If you want to broaden your presence on the Internet, it is essential that you find a reliable web host to support your business. Your web host is an important business partner. It takes care of your web files and ensures that your website is functioning properly. With so many web hosts on the market, how do you know which one is the best for you? Here are some tips that you can use as you are making that decision.

Reliable technical support is very important. Preferable, your web host provides direct support either by phone or by online chat, 24 hours a day. Your website is your business. When your website is down, that means your customers cannot get to your business. That can lead to loss of revenues. The website can develop problems at any time. When a problem is detected, you need to get that fixed as quickly as possible. That is why being able to speak to tech support in person is so important. For non-urgent troubleshooting, email support is fine if they can get back to your within one business day. However, for more urgent matters, you should be able to get immediate support.

See if you can sign up for a trial account to test your web host’s service. During the trial period, test their customer support department to see how responsive it is. Make a note of how long you have to wait on the phone, or how long it takes for someone to return your email. It is better to find out now if the support is adequate before you sign a long-term contract.

You should already have a domain name chosen for your website. You do not have to register it through your web host. In fact, it is better if you register it yourself at with a domain registrar. You can probably do that at a lower cost, and you will have more control over it. Any switch to another web host in the future will not affect your domain registration, which makes for a cleaner transition.

Your web host’s uptime percentage is very important to the health of your business. When your host’s servers are offline, that means your website is offline as well. You would not want your customers to have problems accessing your website because they can very well go somewhere else. Get some statistic from your web host about their uptime. If they are not forthcoming with that information, that is a red flag.

Your host should provide a range of hosting plans based on resource needs. As your web business grows, your web host should allow you to upgrade to a plan that can accommodate your growth. Growing with a business makes for a stronger business partnership.

These things are important to consider when selecting a web host. The hosting relationship should be a long-term relationship. Choose your business partner wisely and carefully, and you will minimize your problems and maximize your profit potential.