With the many web hosting companies sprouting like mushrooms over the Internet, it’s no surprise if you can find packages that are cheap and full of interesting features. Yet the problem sets in when you have a number of great options and you get lost and confused as to which hosting plan will fit your needs.

When you’re still in the process of evaluating these web hosting plans, there are 4 basic things you need to consider:

The web hosting provider should not own your domain name. The domain will be considered your trademark online—it settles your identity. Without it, there’s practically no way for your visitors to access your site. If the domain gets lost, then any traffic to your site will also go along the drain, rendering your website worthless. Thus, your control should be yours. Should your provider give free domain, the administrative contact should bear your name, and you must be provided of your own control panel to oversee ownership.

They should own their own web servers. There are some resellers out there who rely on other bigger web hosting companies for their servers. If you decide to change your web hosting company, you still need to negotiate to both resellers and web server owners for that. Moreover, you need to have root access. There are available VPS (virtual private server) with their respective root access. You can go for this or, if it’s expensive, try reliable shared web hosting providers such as Lunarpages or BlueHost.

As much as possible, do not go for free hosting. Free web hosting is only ideal if you’re building your own personal website or you’re simply trying to experiment. However, if it’s for business purposes, it’s still advisable to invest a little amount for a reputable web host. You can get more free space for your files, better customer support, no downtime, your personal domain name with a couple of subdomains, and easier monitoring of your traffic, courtesy of a control panel. Most of all, you can get rid of any ads, which are very common in free hosting sites.

The web hosting company should boast of dependable customer support. Every day your system is prone to any crashes and bugs, no matter how secure a system can be. Don’t worry, it’s normal for machines to experience those. Yet what is basically important is that you have somebody to rely on should these things occur. It’s hard to understand technical problems and the more incomprehensible it will be if nobody can explain it them to you properly. Settle for those web hosting providers that have excellent customer service and can be reached in multiple ways: phone, e-mail, fax, or personal mail. It will also help if you can see them personally for technical advice. They should be available as much as possible for 24 hours a day and can provide you of detailed report should you ask for the status of your account.

You deserve something grand for every penny you spend on your web host. However, don’t be apprehensive about it. When you learn to convert traffic from your well-hosted site, you’ll realize your unlimited income potential.