What to Look for in a Dedicated Web Host

When you’re thinking about signing up for a dedicated server, you’ll be paying a good deal more than you would be with any other type of server. Because of that, there are certain things that you will need to look for before you ever sign a contract with one company. Here are a few of those things to keep your eyes open for, so you can be sure you get the best dedicated hosting for you.

Bandwidth will be one of the biggest things you must look for when choosing a dedicated host. You need to make sure that your host will be able to provide you with all the bandwidth you need; and if you don’t know how much that is, they should be able to give you an idea. You don’t want to sign a contract that you’ll be locked into, only to find out that you don’t have the proper amount of bandwidth. If this happens, your customers will have a problem getting to your site, and it could even be shut down.

Along with bandwidth, you’ll need to know what the host will do if you exceed the amount of storage space that’s been given to you. Some hosts will shut down your site, or at least not allow any more data to be placed on the site. And this could be extremely bad for business. Other web hosts will charge a certain amount of money for going over certain amounts, and this is a much better practice. However, make sure you find out how much you’ll be charged, and if you’ll be notified when you’re reaching full capacity. This will give you an idea of whether or not you need to stop adding more data, or will give you a warning if you’re about to enter that extra fee territory.

Also make sure that the customer service you’ll be receiving from the dedicated web host will be superior to any others on the market. Your website is important to your business, and if something goes wrong or you have a question, you shouldn’t have to wait days or weeks before hearing back from them. To get an idea of what kind of customer service a host provides, and whether or not it’s what you’re looking for, you can ask them what their turnaround time is for issues. It should be immediately. But unfortunately, not all hosts are as honest as they should be when trying to persuade someone to sign up with them; and they might give you a different answer if you ask. To get a real feel for what their customer service is like, send the company an email or call them with a question before you sign up and see how long it takes to receive a response back. This will give you a real-time idea of what you can expect.

Dedicated web hosts can very expensive, but they are the best. Make sure when signing up for one that you ask what you need to know, and that you get the answers you’re looking for.