When you're signing up to a web hoster, it's easy to get lost in the jargon and sign on the dotted line before really knowing what exactly you're going to be paying for. The key is to remember that, as with any service you're looking to invest in, research is vital.
When you sign up to any contract, it's important not to ignore the small print. The Service Level Agreement (SLA) will lay out everything you should be getting from your hosting provider. It will include guarantees about up time and bandwidth as well as details on how to get out of your contract if needed. They will also include response rates that guarantee your host will solve your problems within a set time frame - important for anyone setting up a website.
The SLA is your back-up if your host does not provide a good service. If they are performing so poorly they are not meeting what is laid out in the SLA, you can use this to negotiate credit and even get out of the contract if you choose. Should you find yourself stuck with a bad service provider, good knowledge of the SLA could save you a lot of time and hassle.
Doing your own research is also important. Downloading a security tool bar like http://toolbar.netcraft.com is a good way of finding out which hosting companies can be trusted. Once downloaded, when you go to any website, this toolbar lists which hosting firm that website is with. You can use this to find other companies who are signed with a hosting company you are evaluating and do your own reference checks.
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