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Editor's Choice
iPage proves that it's serious about being the #1 option for hosting webpages with some of its new offerings. With most of the hosts online advertising uptime as their primary selling point, iPage offers near 100% uptime on their servers, providing their customers with reliable service. There are several different plans available. The account options at iPage include a lot of professional-grade features that should keep anyone who makes their living online happy. There are plenty of features aimed at a less professional audience, as well, that provide increased usability and simplicity with the company's offerings.
Unlimited space and unlimited bandwidth used to be the big selling points among web hosts. Over time, of course, those things have become expected by customers and don't really live up to the level of an offering anymore. iPage enhances their service with excellent customer support and by simplifying quite a few of the features in ways that make administration easier and more efficient. Their service comes with a monitoring feature and the host guarantees 99.9% uptime. For all of these reasons, we're giving iPage our #1 rating. Compared to the competition, this service offers a lot of bang for very few bucks.
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What Should You Look for In a Host?
What should you look for in a hosting company? What sets one option apart from another in terms of value to you, the client? While the needs of each individual or company will vary slightly, there are quite a few common concerns found across the board. You need to find a company that offers the most affordable solution possible, of course. However, you do not want to sacrifice performance, uptime or customer support for affordability. You need to ensure that the host you choose supports the operating system you use (Windows and Linux, typically), and you also need to ensure that the host offers the features that you need. For instance, you might want a host that provides you with unlimited subdomains, or you might require an unlimited number of email addresses. Choosing the right host should be based on the features provided, but you should not overpay for features that you do not need. For instance, if a host offers unlimited disk space for a premium price, but your does not require an enormous amount of space (nor will it in the future), then there is no reason to pay for this extra.Ensure You Get the Service You Deserve
Another essential ingredient of developing your web presence is the level of customer support provided by the host you choose. Ideally, you want the best possible support. The hosting company you choose should offer several ways to contact them when you need support - a toll-free telephone number, email and web chat features are the industry standards here. Without the right amount of support, you will find that you have to go it alone, which is not an option for all users. If you have a decent amount of skill working with s, this might be a palatable option, but it is certainly not for everyone.Ensuring Uptime and Reliability
Your choice of web host is an investment. Therefore, you need to make sure that you get the best possible return on that investment. While the tools and features provided by the host are part of this return, the uptime and reliability offered are also a huge concern. When your is down, whether due to server problems, network problems or some other cause, you are losing revenue because your customers cannot reach your site. Therefore, you need to ensure that your web host offers the utmost in terms of uptime and reliable service. The industry standard here is 99.9% uptime, but you will find hosts that offer 99.99% and 100% uptime guarantees.Dedicated, Shared or Cloud Hosting?
If you have spent any time at all looking into hosting services, you know that there are many different varieties out there. Shared hosting is usually the most affordable, though this is not usually the right choice for larger businesses. Dedicated hosting gives you all the resources in a server, but usually comes at a premium. Cloud hosting is a newer option available, which comes in somewhere between shared and dedicated in terms of pricing. You can also choose virtual private hosting and other options. You need to find the host that offers the right type of hosting for your needs.
