With thousands of web hosting providers in the industry, you need to be sure you’re selecting the right one. The following are 5 important questions that you should ask the top hosting providers that you are considering for your web hosting needs.

1. What is the level of security?

Level of security is very important for keeping your business, information, and customers’ information safe and secure. Find out as much detail as you can about the security precautions taken by each company. Ask the provider whether or not the servers are monitored, and how often. Find out if there are firewalls in place and if there is a backup power system in case of an emergency outage.

2. When is technical support available?

Figure out when you are going to be working on your website most. Will it be weekends? Late hours of the night? You need to be sure that you will be able to contact customer support and get the immediate help you need at the time when you need them. Find out when support is available and what kind of response you will receive. Once you have gathered the information, test it yourself! Try calling in at odd hours of the night or using a live chat on a Sunday.

3. What type of contract must you sign?

Most web hosting companies will offer you a discounted price when you sign a contract for a year of service or more. Before signing anything, find out everything you can about their cancellation policy. You want to ask how long you have after signing up to cancel, if there is any money back guarantee period, will you have a penalty of cancellation fee is you decide you want to cancel.

4. Are there additional costs?

Do some research and find out about hidden fees or other additional costs. You don’t want to get stuck in a contract and be later hit with fees that you can’t afford.

5. What tools are available?

Find out what software your hosting provider supports. Most reputable hosting companies will give you everything that you need to build and maintain your websites. Try out a demo for the control panel first to make sure it’s easy to use.