How to Test Web Hosting Companies

When looking for the right web hosting company to host your website, there are several things you want to look for. How much bandwidth, storage space, and type of server are all important features that you’ll need to look for. But no matter what kind of hosting you’re looking for, or how much bandwidth or disc space you need, there’s one thing you’ll have to do; and that’s test your web hosting company.

Testing your web hosting company is important, and you can be very upfront about them that this is what you’re doing. In fact, you’ll need to be. This is because in order to effectively test the host you’ll need to know a few of the addresses of the websites they host. And for that you’ll need to ask. Ask the web host for a few of their top sites and then visit them. While there, navigate within the site to find out how much information they hold, how quick they are to download, and anything else that you’re looking for from your own website, and your own web host. Make sure that you visit a few, so that you can get a good idea of the average service the web host offers, and whether or not it’s for you.

While you’re checking out any web hosting company, also make sure to think of a question to ask them (if you haven’t come across one already,) and email or call the company with it. While you wait for a response to your answer take note of how long it took the company to answer, how helpful they were when they replied, and whether or not they treated you like a valued customer.

Good customer support can be difficult to find in web hosting companies, and some make promises that just aren’t true. You should get a response back in a couple of hours, even if it’s just a general question – and absolutely no longer than 24 hours. Consider if your website was down and you didn’t know why. When you contact your web host with the problem, you can’t be waiting too long before your website is back up and running; and that means that you need a quick reply from your host.

Even when contacting the web hosting company to test their customer support, it’s still okay to tell them that you’re considering using them as a web host; testing in this case does not mean being sneaky about it, or needing to do it behind the host’s back. Any company should already consider any contact a potential customer if they aren’t already and so, they should already treat you like one. This is why it’s okay to tell different hosts that you’re testing out different companies, and why it’s so important that you do.

Once you sign up with one you might be bound by a contract, and you don’t want to be stuck with something that you truly love. Especially something like your business’ website!