Working with a web host provider means anyone can have a little place to call their own on the internet and have people come visit them. This service enables people to upload images, have graphics and content about them on the site and tell some interesting tales about them or life in general. Some web host providers will offer this space in addition to the internet connection itself. They will likely host everything in a data center. Not every firm operates in this manner though and some will provide space with internet connections that are not owned by them. The correct name for this type of service is a collocation. It will provide an opportunity for many visitors to contact you and correspond or allow them to see your content. All hosts, including the small ones will provide the ability to host files and have some storage space. Some more advanced providers will provide a larger selection of tools and services to customers including the ability to manage email accounts and to utilize script installation tools.
Web Hosting Features:
You must consider your budget needs and what storage and bandwidth you require before choosing what web host features you want. If you have an e-commerce site you will need a payment facility. This can be done through SSL, Secure Sockets Layer, encryption and the addition of a shopping cart. If you run a forum or discussion board services like PHP or Perl are useful as is CGI scripting. In addition you may wish to be able to access database such as Microsoft SQL Server, Postgre SQL or even MySQL. All of this means your initial tasks should be to focus on what you need to have to run your site as extra costs equals extra money. This means knowing how much bandwidth you'll want, what limit of storage space and will you need facilities like protection from spam or assistance with building your site.
You need to have a web host firm you can trust to ensure that if anything goes wrong, they will be able to fix it and help you recover from any breakdowns. The following are a list of Do's and Do Nots you should be aware of when trying to select a host company.
The Do's:
Do a thorough research: Search in the Internet about the various web hosting companies and make a list that provides all the features you require. Make a comparative study and check which one is providing the best deal. You can also utilize the online forums and speak with other webmasters about their opinion. Once you decide on a particular web hosting company, spend some time reading the opinions of others about the company. Examine the reviews and look into the history and achievement of the company. Consider certain factors such as the data center they are located at, the number of customers they have, the number of employees proving support as well as consider the time period since they have been in this business. If possible also speak to one of their existing client to get a better picture about their services.
Create a list of what you require: Items like bandwidth size and space for storage are vital for all site owners and a list should be made of what you really need. A higher level of these functions would be good but is it worth paying for? If you don't really need them could you use the money in other ways? If you believe you may need these features but are not definite, try and find a host that offers some room to grow. This will give you a better chance of avoiding big bills for exceeding your usage limits.
Do have a good back up plan: It is wise to plan a back up support in advance to deal with any kind of system breakdowns or other related problems. You can not always rely on your web hosting company to keep backups of your sites, as most of them don't. However, in certain cases the new companies do keep the backups. Keeping good back ups ensure that you will suffer less amount of data loss and downtime if you ever do have problems with your host and plan to move somewhere else.
Make sure you will be supported: Prior to signing any agreement, take the time to speak to firm and give them questions. Ask them about their service options and what their experience and skills are like. It is easy to understand a company better just by talking to them for a short spell.
The Don'ts:
Do not base your decision on only the cost: Choosing a host firm always by price is not a sensible option. The saying you get what you pay for is very true for some web host providers. This may be okay for some but you will be very unlikely to get a quality product or service from these firms. A quick way to consider price and relativity is to think of paying 0.50 cents for 1 GB of bandwidth. If high quality matters to you, try a price about three or four times higher.
Do not use free web hosting: Avoid the common web page mistake, if you want people to take your online business seriously. Free web hosting earns their revenue by placing numerous advertising on your site some of which may even harm a computer. Your customers will not like this at all; moreover this also gets in the way of your credibility. Further more, choosing a professional web hosting provider ensures that you have a reliable domain host and will also enable your customers to trust you with their credit card information.
Be wary of testimonials from "customers": Be warned that not every testimonial you will read about a firm is true. Quite often the firm will create these testimonials about the company to make it look good. The stories may be partly true or not true at all. It is always better to read reviews from different sources and locations and to ask around for opinions. This is very true if you can find clients who have already used the company. People who have genuine experience of the firm will give you the best opinions about the service the company will provide. One way that a testimonial on a site may be believable is if they offer contact details to allow you to discuss this with the person who placed the information.
Avoid looking for free domain incorporated with web hosting: Most of people have a tendency to go for web hosting companies that offer free domain along with its hosting plans. But it is always better to keep the domain separate from the hosting company. Purchasing hosting plan along with free domain is fine as long as the domain is registered in your name and belongs to you. However, in most of the cases, such companies register the domain to their name and just let you to borrow it. Hence, there always remains the risk that they might hold the domain as hostage if in case you decide to move to a different web hosting company.
Web Hosting Features:
You must consider your budget needs and what storage and bandwidth you require before choosing what web host features you want. If you have an e-commerce site you will need a payment facility. This can be done through SSL, Secure Sockets Layer, encryption and the addition of a shopping cart. If you run a forum or discussion board services like PHP or Perl are useful as is CGI scripting. In addition you may wish to be able to access database such as Microsoft SQL Server, Postgre SQL or even MySQL. All of this means your initial tasks should be to focus on what you need to have to run your site as extra costs equals extra money. This means knowing how much bandwidth you'll want, what limit of storage space and will you need facilities like protection from spam or assistance with building your site.
You need to have a web host firm you can trust to ensure that if anything goes wrong, they will be able to fix it and help you recover from any breakdowns. The following are a list of Do's and Do Nots you should be aware of when trying to select a host company.
The Do's:
Do a thorough research: Search in the Internet about the various web hosting companies and make a list that provides all the features you require. Make a comparative study and check which one is providing the best deal. You can also utilize the online forums and speak with other webmasters about their opinion. Once you decide on a particular web hosting company, spend some time reading the opinions of others about the company. Examine the reviews and look into the history and achievement of the company. Consider certain factors such as the data center they are located at, the number of customers they have, the number of employees proving support as well as consider the time period since they have been in this business. If possible also speak to one of their existing client to get a better picture about their services.
Create a list of what you require: Items like bandwidth size and space for storage are vital for all site owners and a list should be made of what you really need. A higher level of these functions would be good but is it worth paying for? If you don't really need them could you use the money in other ways? If you believe you may need these features but are not definite, try and find a host that offers some room to grow. This will give you a better chance of avoiding big bills for exceeding your usage limits.
Do have a good back up plan: It is wise to plan a back up support in advance to deal with any kind of system breakdowns or other related problems. You can not always rely on your web hosting company to keep backups of your sites, as most of them don't. However, in certain cases the new companies do keep the backups. Keeping good back ups ensure that you will suffer less amount of data loss and downtime if you ever do have problems with your host and plan to move somewhere else.
Make sure you will be supported: Prior to signing any agreement, take the time to speak to firm and give them questions. Ask them about their service options and what their experience and skills are like. It is easy to understand a company better just by talking to them for a short spell.
The Don'ts:
Do not base your decision on only the cost: Choosing a host firm always by price is not a sensible option. The saying you get what you pay for is very true for some web host providers. This may be okay for some but you will be very unlikely to get a quality product or service from these firms. A quick way to consider price and relativity is to think of paying 0.50 cents for 1 GB of bandwidth. If high quality matters to you, try a price about three or four times higher.
Do not use free web hosting: Avoid the common web page mistake, if you want people to take your online business seriously. Free web hosting earns their revenue by placing numerous advertising on your site some of which may even harm a computer. Your customers will not like this at all; moreover this also gets in the way of your credibility. Further more, choosing a professional web hosting provider ensures that you have a reliable domain host and will also enable your customers to trust you with their credit card information.
Be wary of testimonials from "customers": Be warned that not every testimonial you will read about a firm is true. Quite often the firm will create these testimonials about the company to make it look good. The stories may be partly true or not true at all. It is always better to read reviews from different sources and locations and to ask around for opinions. This is very true if you can find clients who have already used the company. People who have genuine experience of the firm will give you the best opinions about the service the company will provide. One way that a testimonial on a site may be believable is if they offer contact details to allow you to discuss this with the person who placed the information.
Avoid looking for free domain incorporated with web hosting: Most of people have a tendency to go for web hosting companies that offer free domain along with its hosting plans. But it is always better to keep the domain separate from the hosting company. Purchasing hosting plan along with free domain is fine as long as the domain is registered in your name and belongs to you. However, in most of the cases, such companies register the domain to their name and just let you to borrow it. Hence, there always remains the risk that they might hold the domain as hostage if in case you decide to move to a different web hosting company.
About the Author:
Matt Ewing is a professional web hosting admin and writer. Visit WebHostingMadness.com to read his reviews on the best hosting companies each month.
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