OK, here are some basic steps.
# Rule 1 – Unlimited everything
You need to choose really unlimited hosting. Very important are :
- unlimited domains – allows you to create effective web applications with own domain – so it does not look like student or amateur site.
- unlimited databases – today every application (website, CMS, photogallery, survey etc.) needs database. So you need unlimited amouth of databases
- unlimited space – this is clear. So much megabytes of space as you really need.
- Unlimited email, FTP accounts and other – this you need for your users, partners etc.
Warning – if you dont choose unlimited hosting, you need always thing about new hosting, you often need to calculate how much space you still have, how many users you can create for some project OR globally you will think again and again „probably I need new hosting for this project“.
# Rule 2 – Extra easy administration
This is clear. You need the simplest administration to configure your webs. The Life is so short to still learn something new. So, you need to choose something very clear, where you can easily orientate. This is every hosting with cPanel administration. While I lost so much time by learnin other administration panels from different company, cPanel is a standard. The big advantage of cPanel is that it is really intuitive and fast interface. You just take a look to icons and you can easily see what and how to do. The best hostings have cPanel. CPanel contains everything what you need ( administration of domains, email/ftp accounts, subdomains, redirections, file managers, seo tools and many other – everything what webmaster need)
# Rule 3 – Automatical installation of web applications
Don’t waste your time. Manual installation of wordpress takes 10 – 20 minutes. Automaticall instalation takes 1-2 minutes. There is no advantage for manual instaling WordPress. If you need, you can still specify some things manually (database, password, login). Then you can save another time when you need to update several installations of WordPress / Joomla etc. Manualy you need to be carefull, delete and copy some files etc. Automatically you only need to push button.
# Rule 4 – Reliability
This is also clear, just one comment : not every hosting company provides reliable service. There could be some break, outages, failures. So choose carefully right company.
# Rule 5 – Villing and experienced support !
This is very important. Sometimes you really have some crucial question or some serious problem and you need a help. This help should be ONLINE! Any other kind of help is bad. Sending some tickets somewhere and waiting for answer ? Waiting for email answer ? No! No! No! In case of issues you really need help immediately. The best way is Live Chat. Also phone is good but I prefere live chat, becouse then you can let the support send the conversarion to your mailbox, so you will not forget, what has been agreed. Also some hyperlinks, settings, codes are better to sent via online chat.
The support should be also experianced. It is not a win, when you have some „monkey support“ online whole day. You are again loosing your time, becouse they do not know, they are trying …
E.g. Some days ago I have to solve some problem on one Australian hosting. They really did not help me at all. I spent hours to explain problem, but evidently the person did not know anything about domains, adresses, wordpress installations. I have to send him the article from internet to show him the point, but still I did not get help. Finally I solved the problem by myself but I lost hours of my time by writing emails, explaining, trying, testing.
And just same request I had also at HostMonster.com, where it was solved online in 2 minutes.
What I am using and what is checked by me :
All rules mentioned above you can get at these hostings :
- HostMonster.com (there I have most of my webs, and this site is located there also)
- Bluehost.com
- JustHost.com
- I will add some webhostings later, when I will have some experience with them
- You can put some other tips to comments, but please add there only a serious ones which are related to my rules (unlimited, reliable, cpanel, auto instalation, very googd online support)