Contrary to what people believe purchasing a web hosting plan is not a simple task; the stakes are raised when you consider the fact that the type of hosting you purchase can have a direct bearing on the success of your online venture. This means that not only new entrants to the world of eCommerce but also old hands at setting up internet businesses are equally prone to making fatal errors when choosing a hosting plan that meets their requirements.

One of the simplest ways to ensure that the hosting plan you purchase lives up to your expectations in the long run is to begin by drawing up a list of your requirements and following a step by step approach to choose the right hosting provider. Here are some helpful tips.

Never underestimate the importance of research:

Just like all other essential services, you will need to put in a sizeable amount of research to find good hosting providers from a crowd of establishments that can only provide mediocre services at best. Take the time out to read the industry reviews and customer feedback about a business before signing a contract with a specific hosting company. Also, check out the company's Wiki profile entry before heading to their website. Closely review the basic tutorials that the company offers along with the customer support that they offer specifically technical help for troubleshooting.

Only buy what you need

Very often website owners are swindled into paying much more than they need to; the promise of fantastic features acting as the perfect lure. Most fail to realize that they only have to buy the features that are needed to accommodate the needs of their customers and paying for anything else would be akin to throwing money away.

For instance, if you intend to offer a blog or forum on your site or any of the in demand web applications, the number of databases provided with the hosting plan will be a crucial constraint. It can be stifling and frustrating to eventually discover that your expansion strategies cannot be put into action simply because the hosting plan comes with a measly 5 databases and buying anymore will cost you a small fortune.

Domain Names:

It's also very common for website owners to come face to face with domain name concerns especially on shared servers. While this is not a particularly bothersome issue at the onset; if you intend to use variations of your domain name, you may find yourself in a soup. So, choose a hosting provider that offers at least 20 domains; the more the better.

Support offered to developers:

Finally, check the developer support offered by the hosting company; this will be a vital consideration if you want to keep your site ahead of the competition. Considering the fact that new and innovative tools are being introduced into the market everyday; the type of developer applications that you have in your kitty will often determine your chances of succeeding in this day and age of cut throat competition. As a matter of fact, it would be disastrous to settle for any web hosting plan that does not offer at least the bare minimum developer tools which should include:

• MYSQL

• PHP

• CGI

• Python

• HTAaccess

Spending a little time to carefully research the hosting company that you intend to work with today will help you to save a lot of money, time and trouble tomorrow.