I recently made the mistake of listening to a friend when I was thinking about moving hosts for a few of my domains. He said that his host was reliable, accommodating, and inexpensive. What he didn’t tell me was that they weren’t going to let me do all that I needed to do when I moved my files there. They had great web templates and super statistics packages, but they wouldn’t let me run my database. So, after moving my files and waiting for my domain names to propagate, I had to do it all over again.
Don’t make the mistake I did! Compare hosts before you switch over. On the surface, the host my friend told me about was great. They had several web template packages that came with the hosting package I bought. They allowed me host multiple domains in one low-priced account. But, when it came time to install my database, they had certain restrictions that meant I could not properly install it.
When you compare hosts, it is important to remember that you have to compare the big things (like cost) and the little things (like uploading an .ini file in my case) before you jump ship. Moving all of your files, shifting over all of your email boxes, passwords and domain names can be a real hassle and having to do it twice is even less fun.
If your needs are more basic and you will be doing nothing more than uploading files and checking email, you still need to compare hosts. Some hosts will only allow you a limited amount of space or bandwidth and then hit you with a surcharge when you go over it. Some hosts will only allow you to utilize one domain name. Read the fine print, read the reviews, and make sure you are sure before you buy.
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