One of the most important decisions for a smooth functioning website is to opt for a resourceful and competent web hosting service provider, which is also extremely resilient, dependable and dexterous in its services and features. Here are a few points to keep in mind while picking your web hosting company.

1. Space

A crucial consideration when zeroing on a web hosting service provider is to check the amount of space being offered at the cost that is quoted. If your website is graphic and video rich and sports tons of glitzy animation, a hosting provider who is unable to provide the required space, or add to the existing space in future, will only add to your woes. Go for competent providers who can promptly offer you expandable disk space. Beware of unlimited space claims, as most of the times these are blatantly false claims that mislead customers with several hidden conditions.

2. Bandwidth

Bandwidth is critical for quick and efficient data transfer from your website to users when they surf through your web pages. A slow bandwidth is one of the surefire methods of losing your visitors and building an unproductive enterprise. A bandwidth 3 GB a month is an effective option that lets your customer access data at a decent speed.

3. Reliability

No one builds websites to have them 'not available' most of the times. A website that is frequently down because of a poor hosting company loses not only its existing clients, but also potential customers and business associates and affiliates, thus leading to loss of credibility and revenue for your entrepreneurial venture. Make investigations about the uptime of web hosting firms that you are considering. Get feedback from their existing customers about the service and dependability of the service provider.

4. Customer Support

Inquire about the web hosting service provider's customer support functions. Does it offer a 24/7 support system? Do they have efficient contact modes including email, telephone and chat services? What is their query resolution time? Are there any additional charges for offering technical assistance and support to clients? Most of these queries will be answered in the FAQ and help and support links, however, be sure to inquire on points that seem vague and unclear. Avoid opting for a service provider that has outsourced its technical support, and stay miles away from hosting companies that are known to offer poor customer support, as it can seriously hamper your business.

5. Supporting Features

It is judicious to make a thorough scrutiny of the features that are supported by your web hosting plan. If you are opting for a web builder and need to constantly upload new pages on a daily basis, the FTP feature is indispensible for you. Make sure the features are in alignment with your requirement. If you built your site using server scripting, the host should be able to support the programming language.

6. Email

Though Email may seem like a peripheral feature, it is extremely important for a professionally operating website for keeping in touch with visitors and potential customers. Do an extensive analysis on the Email services offered by the hosting firm including POP3 and IMAP4 features, business mail and hosted exchange, and the number of email addresses they give you with a particular web hosting plan. Inquire if they have an inbuilt auto responder facility, along with an infallible email hosting service that offers more than mere webmail.  

A good web hosting service provider is one that provides enough disk space, a comfortable bandwidth speed, sophisticated supporting features and customer service channels, and scores high on reliability.