, but I’d like to turn your attention to such important things:
1. The space volume for files. It may seem from the first sight, that 100 MB of space if very much, but only blog (files) + database (ten articles or so) “eat” already 5MB. And it’s without pictures. Of course, if you need hosting only for blog and a pair of static pages– don’t worry about space, 100 MB will be quite enough for at least a year.
The other situation is with those, who is going to launch serious projects on his hosting. It may come that 1GB is not enough for this. Though, if you make websites, that don’t weight much you can place even 100 of them there. So, think about the tasks, which you are going to solve with your hosting.
2. Database. Some important issues – the offered by hosting database type and how many database you can create. It’s all clear with type, work with what you can, (the most popular now is MySQL), but pay attention to the quantity of databases. Again, if you have one website (blog) – one database, everything is simple. But when you own 10 websites or 100… You can push them all to one database, but believe me it will not be comfortable to work with it. Think how many database you may need for your tasks. Also pay attention to the version.
3. Domains and subdomains. One more important issue. For example, if you have a website of several pages and you decided to add a blog to it. For certain you can put it to the folder blog and get something like www.example.com/blog/, but also possible is blog.example.com. To get URL like in the second example, hosting must permit to add subdomains to your domain. The situation with domains is a little more complicated and not always unambiguous. First ask if hosting permits to link up the domains registered in other companies (External Domains). Second, if it permits to refer to one website from different domains (so called Alias Domains). Third and the most interesting for those who is seriously intended to work in Internet, is the question if hosting permits to place several websites on one account (Multiple Web sites). Here’s a little explanation of the last idea. Usually, hosting companies don’t give an opportunity to place several independent websites with different addresses (domains) on one account. That’s why, choosing hosting-plan, pay attention to this option, if you are going to place several websites.
4. Scripts and additions. Determine on which language will be your site. Would it be PHP, Perl or just static pages. Define, what version of interpretators are set up there. If for the work of website you need some special additions – find out if they are set up at this hosting or if he can set them up. Usually, good hosting-companies already possess popular additions.
5. Price, payment, safety. Of course one of the key factors in choosing of hosting plan is price. Cheap hosting is not always bad. Expensive one is not always good. Determine how much you are able to pay for hosting, find appropriate companies that satisfy all needed conditions. Pay attention on the method of payment, see if you will be able to pay to this company at all. After this, write a letter to support with some question concerning the chosen plan. You may write to several companies at the same time. Pay attention to the speed of answer and it’s quality. It’s a very important thing, it induces – how easy for you will be to work with this company. Also you may visit a forum (if this company has it) and read opinions of clients.
Good luck in your choice!