We at AFHosting.com believe that everyone should have one of these. A list of “dos and do-nots”, of “haves and have-nots” that explain some of the ‘fine print’ you need to be aware of when looking for a web host. Most of these are tricks and some are explained away as company policies.

Only by carefully reading the web host’s Terms of Service (T.O.S) and Acceptable Use Policies (A.U.P) will you be able to find these, and seriously, who actually reads those? Anyway it is always easy to find something when you know what you are looking for.

We’ve listed some of the more colorful ‘promises’ you need to be on the look out for.

Setup fees:  Some hosts have setup fees, some do not. Usually when you sign up for a monthly contract, there is a setup fee. If you sign up for an annual contract the setup fee is waived. Many hosts will hide the fact that there is a setup fee until you get to the payment page. So, be careful. Always check what you are paying for.

Disk-Space & Bandwidth:  Many a host will boast of Unlimited space transfer, etc. which in reality is actually quite impossible. If you read their A.U.P & T.O.S (for full-form check above) almost all hosts that have "unlimited" plans, specify that no site can use an "excessive" amount of resources. So if your site is using too much disk space, bandwidth, or CPU time, these "unlimited" hosts will ask you to upgrade, pay for the resources used or just host your site elsewhere. Shy away from any host advertising “unlimited" disk space and bandwidth.

Monstrous additional fees:  It is quite normal for any additional disk space or transfer to be billed at a higher rate than the initial account. Check before hand that these are not beyond reason as you will it difficult to argue the TOS & AUP after you’ve signed up.

24/7/365 Support:  Any web host worth it’s salt offers 24/7 support. If you own a personal site, you will be most probably working on it in the evenings or over the weekend. So 24/7 support is a necessity.

Control Panel:  Most new users will need a control panel to administer their website. Check before signing up that the web host provides a Control Panel.

Money Back Guarantee:  Since this is a service and not a product most respectable web hosts will offer a money back guarantee. There could be many reasons that you would not like to continue with the hosting service after a certain period of time. Example: You’ve decided that selling on the world wide web is not for you or you do not like the service of one particular host.

AFHosting.com believes in honest business practices. All our prices and conditions are marked upfront so you have all the details before you make your choice. With us there is no fine print, no fancy catches, no hidden fees, and no false promises. What you see is what you get. If you are not satisfied we have a 30 day risk free money back guarantee period.