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Hosting is very important to your online business. Do not fall into the trap of getting cheap hosting and then being confronted by a lot of down time Don't sign a contract with a web hosting company until you do some research. You can find many degrees of service with the many different companies out there.

Decide what you are looking for in your hosting company. Here are a few points to consider:

Reliable: It is vital you find a web host that is reliable. You cannot afford to have downtime. This will destroy your credibility and cause you to lose sales. Try to do your research and check carefully before you enter into a contract. Check what sort of servers they have and their reliability. If there are any testimonials look at them and see that they are authentic.

Good customer support: This is essential for your web hosting, as you never know what sort of tech problems you may be facing in the future, and you need to know you can rely on good support.

Monthly contract: Read your contract and ensure you have a monthly contract and not one for six months or a year. And they won't have a penalty for canceling.

Set up fee: You should not have to pay any set up fees. Good hosting companies will not be charging you this. They appreciate your business.

Backing up files: Make sure your host backs up their (and your) files and find out how often. It is important that this is done regularly.

FTP access: This is a useful feature that some web hosts offer. This will allow you to upload your site whenever you have any changes or additions to your website.

A good number of email addresses: Ensure the host you pick has enough email addresses for your business. You may need many or just a few, but your host should be able to supply you with what you need.

Bandwidth (traffic) allowed: Know how much bandwidth you will have in your web host's package. Average is 5GB for most web sites.

Extra services: What does the price include? Make sure everything is up front and there are no hidden cost. Look into what you have to pay if you need any extra services in the future?

Price: You may pay varying prices for your web host, like between $5.95-$19.95. You should research the services offered compared to the price, which can be between $5.95-$19.95. It isn't always a bad sign to only be charged a low fee. It depends what you need.

Cpanel: With a Cpanel, you can manage your web mail and access stats for your site. It is a helpful feature and is easy to use. Make sure your host has a fast connection: Make sure you will have a host with a fast connection or your visitors who only have dial-up will have trouble. When your visitors only have dial up they will still have better speed if your host has fast connecting powers. This will make a lot of difference to the time your website loads up.

Knowing these points will enable you to know the best web hosting company for you.

Dan Farrell has a newsletter, Build An eBusiness On A Shoestring. To sign up with free bonuses, go to: Web Hosts