When deciding on a web host, you have to be aware of what you are getting for your money. If you are not educated on things like bandwidth, dedicated and shared servers, then it will be quite difficult to know whether or not your host is reliable and if you are getting a good deal. This article provides you with some great advice that will get you up to speed on what you should know when it comes to web hosting.

To get the most out of a free web host, you’ll need to back up any data and files related to your site. Because free web hosts don’t generally offer any guarantees about backing up your data, if anything disappears, it will be on you, and not on them.

Don’t purchase a web hosting plan just because it offers unlimited disk space or bandwidth. Compare these plans with plans that offer a reasonable amount of space and bandwidth to determine which is the best plan for your needs. Sometimes plans that offer a finite amount of space or bandwidth are better for your particular needs than plans that offer unlimited quantities of space or bandwidth.

Look for a web host that offers detailed statistics about who visits your site. Put a counter on your home page, and compare the number it shows to the number your host gives you. Use these statistics to help you change aspects of your website to attract more customers.

Make sure that the web host you select has a very high uptime guarantee. Uptime is the percentage of time that a server is online. For instance, if a web host claims that their servers provide 99% uptime, then their servers are online 99% of the time. You don’t want to select a web host whose servers do not provide high uptime percentages. This is why uptime is so important when selecting a host.

Always get a pricing breakdown for you hosting package. You will need to include hosting fees as part of your website’s budget. By knowing exactly what your monthly fees are covering, it will allow you to budget any factors that may be relevant, such as time, bandwidth and data. Inspect the terms closely for any fees that may be incurred and should be budgeted as a precaution.

Prior to signing up with a web hosting service, ask about their firewalls. You will want to choose one who has a dual firewall in place. Not only will this protect your information during power failure or other malfunctions, but it will also be an added barrier against theft of your personal information.

As you are now informed on the ins and outs of web hosting, you should have no problems understanding this language. If you are educated, then you will know what to look for and quickly realize whether or not you are getting a great deal, or something that should be avoided. Apply the advice from this article the next time a company wants to sell you their hosting services.