If you are in the initial stages of having a website or blog created, or you are looking for new hosting, choose your new service carefully. One appealing factor of going with a small hosting company is the personal service you are assured to receive. The problem with going with a small company is that many do not allow you to have access to your own website – meaning any changes or updates must go through that company. This can present a challenge if you need work done and your host has closed down for three weeks over the holidays. Or if you didn’t purchase a big enough package and they only promise your changes will be made within 3-5 business days.

Even if you are capable of doing your own maintenance tasks, or you are working with a VA or other web designer, you are still at the mercy of your hosting company.

I recommend that you choose a hosting company where you have full-time access to your website or blog. There are many good, reputable hosting companies that will not hold your website hostage. GoDaddy is popular, as is Hostmonster and my favorite, Bluehost.

I’ve had three clients recently who had trouble with these ‘personal’ web hosts. Interestingly, two of them were with the same company. These boutique hosting companies may be fine if you will be setting up your website and leaving it alone. However if you plan on even a moderate amount of Internet marketing, you need to consider how easy it will be to access your site for updates.