There are big differences among hosting companies. Here are some things to consider when you are shopping for one:
- Do they often have site downtime?
- How long has the company been in business?
- Is the company reselling from another source?
- Are site add-ons available (form mail, WordPress, statistics panel, etc.)?
and most important:
- Is 24-hour phone support available? If so, what is the average wait time?
Avoid cheap hosting companies or resellers. You are likely to regret your decision down the road. You also may end up paying more in the long run.
Godaddy’s telephone support is excellent, and their reps are usually courteous and patient.
If you don’t need immediate responses to your support issues, Dreamhost is another option. They respond reasonably quickly when you send them a trouble ticket, and they allow a limited number of callbacks with some hosting packages.
Novice website owners often think that they will never need to contact their hosting company regarding issues that arise; perhaps about half the time, this is not true.
Be sure to keep your user name, password and pin number readily available in case of emergencies. You never know when you will need them.
Set up a Godaddy account here.
Set up a Dreamhost account here.
