In addition to the basic rules there are a few additional items to consider when choosing a web hosting provider for the solo/small law firm.

1. The free web host conundrum – sure the price point is great, but can you live with the restrictions on disk space and bandwidth? Are you comfortable with little to no support. Remember, that “free site” is going to be plastered with advertising because the provider’s the bills have to be paid somehow.
2. Disk space and bandwidth – don’t pay for more than you need and don’t buy less than you will use. The average web site uses 40-50 kilobytes per page, so unless your site requires large databases, provides tons of multimedia content, and vast numbers of images it is unlikely that you’ll need 10’s of gigabytes of disk space. The less bandwidth you have, the slower your site loads and the longer each visitor will have to wait to access your site. The best way to estimate your bandwidth needs is to multiply:
   1. the average/expected number of visitors your site will get in month
   2. the average page size for your web site
   3. the average/expected number of pages viewed by each visitor
   4. a small margin for error – pick something you are comfortable with
3. Backups – the provider should provide a mechanism for automatically backup and restore your data. Also, be sure that you own your data and not the provider.

Face it, a web site is in your future and you are going to need a web hosting provider. The problem is that there is no such thing as the universal ideal web hosting provider. However, there are really only 5 things that matter when choosing a provider:

1. Support – if they are not there 24/7/365 move on. A good test is to email the provider and see how quickly they respond. Try asking the sales department a question about their product. If sales is slow to respond, do you think technical support will be any better?
2. Price – this is a two-edged sword. Sure we all want that unbeatable price, but the better criteria is: is the price reasonable for the service provided.
3. Guarantee – find a provider that offers at least a 30 day money back guarantee policy.
4. Platforms and Applications – basically your choice of platform will come down to using either a Linux or Windows server. If your website is based on .ASP technology, then you must have a Windows host, otherwise go with the platform that supports the back-end applications your web site uses.
5. Scalability, Reliability & Security – you want to look for a provider that makes it easy to upgrade, to add bandwidth, disk space and email accounts as your web site’s traffic grows. You want a provider that will guarantee their up-time. A proven up-time guarantee means that your site will be there when your clients try to view it, so ask for one. Finally, you want a provider that clearly states they have spam and virus filtering already installed and this feature is provided to all web sites. After all prevention is less painful than the cure.