How to Select a Web Host: Important Considerations
If you’re just starting out to the world of web design, you’ll need to pick a web host. Many people who haven’t yet designed a web page will have trouble with this – there are literally thousands of web hosts, and it’s often very difficult to see a difference.
One thing you might want to think about is whether your web host is a “reseller.†There are many large companies who sell bandwidth in bulk to smaller companies, who then host directly for the consumer. Often, you can actually host directly with the larger company themselves as a consumer. This is sometimes a better option – if you have a heavily trafficked site, then you might want to just go ahead and go with the ultimate provider. You’ll likely get better service and more options. If you have a really small site, however, usually a reseller is a better bet – they can give you price discounts and sell much smaller amounts of bandwidth, and this is great for someone who doesn’t expect their site to be flooded by visitors.
You should also think about domain registration. Many hosting companies don’t register domains for you, they just keep the web site on their servers. If you aren’t tech savvy, it can be a hassle to register with one company and then set it up with another. You might make sure that your host can also register the name of your web site for you as well to avoid those troubles.
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Why Ignoring the Unlimited Web Hosting Plan is the Smart Way to Go
Anyone in the market for a Web site host has certainly come across a hosting company offering unlimited bandwidth and unlimited disk space as part of their hosting packages. How do they do this? How physically, can they offer unlimited disk space when each server has a finite amount of disk space available for use? Perhaps more importantly, how can they offer unlimited bandwidth when the Internet does indeed have limitations?
Some consumers see the term unlimited and assume that that they can’t go wrong. This is merely a marketing ploy just like unlimited minutes on your cell phone or unlimited trips to the salad bar. At some point, there will be a limit. And in most cases, it’ll cost you.
So why are unlimited plans even around? Because there are still consumers that just don’t know enough about Web hosting and assume that bigger is better. They generally see a low cost plan (sometimes under $10/month, watch out!) and don’t think twice. If you have a business Web site, the least you should be paying for quality Web hosting is $20 per month.
However, if you decide to go that route, be sure to read the fine print. Unlimited hosting packages generally have terms dictating that when you reach a certain point, they can either raise the cost of hosting drastically or even shut down your Web site! Remember, they’re in business to make money and aren’t going to run their business at a loss to simply retain your business.
So what can you do to avoid a hosting nightmare? First, find a hosting company where you can actually talk to a live person. This may sound obvious, but many large hosting providers only offer technical support via email with up to 24-hour response times. If your site goes down, are you willing to wait 24 hours for a response? Check to see if they even list a phone number on their Web site. Many large hosting providers don’t and consumers don’t even think to look for it until something is wrong with their site.
Second, discuss your needs with the Web hosting company. While most companies have set packages, some will be willing to customize hosting plans so that you only pay for the services you need. If a host isn’t willing to discuss the needs of your site with you, how helpful are they going to be as your site expands and your requirements increase?
Finally, plan for your growth. Don’t simply choose the cheapest plan because it meets your current needs. Assume that your Web site is going to increase its traffic over time and be sure that when it does, there are no hassles or downtime. Pay a little bit more if you have to because in Web site hosting especially, you get what you pay for.
If you have a Web site for your business, Web hosting is the most critical aspect because without it, your site is useless. Knowing that your hosting provider is dependable and responsive can make all the difference because ideally, the only time you ever really need to talk to them is when something is wrong. It all comes down to the idea that if they’re willing to be deceitful to get your business by offering an unlimited plan, how can you be confident that they’ll be honest when you need them the most? Taking time to select the right host can make all the difference and let’s face it, while there is no such thing as unlimited bandwidth and unlimited disk space, there also is no such thing as 100% uptime. You’ll need your host, so choose wisely.
WebSolutions is a professional Web site design, development, and hosting company based near Chicago. Their expertise in eCommerce has been highlighted in print and television and their custom developed solutions and pre-built shopping cart application (The Marketplace) has been successful for businesses nationwide. Jon Kee handles all sales and marketing related activities for WebSolutions and can be reached by phone at 630.375.6833 or email @ sales@wsol.com. Visit us online: http://www.wsol.com
Information About Choosing a Web Hosting Company
You choose web hosting company only once.
The most important thing that you have to remember about a web hosting company is that you get to choose your web hosting company only once. No second chance. No replacing or changing of web hosting company is possible once its been finalized. Therefore it is very crucial that you are convinced about all the factors of your web hosting company being up to the mark. Like everything else, deciding about a webhosting company or choosing a web hosting company should also be done after a thorough research.
Parameters of choosing a web hosting company
While we are looking for web hosting company to host our website on, we will come across number of ads and links that promise many things. Starting from cheap web hosting to free web hosting and so on. All this lure should be ignored and we should focus on what we are looking for. Following factors should be considered and given importance while choosing a webhosting company for our website:
Technical Support and Pricing of web hosting company
I will suggest you opt for a paid web hosting if you are serious about having a website, and if there is a purpose to it. If you are trying to make money with it or it’s your medium to expand your business online, or about spreading a message across. don’t look for web hosting company that offers the least price. Le low price now be a criteria. It will not help. Online Technical support wise 24X7x365 is what you should look for. Web hosting is about hosting your site on the web for people to see. You can’t afford to be in a problem that cannot be resolved in bare minimum time span. Company that is equipped to resolve your problem right away is the company that will stand your business in good stead.
Disk Space Provided by web hosting company
The disk space that is being allotted to your web site is a key element in a good web hosting deal. In the beginning what might seem to be plenty of room, may be inadequate once the space starts to fill out. The scope and potential for growth of your business will mean that you could need more space in future. You should therefore choose a web hosting provider which will be able to offer more space. If your website hosting company can’t give it to you, please understand that chances of your growth may be severely limited. See, how important this factor is!
Speed and E-mail accounts provided by web hosting company
Speed and E-mail accounts provided by web hosting company is of utmost importance. Is the web hosting company capable of providing as many E-mail accounts as you need. (one for each working member) Speed is the most most most important aspect. Suppose, a visitor clicks on your link and your site doesn’t appear at once, the visitor will simply click on another link. You have to know how fast your internet hosting provider can provide access to your visitors.
Does your web hosting deal include E-Commerce and other Features like, site stats, Control Panel, Transfer Fee etc
Web hosting companies offer variety of services to their costumers. You got to make a list of features that your site will require, are you into shopping online, selling and buying online? Then its an E-Commerce venture and you will need a shopping cart. That’s one requirement. Some more important points in your list may be sub domains, multiple domain discounts, Set Up or Installation fees-which is one time, transfer fees, email accounts, website statistics logs, control panel, site creation tool, front page extensions etc
The above points cover everything of importance while considering your web hosting company. I repeat to remind you two thing you should always keep in mind that you can choose your web hosting company only once so you can’t afford to be confused or ill informed. If you are new and know little about it you should check out a reliable web-hosting company. You can speak to a few webmaster before arriving at your decision.
The author is Purva Mewar webmaster of Work at Home Based Business websites, http://www.yesearnfromhome.com and http://www.work-at-home-earn-extra-income.com
Define Managed Dedicated Server PLEASE!
Anyone who has shopped around the managed dedicated server market and the dedicated server market must have experienced the loose use of the terms on the internet. I was quite sure early on what a managed server was. Conversely there was no question what a dedicated server was. It seemed simple enough back then. Those were the good old days.
Back then my pure simplistic vision was well defined and clear. A dedicated server was one occupied by one site. It was cared for by the company that owned that site. It was hosted by a dedicated server hosting company. A managed dedicated server was occupied by one site. It was cared for by the same company that hosted it, a managed dedicated server hosting company. Oh the simple life!
Then I had the unfortunate experience recently of delving into the actual web sites offering managed hosting services and dedicated hosting services. To be sure what I found could be called nothing short of “a melting pot†stirred and mixed in every swirling combination feasible.
Some called managed “dedicated†and some called dedicated “managed†and then there were the scores and scores in between with every combination you can think of. I’ll spare you the confusion of the many examples; suffice it to say things aren’t as simple as they used to be. One can’t go on assumption when analyzing a host. It takes research into each host’s site to find what is actually being offered and what you’ll pay extra for despite the title given to the product.
What’s the point? Please let us come to the table of reason together! There needs to be a universally agree upon definition of what is a managed dedicated server and what services does it include. What is a dedicated server and what services does it include. Users sophisticated or not I’m sure always appreciates clarity.
Above all let me dwell in the crystal clear world of before when a managed dedicated server was just that.
Henry Vowels
Management Co-Ordinator
Managed Hosting by E-Insites
The Smart Way to Get Free Business Web Hosting for Life
Business web sites are the real estate of the internet, as your site gains popularity and strength, your web based real estate, gains value.
To have the leading edge, even before your web site is born, you need to choose the very best location and services for your home based business.
Think in terms of a small retail outlet, to gain prominence in the marketplace, would you want your new outlet to be based in the outskirts of the city, with the poor traffic and the cheap rental deals?
Or would you prefer your new outlet to be situated in the latest Super Mall, equipped with all the latest bells and whistles that make shoppers stay longer and spend more?
You see, it is the service that the Super Mall provides, behind the scenes, that gives vendors the edge over their competition.
Notice how the Mall promotes, stunning location, relaxed surroundings, piped and live music, entertainment, competitions, state of the art elevators, air conditioning, customer services and all of the other elements, to provide that, all round shopping experience.
To gain maximum advantage, your business web site should also be equipped with all those, behind the scene goodies, that provide your business with the cutting edge in customer satisfaction.
In the case of business hosting, those goodies include, excellent bandwidth allowance, an integrated sales and follow up solution, unlimited responders, unlimited MySQL databases, custom error pages, password protected pages, unlimited sub directories, and many other advanced features that are simply, unavailable on standard hosting accounts.
The equation is simple; the more embedded tools your web site has at its disposal, the more control you have in the business. This level of control allows your customers to have a higher level of service, which is vital for your long term success.
Just like the Mall scenario, top level business hosting costs a premium, so how can you get all of the advantages without paying the extra cost?
The answer is to find a business host that runs an affiliate program.
On the footer of every page of your web site, you include your affiliate link, back to your host. You see, it doesn’t matter which market you provide for, there will always be some prospects, surfing your site, with a view to starting their own web site.
As your traffic increases, so will the number of your affiliates, it is only a matter of time before you hit that magic break even point, then the hosting is not only free, but you then start making a profit.
Your affiliates will follow the same business model and, in turn, they will begin to gather affiliates behind them, this powerful technique, locks in your position and sets you up for a lifetime of free business hosting.
The end result is, your business has the very best platform to operate from, and it costs you absolutely nothing to enjoy this incredible advantage.
About the author:
Pete Lauder is an online publisher and trainer, dedicated to raising business awareness. More details and resources for smart, free hosting platforms can be found at http://homebizassistant.com/free_business_hosting.html