Webhosting

Cheap Hosting does not necessarily mean nasty hosting... There are some extremely professional & reliable hosting providers out there who provide both cheap & dependable services packed with many features.The trick however, is to be able to identify a cheap hosting company from a cheap & nasty hosting company... How to Choose a Cheap Hosting Company Without Getting the Nasty PartWhilst 2 different web hosting companies may appear to offer the same value service with similar benefits & features, the type of service they deliver may be totally different.The thing is you don't want to find out about a company's shoddy service once you have signed up, paid over your hosting fees & have thrown your lot in with them.Or worse still is that what appeared at first to be a reliable hosting company, they disappear overnight without trace.A web hosting company that turns nasty has to be one of the worst things to happen to a website owner - you're left in the dark with no live website, no email facility & if you don't have backups of your website & databases - you are left with nothing at all, ie you have to start all over again...So this is what you can do to ensure that you don't fall prey to an unscrupulous web hosting company...
Trust Factor - ProfileIs the hosting company well known with a profile.For instance you would probably choose a well known name over a name like 'Joes Cheap Hosting Service'The higher the profile of the company, ie the more well known it is, the more trust you will have in its services & be safe in the knowledge that you won't be let down.
Presentation - WebsiteThe company's website will give you a feeling of the level of their professionalism.Also have a look at its page rank which will give you an idea of its popularity & integrityLook for contact details, 24/7 live support and so on.
Reliability (Uptime)Most web hosts will 'guarantee' 99.9% uptime - check for proof
24/7 Customer SupportTest out their customer support & see how quickly you get a response
FeaturesObviously you need to compare various features in terms of your needs.Things to consider would be;o Disk Space (Min 600gb)o Bandwidth (Min 9,000gb)o Number of Domains Allowed - Unlimitedo Email - POP3 Accounts - Unlimitedo Pricingo Site Builder - Includedo Instant Backupso AWStats (Real Time Updates) - Website Statsticso ECommerce Features - osCommerceo Latest cPanel with Fantastico Featureso 45 Day Money Back Guaranteeo Free / Instant Setupo MySQL Databaseso CGIo PHP 5o Ruby On RailsThis list is not comprehensive but should be the minimum provided by any reputable web host.
Search Online for Bad ReviewsDo an online search (by the company name) for bad reviews & comments.

Finally remember that if you sign up with a reputable web hosting company you will not have to settle for bad service, downtime, poor quality & less features.