In most businesses, managing expenses is the most critical challenge to turning a profit. If your income is based on a web presence, then you know your business model is no different. Unlike most companies, when it comes to profit-based web sites, there are rarely any raw materials involved. Still, the cost of doing web-based business is very real. And, the one thing that can potentially chip away most at your profit margin is web hosting.

Choosing web hosting for your web site can seem overwhelming. A wrong decision, here, can potentially cost hundreds - even thousands of wasted dollars. So, before you decide on a web host, you need to consider several factors. The two most important factors are based on quality and quantity.

In this case, the term quality refers to the speed and potential "down-time" of the company you are considering to host your site. These days, attention spans are at an all-time low. If the pages on your site load slowly, you're going to have dissatisfied customers who will likely click away before you can make your pitch. So, before you agree to host with a particular company, do some research first. Find some other sites the company hosts and do a speed test on them. Also, inquire about their technical support. "Down-time" which refers to the frequency a site is inaccessible due to server issues, is a very real thing. It is an unavoidable issue when it comes to web hosting. Still, some web hosts have a better record than others. So, make sure you host with a company that offers good support. If you notice your site is not responding, you're going to want to talk to someone about it. Good customer service is vital when it comes to choosing web hosting.

Quantity is another factor you need to consider when picking a web host. In this case, the word quantity refers to the number of visitors you get each day, times the size of your web page, itself. This measure makes up the bandwidth usage of your site and it is the overall determining factor of the cost of your web hosting. To put it simply: higher bandwidth usage equals a higher price. A lot of web hosts may claim to offer a flat monthly fee, but if you look at the fine print, you're going to see that the higher your bandwidth goes, the higher the bill will, too. So, before you sign up for a one-size-fits-all hosting plan, make sure you know how much daily traffic you can expect for your site. Most hosting companies offer special virtual and dedicated plans to sites with higher bandwidth requirements.

Knowledge is the key to saving money on web hosting. The old adage, "you get what you pay for," may be true most of the time. But, when it comes to web hosting you can get good quality at a good price if you know what to look for.