Best Cheap Web Hosting

You don't know what you don't know.

We all hear that line in reference to a lot of different things. In this article, we're talking about the hosting service that powers your website and serves up the pages to an insatiable public. Is your current host doing a good job of this – or does your site go down because of server problems? Are your pages loading quickly for visitors from across the globe? Does your web host provide all the bells and whistles necessary to get good SEO results and attract new visitors? You should know the answers to these questions and more – and web hosting information site Bitcatcha is here to help you do just that.

How Do You Pick the Right Web Host?

If you've spent any time at all looking for a website hosting service, you know there are hundreds, if not thousands, of them out there. There are mainstream web hosts owned by huge corporations that offer free everything (such as popular host JustHost and budget host iPage, both brands owned by Endurance International Group), those that cater to WordPress sites (think Inmotion Hosting, HostGator or WP Engine) and some that specialize in VPS (virtual private server), dedicated server or cloud hosting plans.

Web hosting companies are located throughout the world. This is an important consideration if your site gets a lot of traffic from one or more global regions. Ideally, the host's datacenter, where the servers storing your website's data reside, should be located fairly close to your visitors. So, if you manage a website that caters to Australian clients, for example, you don't want your web host's servers stuck in a datacenter located all the way over in the United States because this may cause a lag in page loading speed.

There is a lot of information to sort through – and that's why Bitcatcha collects it all and shares it on their site. To use the Bitcatcha web hosting data aggregation, select the type of hosting, the way you use your site and your location to bring up a list of best choices. Or, you can simply scroll through the list of reviews to find a good match. Finally, read through interviews with real people just like you who give you the inside scoop on how a particular web host performs in several key areas.

I want to know right now! How fast is my website?

In addition to all the great content on Bitcatcha, including reviews, interviews and helpful articles, a Server Speed Checker tool is available for your use, free of charge and accessible 24/7/365. Nearly all website hosts say their servers are speedy, but few of them back this up with real results.

The Server Speed Checker provides another way to test a website host before you decide to buy (just put in the URL of a site comparable to yours hosted with the company in question). This nifty tool also lets you put in the URL of your own site and test the page loading speed for visitors across the globe with your current web host.

It's super simple: all you have to do is put in a website address and the Server Speed Checker tool goes to work obtaining the real IP address of the tested site and emulating page-loading speed from eight servers in various locations around the world. It then produces a letter grade (from A+ to F-) that represents a page-loading speed rating in comparison to other sites. It's really cool and completely free to use, plus it gives you a good deal of information not readily available elsewhere.

Before you make a decision to contract your first website hosting company – or to move your site's data to a new host's servers – it's best to be well-informed and know what to expect. Web hosting information site Bitcatcha, and its proprietary Server Speed Checker tool, help you do just that.

Source: How Does Your Website Grow? With the Right Web Host