What To Look For When Choosing A Web Host
Keywords: web host, hosting, small business, home business, choosing a web host
The purpose of your web site determines what you need to look for from a web hosting service. A hobby site has very different needs to that of a business site such as Amazon.com. For example, the hobby site would possibly be able to be satisfactorily hosted on a free hosting site whereas Amazon.com would need a dedicated server with 24/7 support and eCommerce capability as a minimum requirement.
For the purposes of this article, the focus will be on web hosting requirements likely to be required for small business or home based business people.
The most important requirement is reliability. You need a hosting service that has 99.9% up time to ensure that your site visitors can do business with you at any time. Check what is being offered by the hosting provider and ensure that they have a guaranteed up time and also strong support.
Make sure that the support is included in the cost of the hosting plan. It is worthwhile to check the terms of the support offered to ensure that it suits your business.
Next, you need to consider affordability. Hosting on a dedicated server is usually quite expensive and may only be needed for the larger small business operation. The other option is a virtual server. This is an arrangement where a server is shared by a number of sites. These web hosting plans are a lot more affordable for home business people and small businesses and are usually more than satisfactory for their needs. A disadvantage of shared arrangements is that you don’t get to choose your neighbors.
The need for eCommerce capability is also an important consideration. Check that the host provides SSL secure server. Some hosting plans also provide a shopping cart. Check this for ease of use and that the software meets the needs of your business.
Your choice of plans will mainly be dependant upon how much disk space you require and the amount of bandwidth you will be using. Disk space is relatively cheap these days and you can get plans with quantities well in excess of your needs.
However, bandwidth is more expensive and needs more careful consideration. Sometimes, late in a month, you will try to visit a site and a message comes up saying the site is unavailable as it has exceeded it’s bandwidth usage for the month. Unless you are monitoring your site, you may not even know that this has occurred. Therefore, to ensure access to your site is always available, it is recommended that you choose the plan with the most bandwidth that you can afford.
Plans will allow you to choose between operating systems. The common ones are Windows, Linux and Mac. In reality, there is not a lot of difference between them and you should choose based on your personal preference or on what platform runs the applications you need on your web server.
Databases are becoming more common as a part of content management systems as well as scripts. Most web hosts these days will cater for these and often provide a range of scripts already available for your use.
You will also need to check how many domain names you are allowed in the hosting package you are considering. If you use sub-domains, check how many as allowed as some providers place limits on these. Check the quantities allowed for parked domains, FTP accounts, and email accounts. Are there enough to meet your current and future needs?
The control panel is your interface with your web hosting service. You need to be comfortable that it is easy to use and that sufficient help is available when you need it to ensure that you can set up and maintain your site.
Don’t be afraid to check out various forums for good and bad comments on the web hosts you are considering. It is also useful to do some searching through the search engines for any information on the companies providing the hosting services to ensure that they are likely to be around for a while.
Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of Be Successful News, a site that provides information and articles on how to succeed in your own home or small business. www.besuccessfulnews.com
Previous Articles Highlighter:
Business Sellers - Beware Of The C Corp Asset Sale (1)
Let's say that the purchase price was $5 million. With an asset sale, the Corporation would first pay 30% of $5 million, or $1.5 million. On the distribution, the shareholders would pay 15% of the $3.5 million distribution or $425,000.
Where's The Shortcut? (2)
You will have to deal with questions about your product or service. You will have to learn as much as you can about the various kinds of marketing you will use.
Gardening 101 (3)
Formal gardens will often utilize crisp straight lines, symmetrical planting and hardscapes containing bluestone, granite or brick. An informal garden may consist of curving lines, plantings which mimic the natural landscape and paths and patios built from fieldstone.
Attracting Birds To Your Garden (4)
While birds will thrive and will benefit the most from your efforts you're also providing years of enjoyment for both yourself and visitors to your garden. Tim Birch is the publisher of www.gardenlistings.com.
Gardening With Easy Care Perennials (5)
As your perennials grow larger and begin to crowd each other, they may require dividing. Dividing perennials is easily the best way to increase your plant stock. Simply dig the perennial you intend to divide out of the ground making sure to dig out as much of the root system as possible.
Hot Ideas: Hot Tub Enclosures (6)
Keywords: hot tub, enclosures Ideas for enclosing hot tubs include using gazebos, fencing, screens, and wood roof covers. There are many reasons why you should enclose your hot tub. The most prevalent would be that if your hot tub were outdoors, you would want to keep bugs, debris, and rain from entering your hot tub and contaminating it.
Selling Your Business - Prepare For The Buyer Visit (7)
What areas would you like to improve? How would you see integrating our company with yours? There is some very important information that you are seeking from this line of questioning.
Creating With Your Own Hands (8)
Another popular self-creation process that is all the rage these days is that of crafting. Today a person can literally create anything they want or need if they can imagine the design and fabrication.
Your Site Build It Site Isn't Working Like You Thought It Would? Try These Tips... (9)
Write more articles and submit them to Article Directories. This one strategy, handled properly, will help you become an authority in your niche or area of expertise in a very short period of time.
Having The Right Attitude For MLM Success (10)
We determine whether or not we will be angry. I have found that often I will meet with someone who is struggling with their MLM business and in many cases I find that they are angry people.
Newer Articles Highlighter:
French Country Decorating For The Kitchen (1)
One way is to decorate the kitchen in a French Country Style (French Country Decorating for the Kitchen) and is one of the current trends when a kitchen is about to be redecorated, plus there are a wide range of great accessories available to help enhance the look further.
Forex Envelopes (2)
The upper and lower limits specify entry and exit points for traders. But, instead of using them to indicate overbought or oversold conditions, we will attempt to create a narrow trading range and base the rules for this method on this narrow band.
Steps Towards Becoming An Army Officer (3)
To apply for Officer Candidate School, you must be a U.S. citizen and a college graduate between 19 and 29 years old at the time of selection. West Point is one of Americas top universities.
How To Make Money In Real Estate Investing (4)
Beginning real estate investors should try to start off slowly. There are many things to learn and it can be easy to lose money when you do not have the knowledge base to work from.
Building A Forex Trading System (5)
After all, it was your only reference point. My experience has taught me that most of the indicators don't work well in the way that they where designed. Now, this is where I can be of some help.
Add Interest To Your Garden With Pampas Grass (6)
Pampas grass, being of South American origin, was only introduced to the North America and Europe. There it became useful as an ornamental grass. The flowers of the pampas are also feathery enough.
Understanding Forex Trends (7)
It is essential that trend lines be drawn correctly. It is the recognition of the trend line and the violation of this trend line that is your key to successful trading and fortune building.
How To Handle Your Passwords (8)
You will know this if the site's URL begins with an "https." SSL and Secure HTTP are sometimes indicated by a tiny lock in a corner of the page. If there is no encryption then it maybe possible for unauthorized users to view and/or capture the data you enter and later access the account using a "sniffer." A sniffer is a tool that captures all "clear text" or unencrypted data.
How To Have A Nice Butterfly Garden (9)
Or was there something completely new? What about the remaining paragraphs? When creating a butterfly garden, the possibilities of what to include in your butterfly garden design are endless.
When Is The Best Time To Plant Roses (10)
And you've earned a wealth of knowledge, just from taking some time to study an expert's word on roses. Michael Hehn writes articles about various topics. Find out what he has to say about roses at www.marisia.com