If you’re like the majority on the Internet who are high on enthusiasm and low on cash, you’re more than likely to go in for a shared host when you want to get your website up and working. While shared hosting is inexpensive and relatively trouble free, you want to make sure that you’re not stuck with a lousy host who doesn’t care a hoot for you or your site. To that end, here are a few aspects you need to be aware of before committing to your shared hosting provider:

• Never pay fees upfront: Even if there’s a money-back guarantee and you’re offered a sizeable discount. This is to protect your investment in case something goes drastically wrong and you’re forced to change hosts midstream. Wait until you’re totally satisfied with your host’s performance before you pay your monthly bill.
• Avoid resellers if you can: While there’s no problem with resellers per se, you never know who they rent their servers from. If any link in the line of resellers should fail, then your site is in jeopardy. Your reseller has no control over issues like uptime and redundancy, so if you don’t know who holds the reins of your server, it’s best you don’t sign up with them.
• Ask about blacklisted IP addresses: A shared host means you share space with various other site owners, some of whom may be in the business of porn or other illegitimate acts. Since you share the same IP address, if any of the sites that share space on your server are blacklisted as spam, you’re likely to figure on that blacklist too. Some hosts have no qualms about redistributing IP addresses that have been put on spam lists, so check carefully before you sign up.
• Stay away from over-sellers: A shared connection of 50 to 200 gigabytes should be enough for your hosting needs on a shared server, so if your host promises a whole lot more, it’s best to look for another host.
• Check database limits: If you run forums on your site, you must have at least 100 megabytes of storage for your database, so ensure this limit with your host before you subscribe. Also find out how many database connections run concurrently; if it’s more than 200, you’ll want to take your site elsewhere.
• Test support options: If there’s a 24/7 helpline promised, call at an unearthly hour to test the response of customer support personnel. Email your query and see how quickly the reply comes in. A good host must provide equally good support; if not, it’s time to check out the competition.

This article is contributed by Sarah Scrafford, who regularly writes on the topic of best web design degree. She invites your questions, comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address: sarah.scrafford25@gmail.com.

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