Kenya is blessed with many web hosting companies that have made it easier for individuals and businesses to register domain names, get hosting and be easily found on the internet.

And if you want to start your own website or blog, but wondering how to go about choosing the right hosting provider no matter if they call themselves top or best, read on.

Here are a few things you should consider:

1. What do you need when it comes to paying for a hosting package, domain name and design

It is always a good idea to know what you want. How much money are you willing to pay for web design and web hosting? Do you want to register a domain name with a .co.ke, .com, .net, .ac.ke, .me, or .or.ke extension? What features do you want on your website or blog? Where do you see your site one year from now?

Being clear about what you need helps you make the right decisions when you go comparing prices, packages and services offered by various web hosting companies in Kenya.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. You can always send the various companies e-mails and get replies in less than twenty four hours. It might also be a good idea to visit their ‘frequently asked questions’ sections of their websites.

If you prefer making phone calls, don’t hesitate. Get the numbers from their website and let them help you make the right decisions right from the start.

A site can cost as little as one thousand Kenyan shillings or as much as several thousands of shillings or even more. I believe you won’t be going for a really expensive site though. You’ll probably start from down somewhere and upgrade, later, to a package that costs a few thousands more depending on your hosting, functionality, security and design needs.

Don’t pay too little for a slow server if you can manage to pay more for a more efficient, reliable and fast server provided by a reliable host.

2. A look at a hosting company’s testimonials page

Yep, you have to go a step further to check the different persons a company is doing business with. Do you want to be under the same wings with some of the clients? Does the page (and the testimonials in it) sound genuine?

Go a step further by contacting some of the clients to ask them about their experiences with the web hosting company. Some will always reply and offer some useful suggestions. Some hosting companies don’t allow this though. Reason? It may be against their privacy policy.

Visit the various sites managed by the various hosts and see if that can help you in making the right decisions regarding your own domain and hosting needs.

3. How much support you will need from the hosting company you pay your money to

There are people who are able to build their sites from scratch. You might be one of them. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to maintain and manage their sites. Some are ready to learn new things to help them become better webmasters but some don’t have the time or passion to learn these things.

If you’ll be the person who’ll be e-mailing their web host even when a little error occurs on your site, be ready to have the courage to be careful when clicking buttons and links on your cPanel (control panel) and your site’s Content Management System dashboard.

Be ready to pay more if you’ll need more support and start researching and learning more about websites because this will help you someday when you are stuck.

If you want someone to help you manage your site apart from your hosting company, get someone you can trust, pay them but don’t let them fill their pockets with money they don’t deserve. When you (suppose you host your blog or website with us) need help with your blog or website, you can get in touch with us any time for assistance. Click here to see what our hosting clients get.

4. How much effort are you willing to put on your blog or website to make it a success?

Thousands of persons register new sites every hour…and you’ll be joining them soon. But what will you do after that? Will you just let your site collect dust and scare away people a few months down the road? Will you be the person who’ll be messing their site every two weeks?

Will you get tired when the excitement of owning a new blog or website suddenly fades?

Most people never realize the huge responsibilities that come with owning a website. So be prepared. Start working on your site even before it is registered by writing a blog mission, creating enough content and learning different ways to make it a success.

Don’t be swayed with the make money online content. Know what you want and don’t let the make money articles lock you away from your long term goals and beliefs. There is a lot of competition out there and it is better if you start thinking about ways to become an effective blogger even before you pay for a new site.

5. Think about what your website will do (and the best platform to make your work much easier)

There are several scripts to power sites. There are content management systems like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal among others. There are scripts to help you do almost anything, from building an online shop, a forum, an auction site etc.

Get the one that works best for you. You might want to check: Why I chose WordPress to power my blog in this ebook. Also remember to seek your host’s recommendations.

6. Are you prepared for the arrival of the new site

Will you be ready to do what you planned to do when the site is finally registered or will you just start procrastinating? Will you be able to stop your new site from piling more pressure on you? What will you do when you start sleeping fewer hours?

7. What kind of people you want to attract to your website or blog?

Are you selling something and want a particular group to listen to what you have to say? Have you researched more about that market? If yes, go and research some more. If no, it is time you did some research.

If you want someone to help you start a blog or website powered by the popular WordPress script we are here for you. Click here to get started (read more about you get as a client before you commit any of your money).

If you have any questions, post them in the comments below and I’ll get back to you shortly with an answer.