I guess it’s already a no-brainer for everyone to know the basic things to consider when trying to choose a web host provider for your website: disk space, features, subscription, and setup fees. However, there are also a few more things that you should consider such as the following.
FTP/Telnet Access
Even if you use tools such as Frontpage in managing your website, then you still need to have FTP access for full control over your website. Although granting FTP access is already a standard for most web hosts these days, there are still a few that don’t grant that privilege. This is why you need to ask about it first before signing up for a web host. On the other hand, Telnet can also be useful as well in troubleshooting CGI scripts and doing some dedicated server configurations.
Aliases and Email Boxes
It is very important for me to be able to use different aliases under my domain name. Even if you are going to use a different alias, the emails that you will receive via that alias will still be funneled in the same mailbox where your original email for the website is located. This feature is very useful when it comes to customer service and entertaining customer feedbacks and inquiries. Also, you can always filter emails in accordance to your preferences which makes it more appealing and convenient.
Data and Statistics
To get updated with what is going on with your website, then you need to have access to all the data and statistics that you can get. Garnering traffic is your major purpose for starting up a website and you need to know your progress by checking up on all these stats. Your web host can give you just that and in case you need more then you would have to install third-party programs that will allow you to gain more complex statistics and data. These data and stats will serve as your guide to determine what works for you and not
As you can see, these three factors are often overlooked by a lot of web administrators because they right away focus on their basic needs. If you want to succeed as a website owner then you should look past the basics and also consider the complex part of administering a site because you would not want to remain mediocre. Your web host serves as the backbone of everything that you are doing for your website. Make sure that you have maximized everything that you can get from them and at the same time pay a certain amount of money fitting for all these services.