Choosing a web hosting company is one of the most important decisions you will make when building a website. Switching hosts after you've already built a site is time-consuming and if you're not careful you could lose something important. Better to do some research beforehand and choose a host that has everything you need before signing up and realizing you're missing something.
But there are hundreds (perhaps thousands) of hosting providers from which to choose. Fortunately I'm going to share with you a short checklist to review before choosing a host. And at the end of this article I'll give you a link to a site that lets you compare some of the best web hosting options.
Web Hosting Checklist
1. Reliability. Every host will have a technical glitch now and then, but that should be the exception to the rule. Look for a host that guarantees uptime of 99 percent or higher.
2. Tech Support. No matter how experienced a webmaster you are, you can expect to run into a technical issue once in awhile. If that happens, you'll need to be able to reach someone in support. Choosing a web hosting company that offers 24/7 support is a smart move. Live chat support is a nice touch.
3. Are you building an online store or shopping portal? You'll need an ecommerce web site host that offers SSL (secure server) transactions and shopping cart functionality.
4. Do they offer free web design software? Many top hosts provide free software that lets you build web pages with a few clicks of a mouse. If your host isn't one of them you'll have to find your own software or learn html coding yourself.
5. Control panel. The look and name can vary from one host to the next, but having a control panel makes managing your websites easier. Look for one that includes Fantastico, which is a neat little program that lets you install many popular third-party scripts with the push of a button.
6. How many domains can you have? Many basic hosting packages only allow for a single domain. But if you want more than one site or domain name you'll want a package that allows for multiple domains. Some even allow unlimited domains for one price.
7. MySQL Databases. You'll probably never need to create one yourself, so it's not important to explain how they work. But some scripts and software you may want to use will require databases running in the background. If your host doesn't allow databases you could find yourself limited in what you can do.
8. Price. Web hosting is a highly competitive industry, which is great news for consumers because hosting providers have to offer low prices to keep up their competition. Most offer shared hosting plans with unlimited domains for only around $5 and $9 per month.
For more help in choosing a web hosting company, check out the independent webhost reviews and comparisons at http://www.webhost-comparison.com
Showing posts with label Web Hosting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Web Hosting. Show all posts
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Some Features To Look For In Your Web Host
Web host allows you to put your websites on their servers so that people can access it. There are lots of web hosting companies around. Some have their own servers while others are resellers. Each web host provides you with different plans or packages. You should be very careful, while selecting your host or a particular plan. Most people pay high attention to content and website design and overlook the selection of a proper web host. Many times, they end up selecting a plan which costs more than their their needs. Here are seven features that you should look at, while selecting your host or a plan.
1) Disk Space: Each hosting plan offers different amount of disk space. The price is directly proportional to disk space offered. So select a plan which provides you with enough disk space to host your web site. Also, make sure how much you should pay for each additional MB of space in case you need extra.
2) Scripting Languages: You should make sure that your hosting plan supports all the scripting languages that are used in your web application. For example, if your site is created using PHP and Perl, than you must make sure that your host supports both, PHP as well as Perl. Another example is that you cannot use Linux host for websites created in ASP. Also, make sure to look at the version of scripting languages supported by your host. This is extremely important as some scripts written in PHP 5, does not work in PHP 4.
3) Database: If your web application has a database backend, than you must make sure that your hosting plan provides you with required number of databases. Apart from number of databases provided, it should also provide you with the same database management system that's used in your web application. You might end up struggling to get your web application running, if your script uses PostgreSQL and you are provided with MySQL database.
4) Uptime: Go for a host that guarantees at least 99% uptime. To provide you with the guarantee of such uptime, your web host should have power generators (Diesel generators), backup systems and connectivity to multiple internet backbones.
5) 24/7 Support: Make sure that your host provides you with 24/7 support by phone, email or live chat. This is most important if your business totally relies on your website. Your host must give you immediate support in case of emergencies, else you could loose your customers.
6) FTP Support and Online File Manager: FTP helps you in uploading your site quickly and setting permissions to your files and folders. Some hosts provide online file manager, which you can access directly from your account control panel (CPanel). Make sure that your host allows more than one FTP account. This will help you if you need to hire someone to maintain your website. Having more than one FTP account allows you to create a separate account for him rather than sharing your login details.
7) SSL Support: If you are going to host an e-commerce application, than make sure that your host provides you with SSL support. SSL certificate guarantees your users that their credit card information is not accessible to packet sniffers. Your host should have 24/7 monitoring facility of all incoming requests to prevent security breach.
Before selecting your web host, take some time and go through all the features that are provided by your candidate hosts. Compare their prices. Call them up or email and clarify all your doubts. This will also show you how quick they are in responding to your requests. Stay away from hosts that claim to provide unlimited bandwidth. Do not select a host just because of their cheap hosting plan. If you have no choice but to go for a cheap web hosting than make sure that they provide you with guaranteed uptime and proper support.
1) Disk Space: Each hosting plan offers different amount of disk space. The price is directly proportional to disk space offered. So select a plan which provides you with enough disk space to host your web site. Also, make sure how much you should pay for each additional MB of space in case you need extra.
2) Scripting Languages: You should make sure that your hosting plan supports all the scripting languages that are used in your web application. For example, if your site is created using PHP and Perl, than you must make sure that your host supports both, PHP as well as Perl. Another example is that you cannot use Linux host for websites created in ASP. Also, make sure to look at the version of scripting languages supported by your host. This is extremely important as some scripts written in PHP 5, does not work in PHP 4.
3) Database: If your web application has a database backend, than you must make sure that your hosting plan provides you with required number of databases. Apart from number of databases provided, it should also provide you with the same database management system that's used in your web application. You might end up struggling to get your web application running, if your script uses PostgreSQL and you are provided with MySQL database.
4) Uptime: Go for a host that guarantees at least 99% uptime. To provide you with the guarantee of such uptime, your web host should have power generators (Diesel generators), backup systems and connectivity to multiple internet backbones.
5) 24/7 Support: Make sure that your host provides you with 24/7 support by phone, email or live chat. This is most important if your business totally relies on your website. Your host must give you immediate support in case of emergencies, else you could loose your customers.
6) FTP Support and Online File Manager: FTP helps you in uploading your site quickly and setting permissions to your files and folders. Some hosts provide online file manager, which you can access directly from your account control panel (CPanel). Make sure that your host allows more than one FTP account. This will help you if you need to hire someone to maintain your website. Having more than one FTP account allows you to create a separate account for him rather than sharing your login details.
7) SSL Support: If you are going to host an e-commerce application, than make sure that your host provides you with SSL support. SSL certificate guarantees your users that their credit card information is not accessible to packet sniffers. Your host should have 24/7 monitoring facility of all incoming requests to prevent security breach.
Before selecting your web host, take some time and go through all the features that are provided by your candidate hosts. Compare their prices. Call them up or email and clarify all your doubts. This will also show you how quick they are in responding to your requests. Stay away from hosts that claim to provide unlimited bandwidth. Do not select a host just because of their cheap hosting plan. If you have no choice but to go for a cheap web hosting than make sure that they provide you with guaranteed uptime and proper support.
Web Host Reseller - Quick Way to Big Profits in Your Own Business
The internet has given virtually anybody with an internet connection the ability to run their very own home based business from home with almost no initial investment required. Become a web host reseller and take a big step forward towards running your own profitable home based business. What is a web host reseller? It is someone who leases server resources from a web host provider in order to resell it to others. When setup right, these others won't know that you aren't the main web host provider. People pay you to put their websites on the web.
So what does being a web host reseller require?
The first thing necessary for success in any business is a willingness to persevere through the pain of the initial learning curve. Any business requires work on the front end to setup. If someone is promising you big profits with absolutely no work on your part, chances are it is either illegal or a pipe dream. Becoming a web host reseller will require work on your part. It will require some good old fashioned sweat equity.
The second thing you'll need is a website to promote your new business. You can either develop this website yourself from scratch, buy a template and modify it to your needs, or hire someone to do it for you. The most expensive option is to hire someone else to do it for you but depending on your level of skill may be the most professional. Many people get satisfactory results from doing their own website design.
The third thing you'll need is a good web hosting company that offers a competitive reseller package. Given that a reseller is someone who is reselling someone else's web host access, you need to make sure that the package you choose has enough disk space and bandwidth to meet your growing business' needs. Keep in mind that in the web hosting industry, it is very common to oversell one's resources knowing that most people won't use even half of what you offer them. Based on that, web hosting providers and resellers offer end customers more resources in order to stay competitive with others in the industry.
Fourthly, you'll need to be able to accept payment from your customers. The least expensive option for that is something like Paypal. Paypal allows you to accept credit cards quickly and easily without a credit check or monthly fees. With a payment provider like Paypal, you'll also most likely want a billing software that will take care of keeping customers informed about what they owe and when.
Finally, you'll want to promote your website to get people to sign up for your hosting packages so that you'll make money. This can be anything from pay per click advertising to writing articles like this one to posting on forums and more...
Do you have what it takes? Are you ready to take on the challenge of being a web hosting reseller?
Joe Duchesne is the webmaster of StartaWebHost.com, a membership site dedicated to present and future web host providers and resellers. We provide training on how to start a web hosting business as well as training and support for existing web hosting business owners. We help existing web hosts take their business to another level.
So what does being a web host reseller require?
The first thing necessary for success in any business is a willingness to persevere through the pain of the initial learning curve. Any business requires work on the front end to setup. If someone is promising you big profits with absolutely no work on your part, chances are it is either illegal or a pipe dream. Becoming a web host reseller will require work on your part. It will require some good old fashioned sweat equity.
The second thing you'll need is a website to promote your new business. You can either develop this website yourself from scratch, buy a template and modify it to your needs, or hire someone to do it for you. The most expensive option is to hire someone else to do it for you but depending on your level of skill may be the most professional. Many people get satisfactory results from doing their own website design.
The third thing you'll need is a good web hosting company that offers a competitive reseller package. Given that a reseller is someone who is reselling someone else's web host access, you need to make sure that the package you choose has enough disk space and bandwidth to meet your growing business' needs. Keep in mind that in the web hosting industry, it is very common to oversell one's resources knowing that most people won't use even half of what you offer them. Based on that, web hosting providers and resellers offer end customers more resources in order to stay competitive with others in the industry.
Fourthly, you'll need to be able to accept payment from your customers. The least expensive option for that is something like Paypal. Paypal allows you to accept credit cards quickly and easily without a credit check or monthly fees. With a payment provider like Paypal, you'll also most likely want a billing software that will take care of keeping customers informed about what they owe and when.
Finally, you'll want to promote your website to get people to sign up for your hosting packages so that you'll make money. This can be anything from pay per click advertising to writing articles like this one to posting on forums and more...
Do you have what it takes? Are you ready to take on the challenge of being a web hosting reseller?
Joe Duchesne is the webmaster of StartaWebHost.com, a membership site dedicated to present and future web host providers and resellers. We provide training on how to start a web hosting business as well as training and support for existing web hosting business owners. We help existing web hosts take their business to another level.
Monday, July 16, 2007
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