Choosing an affordable website hosting plan comes with caution.  With the rise in inexpensive web hosts, many provide lacking services, which can cause your small business a lot of problems down the road.  Before signing up, ask these four questions.

1. Is the data on your web site backed up?   You don't want evil-doers being able to hack into your site and create havoc.

2. Is the data on your site secure?  What if the host's servers go down?  Is your content backed up so that it can be restored quickly?

3. How long has the host been in business (and how many sites do they host)?   Make sure your web host has a long-standing history doing business with lots of sites (small and large).  You might ask them to supply you with a list of references before you sign on the dotted line.

4. How long does it take them to respond to support questions?   Do they only take support inquiries by email?  Does it take them longer than a few hours or one business day to respond?