Finding the perfect web hosting solution for your website can be incredibly frustrating. There are tens of thousands of web hosting providers in the global market place, and they are all desperate for new customers. This means that, as soon as you start your search for a suitable web host, you will probably be bombarded with promotional discount codes, special time-limited hosting plan offers and exaggerated promises of huge savings. Wading through all of the information available can be time consuming, confusing and boring. Fortunately, presented below are seven tips and ideas that will hopefully make your search for the perfect hosting provider easier.

1. Visit a reputable hosting directory. Hosting directories are an invaluable resource when you are researching your web hosting options, as you can quickly compare hundreds of different web hosting companies and hosting plans. You can also read reviews from current and previous clients and ask company representatives questions.

2. Restrict your search to web hosts that use Apache (Linux) servers unless you really need to use Windows web tools and features such as ASP. Apache (Linux) servers are cheaper than Windows servers, and they are much more popular.

3. Determine your specific hosting needs and wants. There is no point paying for 1TB of webspace if your website only contains 100MB of static content. Many webmasters waste a lot of money by opting for advanced dedicated server hosting plans when a basic shared hosting plan would suffice.

4. Try to choose a local web host. While offshore web hosts may be cheaper, you are likely to run into problems if you ever need to contact customer support, since there is no guarantee that employees will be able to communicate with you in your native language.

5. Avoid ad-supported web hosts. Ad-supported web hosts are usually very cheap and sometimes even free, but you will have no control over the types of adverts that are placed on your website. If you are using your website to showcase and sell products, the last thing you want is for adverts for similar products from your competitors to be displayed on your site. Ad-supported web hosts are also usually not very secure and their servers are generally overstretched, so your website’s performance will suffer leading to a poor visitor experience.

6. Ask yourself whether you really need web hosting. There are now many ways in which you can publish information on the World Wide Web without having the hassle of managing an entire website. Perhaps a Facebook page or a blog would be a better option.

7. If you have a stable internet connection and a fast computer, consider setting up your own web host. This is a great way to save a fortune on annual web hosting costs. The major disadvantage of this method, however, is that you have to ensure that your computer is switched on at all times.

Hopefully, the tips featured above will help you on your quest to find a web hosting solution that fits your budget and meets your needs as a webmaster.