Hosting Articles, 10 Hosting Articles for newbie Options

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Web Hosting

Why do you need a web host provider in the first place?

Web hosting is acutally quite a simple concept. But...let's step back a moment and explain right from the start...

So, you've had your site designed and it's all ready to roll. You might even have registered your domain name or started thinking about the type of name you want for your site. With the help of today's technology, even technically inexperienced people can design and create their own web site and register a domain name. So, can we take this whole internet thing one step further and host our site ourselves on our own PC? Well, the basic answer is no! To get your site live and kicking on the internet you'll need the services of a web host provider.

Web hosting involves, quite simply, taking a site and a domain name and leasing space on a web server from your chosen provider.

Alternatively, you may even lease a server to yourself if you have large volumes of traffic or run the operation in-house. Most of us, however, will opt for a shared server deal with a hosting business. The company will lodge our site on a web server, make the necessary connections between your domain name and their server configurations and then you're up and running. Your site is out there on the internet for all to see (hopefully!).

But, behind the simplicity of this concept there is actually a lot of quite hard core technology. The fact that you can connect to the internet via your PC does not make it suitable to act as your web hosting option even if it is technically powerful enough to do the job. Web servers are complex machines that need to be connected to the internet ALL of the time to do their job properly. They are ideally stored in secure environments that are climate-controlled to maintain optimum performance and for security reasons. They also need specialist software and expert technical expertise and the cost of owning and running one will run into thousands and thousands of dollars. Link Removed

All of which goes some way to explain just why most of us will opt to use the facilities and the expertise of a specialist web hosting operation. It's just far cheaper and easier for the individual or small- to medium-sized business to cut their costs and outsource their web host services to experts.Link Removed


Internet Hosting Companies

Choosing the right one

When choosing an internet hosting company , it is important to research several of them before making a decision. Your customers' impression of your web site and their experiences with it will be directly related to your success as a company. The value of a first impression cannot be overestimated.

Ideally, you will shop around, asking preliminary questions that will qualify or disqualify a company from your selection list. Consider questions in the following categories as you make initial inquiries:

Pricing Structure: Don't simply look for the lowest price. You need to know how much the prices will grow as you expand your services and customer base.

Ask about a variety of scenarios. For example, a small business owner who knows he will only need a small site to get started should ask about internet service provider hosting prices for medium sized websites with a larger number of visitors. Prepare for growth now so that you are not caught off guard by unexpected costs when you go to expand your services.

Technical Support: Critical to success, you'll need an internet hosting company that can help you resolve problems quickly with the least possible disruption to your site activity. Do they offer help on a 24/7 basis? If so, is it by phone, fax, e-mail, or live chat? Is the support free or will there be charges involved? Also inquire about consulting. Make sure you know how the company defines "consulting" versus "technical help". Technical help may be offered free, while consulting might come with a price tag.

Domain Name Registration: Find out if your desired domain name is available. You'll want to know how much the internet hosting company charges initially and the maintenance charges thereafter. Ask questions regarding the portability of your domain name. Will you be able to take it with you if you change providers? Are there any related contractual provisions?

Offered Services: Various internet hosting companies offer a variety of services. Make a list of what you know your website must be able to do and find out if the company you are researching can make it happen for you. Examples of services include visitor counts, e-mail forwarding options, real time chat, shopping cart functions, and web statistics. The list goes on. With a predetermined needs list in hand, you won't forget to ask important questions.

Speed: You need to know how fast your internet hosting provider can provide access to your visitors. As part of your research, you should visit the websites hosted by the companies you are considering. Vary the times of day you visit, focusing on the times you believe your target audience is most likely to access your site. Find out who their other clients are and how many they have. This will impact your site's performance.

Uptime: An efficient internet hosting company will not have disrupting downtimes. Ask if they provide an uptime guarantee, or if you will be notified of any impending downtime. Do they have a related system of reporting and documentation?

In most cases, your website is your only chance to make that first impression. Knowing this, you need to select an internet hosting provider that will be reliable for both you and your customers. Ask key questions to avoid getting involved with a provider that will cost you time, money, and reputation. Once you have a list of providers that are qualified according to your basic needs, contact each of them for a more detailed discussion.
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Low cost web hosting

Why it's better than free hosting (really!)

Low cost web hosting services abound today. Free hosting packages are also plentiful, and look great on paper. After all you get to have your web site up and running on the internet with no financial commitment. All you need to do is create your site, sit back and let your hosting provider do all the work for you. There's no denying that this type of service can work for many people but will it work for you? Let's walk you through the advantages and disadvantages and see whether you might be better off choosing a Link Removedinstead.

So, what is the main advantage of free hosting? Well, it's free for one thing! When you registered with your ISP (Internet Service Provider) you'll probably have been offered free web space as part of the account.

You can also find a lot of web hosting companies that will offer free space too. So, opt for this choice and you create your site (many ISPs will help you do this too via their software), upload it and they give it a home on the web. Sounds too good to be true? Well, for many people it is - and they move very quickly to a Link Removedinstead.

A free hosting package isn't a bad option for some people. It's an OK solution for personal web sites, can be used to test out your site and the response it gets and works for some small business owners. However, before you opt for free hosting, you should take a look at whether a low cost web hosting package might suit your needs better.

The problem with free hosting is that it has limits. You may well say that low cost web hosting has limits too - but they're generally not as restricting. The first issue you'll come across is space. Your free hosting provider will only offer small space for your site. You'll be limited on the number of pages you can have and the design, images and technical packages you can use. You also have none of the uptime guarantees and support services that you'll get if you pay for a hosting service. After all, you're getting this for free, so your provider doesn't have to make any commitment to sort out problems quickly. Find yourself with slow loading times because there are too many sites on their server and too much traffic? They don't have to do ANYTHING about it.

Low cost web hosting packages also have another big advantage over free ones - advertisements. Opt to put your site on a free service and you'll have to have any banners, adverts, pop-ups and pop-unders that they want appearing on your site. This is how the hosting provider makes the money that you aren't paying them for the service! There isn't a bigger advertisement out there to your site visitors that you're on a free package. Well, there is one bigger one...your URL. Instead of a nice and neat www.something.com you'll have to have a URL that drills down from that of your hosting provider. Maybe you don't mind turning your neat web address into www.myisp.com/pages/something - but it might make a difference later if you choose to move to a paid service. You won't be able to take it with you and will have to start off all over again.

And, there is some evidence that search engines now treat sites with free hosting as second-class citizens in the search stakes. So, your site may not be indexed on a search, which will make it virtually invisible to the casual browser. This isn't a problem you'll have with low cost web hosting. The fact is that it doesn't have to cost a lot to put your site on a reputable and cost-effective paid hosting service. You really just need to weigh up the benefits of having your site hosted free or for a few dollars a month. If you are running a business web site, want more than a basic service or anticipate any kind of regular traffic, it will be better to pay. After all, if your web site looks better and works better with a low cost web hosting provider then you'll get more out of it in the long-run.

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Server Hosting Providers

Questions to ask when shopping around for web server hosting
Shopping for server hosting providers is difficult at best, and confusing at the least. It's even more of a challenge when you don't know what questions to ask. Certain features are nice to have, while others can impact the credibility of your website, and ultimately, your business. The priority should always be on gathering the tools that your web site needs to perform the tasks required of it. Examples of task oriented questions are as follows:

"Do I have access to CGI scripts?" Ask potential server hosting providers about Common Gateway Interface (CGI) access. CGI is a script function of server hosting. It is used to transfer data from HTML to an application. Most business web sites need to have the ability to generate text boxes and pull down menus that allow visitors to enter requested information. You might request information from visitors so that you can process a purchase, conduct customer service activity, or register new members. Access to CGI scripts requires the permission of the system operator that conducts the server hosting for your site. Since it is difficult to get this permission for unknown programs, you should consider going with a provider that offers CGI packages that have been preapproved and prewritten.

"How many E-Mail Aliases are included in my plan?" Most server hosting companies give you a certain number of "aliases" you can use. Examples include: sales@yourdomain.com, customerservice@yourdomain.com, or techsupport@yourdomain.com. You need these even if you are one guy working out of a basement office. E-mail aliases provide customers the perception that you are bigger or more established than you really are. This adds to your professional credibility.

"How much space do I receive and what does it include?" Your server hosting company will assign you a certain amount of space. 5 MB is a fair amount of space for many business web sites. It will hold hundreds of files and graphics. However, all features may not be included in the assigned space. You could be charged extra for mail, system programs, and other elements of your web site usage.

In addition, ask about speed, uptime guarantees, and domain names. Make a detailed list of everything you want your site to do, and write a brief description of your proposed site. Then, check out our Link Removed to point you in the right direction.
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All About Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated hosting is a smart choice if you have determined that you need an entire server and Internet connection specifically reserved for your business activity. Shared servers may be cheaper and less of a commitment than dedicated hosting, but these advantages will quickly fade in comparison to the problems you might experience. Without a dedicated host, you could have problems with speed, reliability, and the ability to customize your web site environment.

Speed: Server response times in a shared hosting environment depend highly on the activity of the other sites your company is sharing with. Dedicated web hosting enables you to better control your server response times and more efficiently manage any related issues that arise.

Reliability: With a dedicated hosting environment, you have unlimited access to the operating system, software applications, and database applications. This allows you a reliable way to meet the needs of your customers - it's all there when you need it. A dedicated server can also provide better security for your site, shielding you from the problems that can develop when others are using the same server.

Customization: As your company grows, your web site will have to keep up with it. The dedicated hosting option allows you to adapt your applications, increase bandwidth, and upgrade your hard drive as needed.

Dedicated hosting is available with Unix, Windows, and Mac based servers. Take time to look closely at the various companies out there that offer dedicated hosting. Look at our dedicated hosting reviews, check out web hosting directories, and talk to those who have already chosen a company - find out what they think of their service. Shared service may be inexpensive, but it might not be the answer you are looking for. While dedicated hosting might cost more in dollars per month, it could cost you far more in profits and customer counts if you don't take the time to analyze your needs.
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This post has been edited by Zatanna: Oct 18 2006, 07:38 AM