Okay, now you've got your cool new domain name. The next step is for VermiCo to select a web host.  

Choosing the right web host is a decision that will affect your online business in a big way. For example, a poor hosting company that has a lot of downtime ends up costing you in lost profits.  VermiCo has dealt with several hosts and will set you up with one of the best.  Our host has 99% uptime and very fast connections.  You often only have one chance at being found and you want the assurance your site will be there up and running.

Some of the things we consider when choosing your web host include:

Fast connection to the Internet.

Your site must load fast - one of the major reasons visitors click away from a website is slow loading time.

Excellent uptime.

If your web host's servers go down, then your website also goes down! That translates to lost profits. 

Site/data backups.

It would be pretty devastating to lose all your hard work. Find a web host that performs daily backups. [On that note, you should also be backing up your own data on a regular basis ... it only takes a few minutes!]

Plenty of storage space.

How much you need will depend on what you envision your site to be. Make sure you leave room for growth; be sure to have more than enough space for both your current and your future needs. This includes your normal web pages, graphics, scripts, and anything else you may want to use for your website.

CGI scripts.

Many web hosts will provide you with some standard CGI scripts for things such as counters, forms, and passwords. Also make sure you have the ability to create and upload your own CGI scripts - you should not be restricted to what the web host offers.

Secure server capability.

Secure servers allow you to transmit pages in an encrypted format. This is necessary if you plan on selling something directly from your website. Look for a web host that offers secure server capability for low or no additional costs.

Visitor demographics.

Analyzing your traffic is an important part of doing business online. Your web host should offer some demographics - the more, the better! Look for number of hits, number of unique visitors, referrers (where your visitors are coming from), browsers, and other such information.  Your host will be sending you daily email detailing demographics of your site.  You will also have a web address to go to at any time to view details for every month you are in operation.  

Unlimited, free, and responsive customer service.

Make sure you can get the help you need, when you need it. It can be very frustrating if you run into a problem and can't find anyone to help you! With a good web host you won't need support services very often, but when you do you want to be able to contact someone right away.

Online management toolkit.

This is handy for when you need to do administrative tasks, such as setting up autoresponders, email aliases, uploading/downloading files, and so on. Instead of being forced to wait for your web host to do it for you, you can do it yourself anytime you like.

VermiCo has taken all these factors in to consideration and we will make sure you have the best.