By Karen Axelton

photo schiffOur company, GrowBiz Media, is considering looking for a new Web hosting company. Right now, our various Web sites are hosted by several different companies, and we’re wondering whether there is any benefit to having them all hosted in one place.

Given that, this article by Jennifer Lonoff Schiff couldn’t have come to my attention at a better time. Writing in Small Business Computing, Schiff gives a thorough and detailed rundown of the key questions you should ask before choosing a Web hosting company. If you’re ready to Put your business online, read this first.

Some of the most useful advice comes at the end of the article–for instance, can your Web host grow with your business if you decide to switch from a basic website to an e-commerce site? If the hosting company also helps you build the site, you need to find out how easy it will be to make changes, how much access you’ll have to the site and whether the finished site will be portable. I’ve known several entrepreneurs (including one owner of a technology business) whose websites were effectively “held hostage” by hosting companies, so these are key questions to ask.

Best of all, this article is easy to understand even for a non-techie like me. If you’re considering switching Web hosts or simply looking for the right one, read Jennifer’s advice first. Jennifer writes about IT and also blogs about small business on KnowSchiff, where you’ll find lots of other useful advice about technology and tools for entrepreneurs.