Web Hosting Jungle: Survival Basics

Here I won't tell you a lot about the technical aspects of hosting your website. Actually, I am bored with such techie-stuff.
 
Most hosts use some Unix-based operating system on their servers, and yes that works fine even if you have a PC at home. Only time you may need a Windows server is if you want to run some Windows-specific application like ASP on your website. Every web host I've ever used was, and is, a Unix host. OK, end of technical part.
 
What I'd like to talk about is how to get good web hosting rather than bad web hosting.
 
The web hosting market is oversaturated. There are thousands of hosting providers, large and small, all competing for your business. You may think this is good for you, since common sense says competition will lower prices. While this is probably true, it also means that web hosting companies will do everything they can to cut costs. And cutting costs may lead to poor service for you.
 
One aspect of this is the fact that most new web hosting ventures fail within a year. So if you go with a new host you may find that both the host and your web site soon disappear.
 
And those web hosting companies that manage to stay in business, how do they deal with the competitive market?
 
They may for instance:
 
--> Offer much more features than they can ever deliver (for instance: bandwidth)
--> Cut costs by cutting down on staff, plus outsourcing to somewhere in Asia
--> Recruit affiliate marketers who praise them no matter how bad their services are
 
So how do you avoid falling into those traps? As you can see, the good reviews you see on a web hosting company may be disguised advertising. Actually, the host may be understaffed and use underpaid, outsourced, and poorly trained employees. Plus when you try to use the features they promise, you run into problems.
 
Some tips:
-- Don't trust fabulous offers. If it sounds fantastic, there's likely a catch
 
-- Don't believe most of the praise you see about a host. It may well be advertising in disguise
 
-- Do favor hosts with a track record. It shows they are viable, plus it's easier to find real information on them
 
-- Do find out what people really think about the host. Dig out authentic customer opinions
 
-- Do ask pre-sales questions. At least this will weed out those companies that don't even bother to fake a good first impression...
 
If you follow those tips, you should have a very good chance of avoiding the Mean Monkeys in the Web Hosting Jungle.