Finding a Website Hosting Provider can be a daunting task. There are many providers out there, offering many different services, at many different prices. So, where do you begin, and how do you narrow your choices down? Hopefully, this article will help to clarify some of your questions and get you and your website on line.

Type of Website

When looking for a website hosting provider you first must consider the type of website you want to have now and in the future. Is it going to be:

1. Informational

2. E-commerce -- if you are going E-commerce route, you should make sure that the hosting provider will or can provide a hosting program that is e-commerce ready. Why? You can get up and moving a lot faster -- and will eliminate additional research.

3. Are you looking to put up more than one site? You always must consider growth, and diversification on the Internet.

Now if you're contemplating having both an informational and a e-commerce site, you must make sure that the hosting provider can fill your needs now and in the future, when you add the additional website to your building business.

Primary Technical Considerations

Some of the primary technical aspects that you should consider are:

1. Is the hosting site up 24/7 with little down time? You will need to do a little research in this area, because I know of no quicker way to lose a customer -- than having a customer click on your site and finding that your website is unavailable.

2. Technical support -- are they available 24/7?

3. How much Bandwidth (Traffic) does it allow?

4. How much storage does it offer?

5. How often does the hosting provider backup your files?

6. Does it offer programs that include growth for your online presence?

7. Does the hosting provider offer traffic statistics?

8. How many email addresses does the hosting provider provide you? You will need more than one.

9. If you are contemplating moving to another web host provider, does the new provider offer the expertise and/or the service to redirect your website to their servers?

10. What additional services do they provide for the price? Example: domain registration, renewal process for your website, preinstalled scripts -- for blogs, Site Builder(to help you build your site for those that have no knowledge of html), maybe even content.

11. And what additional services do they have available, if you need to have them in the future?

As you can see by the questions that I have asked, there are many options to consider when choosing a website hosting provider. And the above questions should be asked, according to your needs.

How Do I Get Through The Maze

How do you get through the maze of providers? The smart thing to do is to create a list that prioritizes the items first by what you need, second, by what you want, third, by what you don't want and finally, by the price range that you will be comfortable paying for the service. Take your time, and don't be afraid to ask questions of the provider if you do not find the answer on their website.

Finally, remember that your website hosting provider is one major part of your website success. You need a provider that can keep your website online, and supply you with the service or services you need to move your business forward.

Vickie J Scanlon -- Visit her site at: http://www.myaffiliateplace.biz for free tools, articles, ebooks, how to info, affiliate opportunities, webhosting, software and computers -- all geared to help the affiliate/small business person online.