Finding the right place to call home for your web site is one of the most important decisions you can make. There are thousands of web hosting companies to choose from…but which one is the right one for you?

Things you need to consider:

1. Databases are essential with any web site. You need to make sure you hosting company gives you the ability to import and export data using databases. Chances are you’ll be needing to use several databases throughout your site, so don’t skimp on this. The most commonly used database type is MySQL. Be sure the hosting company you choose allows a lot of MySQL database.
2. Control Panel access is a must if you want ease of use. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to figure out how to use your hosting service. If your a computer expert/cyborg then sure, maybe you won’t need control panel access…but for the rest of us humans trying to create and understand the way our web sites work without control panel access is futile.
3. Bandwidth is crucial. The last thing you want is to have your site be unavailable because you have exceeded your bandwidth. The more the merrier. Many hosting companies now offer unlimited bandwidth. If they don’t then keep looking, you can do better.
4. Email Accounts are something that you often don’t think about, but make sure your hosting company offers a huge number of free email accounts. It doesn’t cost them anything, so why should it cost you? Hosting companies that charge for email accounts just erk the hell out of me. I can’t stand to be nickel and dimed.
5. Server Software can make or break your web site. Be sure you choose a hosting company that keeps up with the latest programming. Any hosting company worth paying for should have the following software as standard on their servers: PHP 4&5, Perl, MySQL Databases & FrontPage Extentions.

Choosing a web hosting company can be an enormous pain in the ass. At times I thought I would scream until I cried or snap and fly to India and whack a very unhelpful Indian gentleman conveniently named Mark.

To make life a bit easier for you and avoid doing time for me, I’ve done my research and compiled a list of what I believe to be the best of the best in web hosting companies. Check them all out and make a wise decision, changing web hosts is not fun and is extremely time consuming.

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