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sites that can help you narrow your search. These offer the distinct advantage of being much more up-to-date than any article could be. No matter which option you chose, remember that signing up for a web host is a business contract and you should research it as completely as you would any other contract.

When you visit a potential web host site, be sure to read their terms of service and privacy policies. These are where you should be able to find out what they will permit on their hosted sites, and what type of ads they might require you to carry for them. It will also define any guarantees and refunds they might provide. Some companies advertise money-back guarantees, but put so many restrictions on them that most of their clients will never qualify.

Once you've narrowed your search, perform a search on the company's name. In addition to that company's site and sites that advertise their services, you should find several links to reviews. Look for review sites that contain customer testimonials and pay especial attention to any recent bad reviews. This is where you will learn what problems you might encounter when dealing with that company, but don't let a slew of bad reviews automatically exclude that company. For instance, if most of the problems deal with something you aren't likely to need, they might be exactly what you need. Pay attention to the dates of the complaints as well. The issues in old complaints might have been resolved.

The company's forum, FAQ and/or Knowledge Base should be open to all visitors, at least to read. A glance through any of these should give you an idea not only of the issues you might face, but also how well the company handles those issues. As with the testimonials, be sure to check the post dates.

Finally, make sure any financial and personal information transactions are through secure payment options. This may sound obvious, but it's probably the most overlooked part of contracting for a hosting service. If their payment page doesn't start with "https://" look elsewhere.

Learn more about this author, Barbara Mccutcheon.
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