Web hosting companies all make big promises at bargain prices. Then you launch, traffic spikes, and your site falls over like a house of cards continue reading. A baker I know ran a holiday promotion, emailed two thousand people, and watched her order page stop working after ten minutes. Support replied three days later. The cakes sold out anyway, but only because she started taking orders by text message. Cute story. Expensive lesson.
Look Closely at the Uptime Guarantee
"99.9 percent uptime" sounds flawless. It actually allows almost nine hours of downtime a year. The next tier, 99.99%, shrinks that to under an hour.
More important is what happens when the company fails to meet that guarantee. Do you get a service credit? How much? A promise with no penalty is just a compliment.
Test Support Before You Buy
Open a chat window and ask something slightly awkward. "How would I migrate my website to you, and what happens if something goes wrong?"
Time the reply. Judge the tone. Did you get a link, or an answer tailored to your question?
Someday you'll be typing to these folks at two in the morning, trying to fix an emergency. Pick people who actually seem helpful.
Don't Ignore the Renewal Rate
The intro price is only the beginning. Plenty of plans increase substantially after the first term. The renewal rate hides in the small print, so go find it.
Then ask yourself whether you'll still be happy with the deal in year two.
Check the Backup Setup
Daily backups stored on the same server as your site are like storing your only spare key right outside the same house. Ask for off-server copies.
Ask how long a restore takes. Ask whether it costs extra. If the answer to that last one is a hesitant chuckle, keep looking.
Match the Plan to Your Traffic
Shared hosting suits a small personal site or a new blog. Your neighbors share the same resources, though, and one noisy neighbor can slow everybody down.
If you run an online store or expect sudden bursts of visitors, look at a VPS or a managed plan.
Upgrade paths matter too, so find out how easy it is to switch tiers later.
Make Sure You Can Leave Easily
Can you export your files and database with a couple of clicks?
Are there fees to leave? Keep your domain name registered in an account you control, separate from the host.
That way, if things fall apart, you can leave with everything you need instead of trying to negotiate your way out of a locked warehouse.