It seems there is a misconception about what web hosting means. Many website owners think web hosting is simply the server where your web site is stored for access by online consumers.
A web host DOES provide this service, but web hosting is essentially a provider who makes a variety of services available to move your site from dream to reality. Web hosting is about much more than just hosting your website.
A quality web host will keep up with new technology, monitor website uptime, improve existing hardware and provide the tools you need to launch your website.
Let’s see if this makes sense; a web host can provide design services, but a web designer can’t always provide quality web hosting.
If the impetus of web hosting is to provide a superior level of services then the common view of web designer as a separate function of web host may need to be challenged.
If a web hosting solution can provide the following perhaps a separate designer is an unnecessary step.
1) Updated software technology.
2) Website monitoring and uptime guarantees.
3) Regular upgraded hardware.
4) Comprehensive design templates with broad options for customization and growth.
These options make a full-service web hosting option a cost effective mechanism of managing multiple aspects of your site design and hosting function. This solution also allows you to operate as the ultimate decision maker in site design.
Web hosting has been denigrated to a separate function of web design, however this need not be the case - it should not be the case.
Web designers are typically thrilled to see ecommerce businesses view the two functions as separate and unique from each other. In most cases the web designer will indicate hosting is free with design services. This may sound like a good deal, but you could pay more in site design and maintenance in the first month than a year of a web hosting package that also provides web design functions in a template rich environment.
Understandably this may be a different way of looking at the role of a web hosting option, but it may also provide a welcome environment for site development and growth in an affordable package.
In many cases a web designer spends the majority of their time designing and maintaining sites and have little time left over for website monitoring, uptime guarantee and regular hardware upgrades. In their defense, this has a lot to do with the workload they are under. In a web-hosting scenario you become the primary site designer allowing the host to make sure your ‘cyber creation’ is available to a global audience.
Showing posts with label hosting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hosting. Show all posts
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Web Hosting: Six Things You Should Consider
Some of the features you may be looking for when it comes to a web host for your website include cost, dependability, customer service, features, bandwidth and disk space.
Cost
When reviewing the price structure of any web hosting solution you should always take into account the total package of services offered, reputation of firm, testimonials from customers, and ease of use.
Dependability
Has the web host had a problem with down time? Have other customers had a problem with the service? Have all functions of the service proven useful to other customers?
You should always investigate the reliability of the firm.
Customer Service
Some web-hosting firms talk a good game, but will they be there for you when you have difficulties. Many netrepreneurs have horror stories about poor customer service and unresponsive web hosts. Ask questions and check out any guarantees they may offer.
Features
Some web hosts provide a minimal cost but have fewer features than other firms. It’s possible a company has a significant package of services, but may not provide enough space for future growth. You may also find there are add on features that you are interested in, but add significantly to the overall cost of the service. Determine the features you need and look for a match that can manage those features.
Bandwidth
Can the web host keep up with the information load for your website? Do they have a limitation? Will those limits work for your ecommerce site?
Disk Space
Your web host should have adequate space set aside for you to grow. It may seem like a shoe that is too big, but dream big because your business footprint may one day match the size of the shoe.
Choosing a web host is kind of like picking out a new computer. You need to determine what you want it to do now and what you believe it will need to do a year or two from now. If you chose a computer that is only adequate for your immediate needs you will not have any room for future growth. The same is true with a quality web host find one that exceeds your current needs. If you don’t you severely limit your ability to grow your ecommerce site.
A good web host can provide the building blocked needed to develop a quality online presence and keep the doors open for expansion at a moments notice. Without the flexibility the web host may be less than adequate for your ongoing needs.
Cost
When reviewing the price structure of any web hosting solution you should always take into account the total package of services offered, reputation of firm, testimonials from customers, and ease of use.
Dependability
Has the web host had a problem with down time? Have other customers had a problem with the service? Have all functions of the service proven useful to other customers?
You should always investigate the reliability of the firm.
Customer Service
Some web-hosting firms talk a good game, but will they be there for you when you have difficulties. Many netrepreneurs have horror stories about poor customer service and unresponsive web hosts. Ask questions and check out any guarantees they may offer.
Features
Some web hosts provide a minimal cost but have fewer features than other firms. It’s possible a company has a significant package of services, but may not provide enough space for future growth. You may also find there are add on features that you are interested in, but add significantly to the overall cost of the service. Determine the features you need and look for a match that can manage those features.
Bandwidth
Can the web host keep up with the information load for your website? Do they have a limitation? Will those limits work for your ecommerce site?
Disk Space
Your web host should have adequate space set aside for you to grow. It may seem like a shoe that is too big, but dream big because your business footprint may one day match the size of the shoe.
Choosing a web host is kind of like picking out a new computer. You need to determine what you want it to do now and what you believe it will need to do a year or two from now. If you chose a computer that is only adequate for your immediate needs you will not have any room for future growth. The same is true with a quality web host find one that exceeds your current needs. If you don’t you severely limit your ability to grow your ecommerce site.
A good web host can provide the building blocked needed to develop a quality online presence and keep the doors open for expansion at a moments notice. Without the flexibility the web host may be less than adequate for your ongoing needs.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Changing Web Hosts Made Easy
It is recommended you start the process at least a few days before the time runs out on the account with your present host. This will keep your website from experiencing any downtime between the moves.
The first thing to do, after you have searched and found a new web hosts, is create a backup of your website. Make a new folder somewhere on your computer. Using your favourite FTP program, such as WS_FTP or Cute FTP (these and other FTP programs can be obtained at download.com), download all the files and folders on your website to the new folder you just made on your computer while maintaining the same folder and file structure (this will be important when uploading your files and folders onto your new host's server later). Make a note of any special CHMOD permissions you have set on any file or folder (look in your FTP program's help documents for information on checking a folder or file's CHMOD permissions). You will need to reset the permissions after you upload your files and folders to your new web host's server.
If you have any scripts or programs that you made a database for, make a backup of each database. If you have a database other than MySQL, check with your present web host for instructions on backing up your database. If you don't have any databases. If your web host offers phpMyAdmin, log in to your control panel and go to the database section. Look for a link to phpMyAdmin and click on it. If required, log in using the username and password you gave for your database. If you assigned a different username and password for each database, you will have to repeat this process for each database. After you log in, click on "databases" and then click on the database you want to backup/export. Click "Export" on the top menu.
If you are using phpMyAdmin 2.4.0, highlight all the tables under "View dump (schema) of database." Make sure the "Structure and data" radio button is selected. Check "Save as file" and select either "zipped" or "gzipped." Click "Go" and save the file (it would be a good idea to create a new folder in which to save all your databases).
If you are using phpMyAdmin 2.6.0-pl1, highlight all the tables under "Export." Check the "Structure" and "Data" boxes and select "SQL" under the tables you highlighted. Check "Save as file" and under "Compression" select either "zipped" or "gzipped." Click "Go" and save the file. (It would be a good idea to create a new folder in which to save all your databases). If you don't have phpMyAdmin, you can backup your database using MySQLdump.
Next, setup your databases.
If you have MySQL databases, log in to your control panel. Go to the database section and create databases. Also, assign usernames and passwords for the databases (if you have a database other than MySQL, check with your new web host for instructions on creating and importing databases). Now, find the link to phpMyAdmin. If required, log in using the usernames and passwords you just created. If you assigned a different username and password for each database, you will have to repeat this process for each database. After logging in, click on "databases" and select a database by clicking on it. From the top menu, click "SQL."
Go to the folder you saved your databases in and select the database that corresponds to the one you have open in phpMyAdmin. Open the file and copy and paste the database in the large text area in phpMyAdmin. Click "Go" under the text area field. You can also use the browse button to find the file on your computer and click "Go" below the browse field. If you don't see any errors, with whichever method you chose, you have just successfully imported the database. If you have more than one database, go back and repeat this process for each one, starting with logging in with your database username and password. If you don't have phpMyAdmin, you can use this method to create your databases.
You may need to edit some files before uploading them in the next step, by changing MySQL database name, username and password settings within the files, if any information has changed. If you don't remember which files contain MySQL settings, check the installation instructions for each script/program.
Next, upload the files from the folder in which you saved your website content onto the new web host's server, maintaining the same folder and file structure, using your FTP program. The only difference in structure may be the location of the cgi-bin. Some web hosts have your cgi-bin inside the www or public_html directory and some have it placed outside. If you had any programs or scripts on your website, you may need to edit some files by changing paths within them. If you don't remember which files contain paths that may need to be changed, check the installation instructions for each script/program. Also, change any file or folder permissions as needed (look in your FTP program's help documents for information on changing a folder or file's CHMOD permissions).
The final step is to point your domain name to your new web host's name servers. This information probably came in an email from your new web host soon after you registered with them. If not, send them an email asking them what the name servers are for your domain. Once you have this information, go to the website where you have your domain name registered. Log in to your account and set the name servers for your domain. Please note that changes to name servers may take as much as a couple of days to take effect. If you still have a few days left on your old account, your website shouldn't experience any downtime. Once the name server’s change has taken effect, cancel the account with your old host (this is so you don't get charged for another term). That's it. You have successfully switched web hosts.
The first thing to do, after you have searched and found a new web hosts, is create a backup of your website. Make a new folder somewhere on your computer. Using your favourite FTP program, such as WS_FTP or Cute FTP (these and other FTP programs can be obtained at download.com), download all the files and folders on your website to the new folder you just made on your computer while maintaining the same folder and file structure (this will be important when uploading your files and folders onto your new host's server later). Make a note of any special CHMOD permissions you have set on any file or folder (look in your FTP program's help documents for information on checking a folder or file's CHMOD permissions). You will need to reset the permissions after you upload your files and folders to your new web host's server.
If you have any scripts or programs that you made a database for, make a backup of each database. If you have a database other than MySQL, check with your present web host for instructions on backing up your database. If you don't have any databases. If your web host offers phpMyAdmin, log in to your control panel and go to the database section. Look for a link to phpMyAdmin and click on it. If required, log in using the username and password you gave for your database. If you assigned a different username and password for each database, you will have to repeat this process for each database. After you log in, click on "databases" and then click on the database you want to backup/export. Click "Export" on the top menu.
If you are using phpMyAdmin 2.4.0, highlight all the tables under "View dump (schema) of database." Make sure the "Structure and data" radio button is selected. Check "Save as file" and select either "zipped" or "gzipped." Click "Go" and save the file (it would be a good idea to create a new folder in which to save all your databases).
If you are using phpMyAdmin 2.6.0-pl1, highlight all the tables under "Export." Check the "Structure" and "Data" boxes and select "SQL" under the tables you highlighted. Check "Save as file" and under "Compression" select either "zipped" or "gzipped." Click "Go" and save the file. (It would be a good idea to create a new folder in which to save all your databases). If you don't have phpMyAdmin, you can backup your database using MySQLdump.
Next, setup your databases.
If you have MySQL databases, log in to your control panel. Go to the database section and create databases. Also, assign usernames and passwords for the databases (if you have a database other than MySQL, check with your new web host for instructions on creating and importing databases). Now, find the link to phpMyAdmin. If required, log in using the usernames and passwords you just created. If you assigned a different username and password for each database, you will have to repeat this process for each database. After logging in, click on "databases" and select a database by clicking on it. From the top menu, click "SQL."
Go to the folder you saved your databases in and select the database that corresponds to the one you have open in phpMyAdmin. Open the file and copy and paste the database in the large text area in phpMyAdmin. Click "Go" under the text area field. You can also use the browse button to find the file on your computer and click "Go" below the browse field. If you don't see any errors, with whichever method you chose, you have just successfully imported the database. If you have more than one database, go back and repeat this process for each one, starting with logging in with your database username and password. If you don't have phpMyAdmin, you can use this method to create your databases.
You may need to edit some files before uploading them in the next step, by changing MySQL database name, username and password settings within the files, if any information has changed. If you don't remember which files contain MySQL settings, check the installation instructions for each script/program.
Next, upload the files from the folder in which you saved your website content onto the new web host's server, maintaining the same folder and file structure, using your FTP program. The only difference in structure may be the location of the cgi-bin. Some web hosts have your cgi-bin inside the www or public_html directory and some have it placed outside. If you had any programs or scripts on your website, you may need to edit some files by changing paths within them. If you don't remember which files contain paths that may need to be changed, check the installation instructions for each script/program. Also, change any file or folder permissions as needed (look in your FTP program's help documents for information on changing a folder or file's CHMOD permissions).
The final step is to point your domain name to your new web host's name servers. This information probably came in an email from your new web host soon after you registered with them. If not, send them an email asking them what the name servers are for your domain. Once you have this information, go to the website where you have your domain name registered. Log in to your account and set the name servers for your domain. Please note that changes to name servers may take as much as a couple of days to take effect. If you still have a few days left on your old account, your website shouldn't experience any downtime. Once the name server’s change has taken effect, cancel the account with your old host (this is so you don't get charged for another term). That's it. You have successfully switched web hosts.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Web Hosting Basics
If you have decided you or your company is in need of a website, you will have to purchase web hosting services from a hosting company. There are many different web-hosting companies to choose from, and they can easily be found on the internet. If you do a quick search for them in any search engine, you will find that there are almost too many to count. Choosing the company that is right for you can be a harrowing experience, but there are really only a few basic things to consider.
The first factor to consider when choosing a web hosting company is how much space they will give you for your account. If you merely want a single page on the Internet with little or no graphics, you can get by with purchasing an account with the smallest amount of space available. However, if you are planning to create a full e-commerce site with multiple pages and order forms, you will need to make sure you have enough server space to support your entire operation.
Before you sign your web-hosting contract, you will first have to choose and purchase a domain name. Though many of the names you might want are already taken, you can often find one that suits your needs, especially if you get creative with it. For instance, if your business is called Cards For You and that domain name is already taken, you might consider choosing More Cards For You or Cards For You Today. The possibilities are endless, and with a little thought you will be able to think of a snappy domain name.
You can often purchase a domain name through your web hosting company, or you can purchase it through a private domain name retailer. These companies are very easy to find. Often times, if you type the domain name you want into a search engine, a domain name seller will pop up if the name is not already taken. You can purchase a domain name for a year at a time, or for several years, depending on how much you want to invest at the get-go.
Once you have a domain name, you will of course have to create a website to put on the Internet. There are many do-it-yourself web design programs that are fairly user friendly. Software like FrontPage makes web design a cut and paste, fill in the blank soft of affair. However, if you would like a more professional look, you can use programs like Dreamweaver or Image Ready to make your sites. There are always freelance web designers looking for work who are ready to take on your cause if you are not savvy enough to do it yourself.
Web hosting companies give passwords to allow you access your space on their servers. You can upload files and pages using their own interface programs, or you can utilize the upload tools built in to your web design program. Once you upload a page, it is important to make sure it looks correct on a variety of different web browsers. Because each browser interprets information differently, you may run into trouble if you build a site while only previewing it in Internet Explorer. There are often compatibility issues between Safari and Mozilla browsers that distort site tables and images.
However, once you work out the kinks and create an excellent site, all you have to do is pay your web hosting bills, and your site will be available for the whole world to see. Web hosting companies usually offer options regarding payment plans. You can pay for a year at a time, or you can monthly or quarterly to maintain your place on the World Wide Web.
The first factor to consider when choosing a web hosting company is how much space they will give you for your account. If you merely want a single page on the Internet with little or no graphics, you can get by with purchasing an account with the smallest amount of space available. However, if you are planning to create a full e-commerce site with multiple pages and order forms, you will need to make sure you have enough server space to support your entire operation.
Before you sign your web-hosting contract, you will first have to choose and purchase a domain name. Though many of the names you might want are already taken, you can often find one that suits your needs, especially if you get creative with it. For instance, if your business is called Cards For You and that domain name is already taken, you might consider choosing More Cards For You or Cards For You Today. The possibilities are endless, and with a little thought you will be able to think of a snappy domain name.
You can often purchase a domain name through your web hosting company, or you can purchase it through a private domain name retailer. These companies are very easy to find. Often times, if you type the domain name you want into a search engine, a domain name seller will pop up if the name is not already taken. You can purchase a domain name for a year at a time, or for several years, depending on how much you want to invest at the get-go.
Once you have a domain name, you will of course have to create a website to put on the Internet. There are many do-it-yourself web design programs that are fairly user friendly. Software like FrontPage makes web design a cut and paste, fill in the blank soft of affair. However, if you would like a more professional look, you can use programs like Dreamweaver or Image Ready to make your sites. There are always freelance web designers looking for work who are ready to take on your cause if you are not savvy enough to do it yourself.
Web hosting companies give passwords to allow you access your space on their servers. You can upload files and pages using their own interface programs, or you can utilize the upload tools built in to your web design program. Once you upload a page, it is important to make sure it looks correct on a variety of different web browsers. Because each browser interprets information differently, you may run into trouble if you build a site while only previewing it in Internet Explorer. There are often compatibility issues between Safari and Mozilla browsers that distort site tables and images.
However, once you work out the kinks and create an excellent site, all you have to do is pay your web hosting bills, and your site will be available for the whole world to see. Web hosting companies usually offer options regarding payment plans. You can pay for a year at a time, or you can monthly or quarterly to maintain your place on the World Wide Web.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Getting The Most From Your Hosting.
Most hosting companies offer one or more email accounts with your hosting service. These email accounts are a gaping hole for fraudsters, scam artists, and other criminals to slip through take advantage of your naivety, and possibly steal your valuable personal information or sabotage your computer's operations. Phishing: One form of such criminality is phishing where emails appear in your account that, by all rights, seem to have been sent from a trusted company with which you do business (ie a financial institution, an eMerchant, or your hosting company) claiming that your personal information needs updating in their records.
A link embedded in the email takes you to a webpage that mimics that companys website. If you dont know any better, and your hosting company doesnt catch it, youre liable to hand over such valuable personal information as your password and credit card number to a criminal.But many hosting providers include software in their hosting packages that can detect and intercept such schemes before you ever have to see them. Viruses: Another insidious crime is the sending of viruses through email attachments. We've all heard of viruses, and consumers and hosting companies alike often rely on such tools as Norton AntiVirus to protect their system(s). But your hosting company can often provide you additional protection.
Having a firewall as part of your hosting package, for example, is a great source of peace of mind. Its worth seeking a hosting provider that can scan attachments to ensure their virus-free, a hosting provider that is constantly updating their database of new viruses. Spam: And then there's spam. Yuck! We're all sick of it (your hosting provider sure is) and yet so many companies still dont seem to get it, continuing to spew it out indiscriminately. Well, you shouldn't have to deal with spam anymore, and many hosting companies are seeing to it.
Spam filters allow hosting companies to detect suspicious emails Ð for example, ones that have been sent out en masse to a list, or ones sent from addresses that dont match any in your personal address book. Some hosting companys spam filters can even learn over to time to match a growing list compiled partially by you and partially by your hosting company of unsolicited and unwelcome senders. Text analysis technology allows your hosting company to review the actual content in emails sent to you to discover impersonal, targeted marketing pitches, often matching those sent to others of their hosting clients.Then you let your hosting company know whether to automatically delete suspicious emails from your account or simply store them in a different mailbox for you to review at your convenience.
Keep in mind, spam isn't only annoying; it can also be dangerous. Spam can contain viruses that'll infect your system before you or your hosting provider even notice there's a problem. Your mail is private, and so is your precious personal data. If your hosting company doesnt protect your mailbox like Brink's security, find another hosting provider. There are plenty.
A link embedded in the email takes you to a webpage that mimics that companys website. If you dont know any better, and your hosting company doesnt catch it, youre liable to hand over such valuable personal information as your password and credit card number to a criminal.But many hosting providers include software in their hosting packages that can detect and intercept such schemes before you ever have to see them. Viruses: Another insidious crime is the sending of viruses through email attachments. We've all heard of viruses, and consumers and hosting companies alike often rely on such tools as Norton AntiVirus to protect their system(s). But your hosting company can often provide you additional protection.
Having a firewall as part of your hosting package, for example, is a great source of peace of mind. Its worth seeking a hosting provider that can scan attachments to ensure their virus-free, a hosting provider that is constantly updating their database of new viruses. Spam: And then there's spam. Yuck! We're all sick of it (your hosting provider sure is) and yet so many companies still dont seem to get it, continuing to spew it out indiscriminately. Well, you shouldn't have to deal with spam anymore, and many hosting companies are seeing to it.
Spam filters allow hosting companies to detect suspicious emails Ð for example, ones that have been sent out en masse to a list, or ones sent from addresses that dont match any in your personal address book. Some hosting companys spam filters can even learn over to time to match a growing list compiled partially by you and partially by your hosting company of unsolicited and unwelcome senders. Text analysis technology allows your hosting company to review the actual content in emails sent to you to discover impersonal, targeted marketing pitches, often matching those sent to others of their hosting clients.Then you let your hosting company know whether to automatically delete suspicious emails from your account or simply store them in a different mailbox for you to review at your convenience.
Keep in mind, spam isn't only annoying; it can also be dangerous. Spam can contain viruses that'll infect your system before you or your hosting provider even notice there's a problem. Your mail is private, and so is your precious personal data. If your hosting company doesnt protect your mailbox like Brink's security, find another hosting provider. There are plenty.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Care for some cheap webhosting? No, Thank you!
No, ‘cheap’ is not necessarily a bad thing (well, not always), but when it comes to a services industry as competitive and with as thin margins as the web hosting industry, customers better watch out. Hosts offering ‘low-cost’ services tend to offer the world for Rs. 900 per year but, usually fail to deliver even the most basic of services. Surprised? I’m not. Let me explain some basics for the benefit of the vast majority who would still be unsure as to what I’m rambling about.
A “web host” is a company (well, most like to think of themselves as such but that’s a whole new article) that is in the business of procuring bandwidth (internet connectivity) and servers (glorified computers) with the intent to re-sell the same, in smaller bits, to people who need storage space for their e-mails and websites. This is usually (read always) accomplished by renting out dedicated servers with a decent hard drive and bandwidth quota and then using a hosting automation suite (control panel) to divide the server resources up into smaller chunks called ‘hosting plans’. The goal is to price these plans in a way that they remain affordable for the client while helping the host maximize profit from the resources it has.
Now comes the fun part…
Since there are almost no barriers to entry in this particular industry, new web hosts keep popping up every day. This helps keep the price for hosting services sane and should also mean better service for the customers since there are many hosts competing for their business. What really happens is that one Johnny-come-lately decides that the only way he can grab some market-share is by offering the lowest prices. Once customers start quoting his price to the host struggling for their business, the host decides to match it. Before you know it, everyone has slashed their prices by half! This, in Pakistan, can be seen every 10 – 12 months.
“Good”, you say? Read on…
What does this mean for the web host? Suddenly, all their existing clients are paying them half of what they used to. This means that in the coming year, they would have to generate twice as much new business just to make the same amount as last year! Is this considered growth? I think not!
Sadly, the number of clients does not magically increase with every price shave. So, the web hosts are left with little choice other than to cut costs just to make ends meet. Where there were 3 support people, they decide to make do with just one. Where there were 2 servers earlier, they decide that they can load all of the clients onto just one server resulting in lower operating costs. These measures, needless to say, do have a positive impact on the host’s bottom-line but deteriorate the services resulting in un-answered support queries and long periods of downtime (website/email inaccessibility) or extremely slow server response due to excessive loads on the server.
Now, if the host were to put their existing clients first, they would price their service fairly so that every client not only feels good in his wallet, but can also rely on the service being offered. I guess, all it boils down to is; whether a web host is in this business to provide a top-notch service with a long-term business goal or is just there to make a quick while competing with all the fly-by-night hosts who happen to come along.
Recently, I have come across at least three such hosting companies that are now in financial peril because they could not resist the urge to slash prices in order to try and capture some new business. Sadly enough, these are not people who are ‘new’ to the industry. Such an impact on the market is magnified 10 fold when an older host decides they would be better off by just slashing prices rather than improving on service. As a result, the younger companies follow suit and create a mess for themselves and more importantly their clients. The ultimate outcome is that frustrated clients decide to switch to foreign web hosts that provide a better service at a saner price.
From experience, I have learnt that providing a good service is what really matters. The rest falls into place when clients realise that they can only run their online business if the service they get is of good quality. After all, you get what you pay for. What good is a cheap service when you will eventually stop getting any?
A “web host” is a company (well, most like to think of themselves as such but that’s a whole new article) that is in the business of procuring bandwidth (internet connectivity) and servers (glorified computers) with the intent to re-sell the same, in smaller bits, to people who need storage space for their e-mails and websites. This is usually (read always) accomplished by renting out dedicated servers with a decent hard drive and bandwidth quota and then using a hosting automation suite (control panel) to divide the server resources up into smaller chunks called ‘hosting plans’. The goal is to price these plans in a way that they remain affordable for the client while helping the host maximize profit from the resources it has.
Now comes the fun part…
Since there are almost no barriers to entry in this particular industry, new web hosts keep popping up every day. This helps keep the price for hosting services sane and should also mean better service for the customers since there are many hosts competing for their business. What really happens is that one Johnny-come-lately decides that the only way he can grab some market-share is by offering the lowest prices. Once customers start quoting his price to the host struggling for their business, the host decides to match it. Before you know it, everyone has slashed their prices by half! This, in Pakistan, can be seen every 10 – 12 months.
“Good”, you say? Read on…
What does this mean for the web host? Suddenly, all their existing clients are paying them half of what they used to. This means that in the coming year, they would have to generate twice as much new business just to make the same amount as last year! Is this considered growth? I think not!
Sadly, the number of clients does not magically increase with every price shave. So, the web hosts are left with little choice other than to cut costs just to make ends meet. Where there were 3 support people, they decide to make do with just one. Where there were 2 servers earlier, they decide that they can load all of the clients onto just one server resulting in lower operating costs. These measures, needless to say, do have a positive impact on the host’s bottom-line but deteriorate the services resulting in un-answered support queries and long periods of downtime (website/email inaccessibility) or extremely slow server response due to excessive loads on the server.
Now, if the host were to put their existing clients first, they would price their service fairly so that every client not only feels good in his wallet, but can also rely on the service being offered. I guess, all it boils down to is; whether a web host is in this business to provide a top-notch service with a long-term business goal or is just there to make a quick while competing with all the fly-by-night hosts who happen to come along.
Recently, I have come across at least three such hosting companies that are now in financial peril because they could not resist the urge to slash prices in order to try and capture some new business. Sadly enough, these are not people who are ‘new’ to the industry. Such an impact on the market is magnified 10 fold when an older host decides they would be better off by just slashing prices rather than improving on service. As a result, the younger companies follow suit and create a mess for themselves and more importantly their clients. The ultimate outcome is that frustrated clients decide to switch to foreign web hosts that provide a better service at a saner price.
From experience, I have learnt that providing a good service is what really matters. The rest falls into place when clients realise that they can only run their online business if the service they get is of good quality. After all, you get what you pay for. What good is a cheap service when you will eventually stop getting any?
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Learn How To Chose The Right Hosting Service
The web hosting service that is right for you
Whether you are starting a web site for your business or just for a hobby. Maybe it's just temporary as you are planning an event such as a wedding you'll need a web hosting service.
There is a lot of hosting services available so it's not always easy to know which one to choose. Depending on what your web site is for some of the following factors could help you chose.
If you are setting up a web site to start a large business you want to consider some things before you chose the right hosting service. You'll want to find a hosting service that provides lots of web space. Check to see the amount of disk space is offered. Also you would want a hosting service that provides you with multiple email accounts especially if your web site is not a one-man operation. You want to find a hosting service with these options available at a competitive price. If your web site is just for a hobby or event then pay per click option might be right for you. Especially if you are not expecting a lot heavy traffic. This could save you money. That could be very important in the beginning especially when you are investing your own time and money.
Another thing you might want to know about a hosting service is how easy that it is for you to build your own web site. If you don't know or understand HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) you might want to find a hosting service that offers easier ways to create your web site.
A web site can be a very profitable way to run your business. However if you are just starting out and not sure how business is going to go you might want to find a very low price service to start with. After you are sure your business is running smoothly you can upgrade later if you chose a web hosting service what that option. As your website grows so will your need for space. Another important thing when choosing the right hosting service is how much it can help promote your site. Promotion is very important when you are trying to create heavy traffic to your web site and keep it that way.
Type in web hosting or hosting in your search bar to check out the different hosting services to choose from. Remember it's your money you are investing to starting your website. So find out all you can about the different services available before you choose which hosting service is ideal for you. It's also best to try and find a hosting service that offers 24-hour support. Especially if your website depends on every hour that it is running smoothly.
Whether you are starting a web site for your business or just for a hobby. Maybe it's just temporary as you are planning an event such as a wedding you'll need a web hosting service.
There is a lot of hosting services available so it's not always easy to know which one to choose. Depending on what your web site is for some of the following factors could help you chose.
If you are setting up a web site to start a large business you want to consider some things before you chose the right hosting service. You'll want to find a hosting service that provides lots of web space. Check to see the amount of disk space is offered. Also you would want a hosting service that provides you with multiple email accounts especially if your web site is not a one-man operation. You want to find a hosting service with these options available at a competitive price. If your web site is just for a hobby or event then pay per click option might be right for you. Especially if you are not expecting a lot heavy traffic. This could save you money. That could be very important in the beginning especially when you are investing your own time and money.
Another thing you might want to know about a hosting service is how easy that it is for you to build your own web site. If you don't know or understand HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) you might want to find a hosting service that offers easier ways to create your web site.
A web site can be a very profitable way to run your business. However if you are just starting out and not sure how business is going to go you might want to find a very low price service to start with. After you are sure your business is running smoothly you can upgrade later if you chose a web hosting service what that option. As your website grows so will your need for space. Another important thing when choosing the right hosting service is how much it can help promote your site. Promotion is very important when you are trying to create heavy traffic to your web site and keep it that way.
Type in web hosting or hosting in your search bar to check out the different hosting services to choose from. Remember it's your money you are investing to starting your website. So find out all you can about the different services available before you choose which hosting service is ideal for you. It's also best to try and find a hosting service that offers 24-hour support. Especially if your website depends on every hour that it is running smoothly.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Choosing a Good Web Hosting Company
A web hosting company is a company that holds websites, and the information they contain, for an individual or a company. There are a multitude of these companies now available as web hosting and the Internet continue to expand at phenomenal rates. So with all the companies out there, how does one choose which is best for them? When choosing a web hosting company, there are a few things to keep in mind.
A good web hosting company will make sure that they have enough resources available to offer it’s users stability and reliability. This means that they will only take enough customers as their equipment and servers can handle. Bad web hosting companies will just sell as much as they can, without worrying about they kind of service they are providing. This could lead to the customer’s website being down all the time and this in most cases, is unacceptable.
Whichever web hosting site is chosen, the customer needs to make sure that the company has excellent security. This will keep hackers from getting on your site. To do this, make sure that they have back up servers and that the customer is given access to the root menu. Because it is the customer’s website, they should be able to gain access to it at any time.
Any good web hosting company will have much technical help available to the customer. These technicians will maintain the server where the information is kept as well as fix any minor problems before they turn into major ones. A web hosting should at least have a twenty-four hour support service, and may also have live chat services available. A web hosting company that is not as good is one that is often down and not available on weekends.
When picking a web hosting company, an individual needs to make sure that there is proper communication in place. A company that tells their users when there are issues and also informs them of updates and problems and they arise is a good company that is dedicated to providing quality service. There are unfortunately some web hosting companies that will do as they please without any notification to their customers. This can mean that the site will be down for several hours without the customer having any knowledge of it. These companies should be avoided as the customer is expecting a certain quality of service and should be provided with it.
A great way to help one find a good web hosting company is to search for “web hosting forums.” Many people leave messages on these forums explaining in detail their experience with a specific company. These comments can be either negative or positive. By looking around on these forums, it will give the individual a better idea of what kind of companies are out there and will help them determine which company is best for them.
Choosing a good web hosting company is certainly more than just comparing prices and going with the cheapest. One really needs to understand that like anything else, there is a level of service that also needs to be compared between the different companies.
A good web hosting company will make sure that they have enough resources available to offer it’s users stability and reliability. This means that they will only take enough customers as their equipment and servers can handle. Bad web hosting companies will just sell as much as they can, without worrying about they kind of service they are providing. This could lead to the customer’s website being down all the time and this in most cases, is unacceptable.
Whichever web hosting site is chosen, the customer needs to make sure that the company has excellent security. This will keep hackers from getting on your site. To do this, make sure that they have back up servers and that the customer is given access to the root menu. Because it is the customer’s website, they should be able to gain access to it at any time.
Any good web hosting company will have much technical help available to the customer. These technicians will maintain the server where the information is kept as well as fix any minor problems before they turn into major ones. A web hosting should at least have a twenty-four hour support service, and may also have live chat services available. A web hosting company that is not as good is one that is often down and not available on weekends.
When picking a web hosting company, an individual needs to make sure that there is proper communication in place. A company that tells their users when there are issues and also informs them of updates and problems and they arise is a good company that is dedicated to providing quality service. There are unfortunately some web hosting companies that will do as they please without any notification to their customers. This can mean that the site will be down for several hours without the customer having any knowledge of it. These companies should be avoided as the customer is expecting a certain quality of service and should be provided with it.
A great way to help one find a good web hosting company is to search for “web hosting forums.” Many people leave messages on these forums explaining in detail their experience with a specific company. These comments can be either negative or positive. By looking around on these forums, it will give the individual a better idea of what kind of companies are out there and will help them determine which company is best for them.
Choosing a good web hosting company is certainly more than just comparing prices and going with the cheapest. One really needs to understand that like anything else, there is a level of service that also needs to be compared between the different companies.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Low Cost Web Hosting by B2rhosting.com
Statistics show that the primary concern of most web hosting seekers out there is the cost of the web hosting. The price tag is what most people is concerned about. In reality the price of the hosting package is only half the worry. The other half is a plethora of options and services, features and offers that not only confuse a beginner mind but also mislead them with numerous technicalities. Choosing the best web hosting is a perfect balance of required features and the right price. In this article I am going to guide you through the process of choosing the cheapest but also the best web hosting service you possibly can. Like I mentioned before, there is a very thin line between choosing a great web host or a demon from hell. Believe me just as a great web hosting can be the most pleasant and rewarding experience, a bad web hosting service could be a nightmare you just won’t be able to wake up from. In this article I am going to share the knowledge and experience that I gained over the years and the mistakes that I made, so you don’t have to go through it all.
The first step in choosing the best, low cost web host is the acquisition of as much knowledge and information about the general topic of web hosting as you possibly can. This information and knowledge is going to be your best friend in the journey towards finding the best and cheapest web host out there. When you thoroughly know and understand all the web hosting concepts and terms, only then you would be able to decide your requirements and the options and features you need for your web site.
Do not jump at the sight of a $2 per month web hosting service and sign up with your eyes closed. Believe me I did it and it was a hellish experience. Be realistic, web hosts so cheap can never hope to provide good, let alone best, service. These web hosts are often down, do not offer quality customer support, are very slow and may have outdated software which can compromise the integrity and security of your web site.
Trim your fat. Do not get hosting packages with features you do not require or have no idea what they are. Do not get features simply because you have heard a lot about them and you think having them in your hosting package is professional or cool or important. Know what you need and only get that. It saves a lot of money. In the beginning, for my first 4-5 pages website, I got hosting packages that included databases, email forwarding, CGI, a large web space, high bandwidth, additional scripts and programs and a lot of other unnecessary elements that I had no idea what to do with, and only because I thought I might need them for my website some time later. Do not do that, whenever your needs increase your available resources or options or features, almost all web hosts offer the option of upgrading your existing web hosting account to include the newer elements that you now require.
Do not consider yourself a customer who is bound to have a bad experience only because you are in search of low cost or cheap web hosting. So, expect to have great web hosting support even when you are paying small bucks, all customers are to be treated the same way, so if a web host has good technical support, it is good for everyone, or is supposed to be. So do not be shy to contact them and talk to them as many times as you would want. Ask them questions about all your concerns and doubts, and keep asking until you are not truly satisfied. As a customer you are eligible for best technical support, so make sure it is available before you make a hosting decision.
Go for shared web hosting. Shared web hosting is the common preference of most web hosting buyers. Shared web hosting not only takes your web hosting costs to a considerable low level, it also is a great choice in terms of support and less technicalities. Shared hosting is pre-configured and good to go, while the other type of web hosting available; the Dedicated hosting, is not only expensive but also is a whole lot more technical. When cheap web hosting is your preference, there is no better option than the shared web hosting.
Keep searching for a good and really cheap web host, because I know that they do exist. So you might be thinking right now, hey if you know all that and you know any good and cheap web hosts, why don’t you tell us?, That is because everyone’s definition of cheap is different with respect to the features they require, e.g. I might think that for me cheap web hosting is $0.5 per month and if I tell you a web host that is cheap by my standard and offer web hosting for $0.5 per month, you might say dude I asked for cheap, not a scam. So everyone’s idea of cheap is different, so would your be. But keep looking, and you might someday find the best, cheapest web host out there.
http://b2rhosting.com
The first step in choosing the best, low cost web host is the acquisition of as much knowledge and information about the general topic of web hosting as you possibly can. This information and knowledge is going to be your best friend in the journey towards finding the best and cheapest web host out there. When you thoroughly know and understand all the web hosting concepts and terms, only then you would be able to decide your requirements and the options and features you need for your web site.
Do not jump at the sight of a $2 per month web hosting service and sign up with your eyes closed. Believe me I did it and it was a hellish experience. Be realistic, web hosts so cheap can never hope to provide good, let alone best, service. These web hosts are often down, do not offer quality customer support, are very slow and may have outdated software which can compromise the integrity and security of your web site.
Trim your fat. Do not get hosting packages with features you do not require or have no idea what they are. Do not get features simply because you have heard a lot about them and you think having them in your hosting package is professional or cool or important. Know what you need and only get that. It saves a lot of money. In the beginning, for my first 4-5 pages website, I got hosting packages that included databases, email forwarding, CGI, a large web space, high bandwidth, additional scripts and programs and a lot of other unnecessary elements that I had no idea what to do with, and only because I thought I might need them for my website some time later. Do not do that, whenever your needs increase your available resources or options or features, almost all web hosts offer the option of upgrading your existing web hosting account to include the newer elements that you now require.
Do not consider yourself a customer who is bound to have a bad experience only because you are in search of low cost or cheap web hosting. So, expect to have great web hosting support even when you are paying small bucks, all customers are to be treated the same way, so if a web host has good technical support, it is good for everyone, or is supposed to be. So do not be shy to contact them and talk to them as many times as you would want. Ask them questions about all your concerns and doubts, and keep asking until you are not truly satisfied. As a customer you are eligible for best technical support, so make sure it is available before you make a hosting decision.
Go for shared web hosting. Shared web hosting is the common preference of most web hosting buyers. Shared web hosting not only takes your web hosting costs to a considerable low level, it also is a great choice in terms of support and less technicalities. Shared hosting is pre-configured and good to go, while the other type of web hosting available; the Dedicated hosting, is not only expensive but also is a whole lot more technical. When cheap web hosting is your preference, there is no better option than the shared web hosting.
Keep searching for a good and really cheap web host, because I know that they do exist. So you might be thinking right now, hey if you know all that and you know any good and cheap web hosts, why don’t you tell us?, That is because everyone’s definition of cheap is different with respect to the features they require, e.g. I might think that for me cheap web hosting is $0.5 per month and if I tell you a web host that is cheap by my standard and offer web hosting for $0.5 per month, you might say dude I asked for cheap, not a scam. So everyone’s idea of cheap is different, so would your be. But keep looking, and you might someday find the best, cheapest web host out there.
http://b2rhosting.com
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Is my choice of a web host really that important
With such a huge market of web hosts on the Internet you may be lead to believe that they all are basically the same. I would caution you to rethink this philosophy.
There are web hosts that offer huge amounts of disk space for a small monthly fee and there are web host that offer a very limited amount of disk space, bandwidth, and email accounts for a more expensive price.
When searching for a web host there is more important factors to take into consideration.
When searching for a web host please look at the following factors:
What is there uptime guarantee?
May host offer a guarantee of uptime? Please inquire to determine if there are any discounts if they do not meet this guarantee because this is your business and if your website is not visible on the Internet you cannot sell your products or services. For instance, does your prospective web host offer a guarantee of discounts for each hour that your site is inaccessible from their servers or their network?
Ask for information regarding their network
On the Internet there are several interconnected networks. There are some networks that connect smaller networks to larger networks and some networks are top tier networks. It would be a good idea to ask your prospective host for their network diagram or documentation regarding there network backbone. A top-tier provider offers more reliable and faster connectivity while a host that connects via a 3rd party network may experience frequent network issues and reduced speed on there network. For an example please review 561Hosting's network provider info at: http://nsssc.superb.net/information/dca2net-info.php. This is quite a bit of technical information. If you should need an explanation please visit: http://www.561hosting.com. Our support staff will be happy to answer your questions via live chat or email.
Support
Support is a very important factor as well in your decision-making process. Please ask your prospective web host about their support package. Is there support 24/7, do they offer live chat? Is there a cost? At some point you may need support and it is really reassuring to know that your web host is there when you need them.
Above are a few issues to consider when selecting a web host. There are more factors to be considered but the factors above determine if your experience with a web host will be a pleasant one or one that can rivals a natural disaster.
There are web hosts that offer huge amounts of disk space for a small monthly fee and there are web host that offer a very limited amount of disk space, bandwidth, and email accounts for a more expensive price.
When searching for a web host there is more important factors to take into consideration.
When searching for a web host please look at the following factors:
What is there uptime guarantee?
May host offer a guarantee of uptime? Please inquire to determine if there are any discounts if they do not meet this guarantee because this is your business and if your website is not visible on the Internet you cannot sell your products or services. For instance, does your prospective web host offer a guarantee of discounts for each hour that your site is inaccessible from their servers or their network?
Ask for information regarding their network
On the Internet there are several interconnected networks. There are some networks that connect smaller networks to larger networks and some networks are top tier networks. It would be a good idea to ask your prospective host for their network diagram or documentation regarding there network backbone. A top-tier provider offers more reliable and faster connectivity while a host that connects via a 3rd party network may experience frequent network issues and reduced speed on there network. For an example please review 561Hosting's network provider info at: http://nsssc.superb.net/information/dca2net-info.php. This is quite a bit of technical information. If you should need an explanation please visit: http://www.561hosting.com. Our support staff will be happy to answer your questions via live chat or email.
Support
Support is a very important factor as well in your decision-making process. Please ask your prospective web host about their support package. Is there support 24/7, do they offer live chat? Is there a cost? At some point you may need support and it is really reassuring to know that your web host is there when you need them.
Above are a few issues to consider when selecting a web host. There are more factors to be considered but the factors above determine if your experience with a web host will be a pleasant one or one that can rivals a natural disaster.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Types Of Web Hosting Explained
For would be website owners and authors, uploading your files to the server maybe as simple as it sounds but it goes beyond that. The time spent in uploading files is the tip of the ice berg. Choosing an efficient web hosting company can make or break your website. The web hosting company is the backbone of the data that you are asking them to keep. This data needs to be available all the time at break neck speed connections. Mistakenly chose a web host that is not capable of doing the job and the site is bound for the graves. Even if it has the best content and graphics if the web host cannot deliver the demands of the site, it will all be at lost.
Different Types of Web Hosting
Shared Web Hosting
By the word shared this means there is a sharing of website on a single server. This type of package is most common amongst less demanding websites that are more on text and little on graphics. This web hosting package shares the hardware and the connections to the other websites being hosted on the server. This website can range from a couple of hundreds to the tens of thousands that will be sharing for the hardware. The website that is being hosted at this type of web hosting is bounded by a quota of hard disk space and bandwidth. Since there are many websites that are hosted in the server, a client should expect that the website could lag due to the server's slower response time.
Virtual Private Server Hosting
This type of web hosting is just like the shared hosting package that shares the hardware resources of the web server but this provides the clients more control of the website. The data are still stored on the same computer but with lesser hosted websites since the hard disk of the host server is partitioned to each website. This process in turn can dedicate an individual Internet Protocol or IP address to each partition.
Reseller Web Hosting
Commonly a reseller web hosting package is similar to shared web hosting. They are just called reseller since this goes through a third party booking and not the web host company itself. There are web hosting companies that offer discounts to resellers who are typically website designers and authors that include web hosting as part of their services.
Dedicated Web Hosting
This type of web hosting is the most expensive type of web hosting package. Since dedicated hosting handles only one website per server, the website owner absorbs all the cost in maintaining the website such as power, hardware, line connection and technical personnel - unlike in Shared and Virtual Private Server Hosting wherein the cost can spread out to the websites that are leasing the server. This package is advisable for demanding website parameters such as e-commerce and customer relations management sites that are data intensive and a slow connection would mean loss sales.
Different Types of Web Hosting
Shared Web Hosting
By the word shared this means there is a sharing of website on a single server. This type of package is most common amongst less demanding websites that are more on text and little on graphics. This web hosting package shares the hardware and the connections to the other websites being hosted on the server. This website can range from a couple of hundreds to the tens of thousands that will be sharing for the hardware. The website that is being hosted at this type of web hosting is bounded by a quota of hard disk space and bandwidth. Since there are many websites that are hosted in the server, a client should expect that the website could lag due to the server's slower response time.
Virtual Private Server Hosting
This type of web hosting is just like the shared hosting package that shares the hardware resources of the web server but this provides the clients more control of the website. The data are still stored on the same computer but with lesser hosted websites since the hard disk of the host server is partitioned to each website. This process in turn can dedicate an individual Internet Protocol or IP address to each partition.
Reseller Web Hosting
Commonly a reseller web hosting package is similar to shared web hosting. They are just called reseller since this goes through a third party booking and not the web host company itself. There are web hosting companies that offer discounts to resellers who are typically website designers and authors that include web hosting as part of their services.
Dedicated Web Hosting
This type of web hosting is the most expensive type of web hosting package. Since dedicated hosting handles only one website per server, the website owner absorbs all the cost in maintaining the website such as power, hardware, line connection and technical personnel - unlike in Shared and Virtual Private Server Hosting wherein the cost can spread out to the websites that are leasing the server. This package is advisable for demanding website parameters such as e-commerce and customer relations management sites that are data intensive and a slow connection would mean loss sales.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
40 Million Web Hosting Providers To Choose From
There is more then 40 Million web hoisting provider to choose from and all of them are thirsty for adding your business to their portfolio, in this situation how do you identify and distinguish the best from the worse web hosting providers. Below I have highlighted some key point to Consider When Choosing a Web Hosting Provider.
Security
The security of your website is the most important thing to consider once your site goes live, you should be 100% confident that the technology that brings your web project to life is of the highest caliber and extremely secure. If you set your website to process customer details and collect payments via the internet then you should consider a hosting provider who can provide you with a server which has encryption capabilities and the ability to set up a dedicated secure server if and when requested by you.
Server Space
Before you commit your self to a hosting provider, first consider the amount of disk space you will need to host your website, a reasonable amount is around 500 MB, to 1 GB disk space, which is sufficient enough for any small business, unless you are planning on running a software repository or an image gallery or a file sharing website. Web hosting providers offer their customers several hosting packages and many of the packages comes with un-necessary disk space for a very reasonable price in attempt to out perform their competitors in many cases I found hosting providers are cutting corners to bring it customers an excellent hosting package which only looks good on paper.
Reliability
The reliability of the hosting provider is crucial. The length of time they have been in business, their percent of uptime, reasonable uptime you should expect is at least 99.5% and their backup and data retrieval practices and policies. Some hosting providers have multiple data centres, and some might even give you a choice of where your server will be at. Ideally, the closer the server is to you the better, as file transfers and interaction with the server will be at faster speeds. This might be a good question to ask the company on the phone call above.
Support
Technical support is something that should definitely be a part of a web hosting plan. Professional web hosting providers offer customers a support ticket system, this support system track all queries made by you and will automatically notify you via e-mail or SMS when your query get updated. The support system also give you access to review the status of any tickets you have raised, set priorities and check response times.
PHP/CGI-Bin
No matter what type of site you are planning on running, chances are you will eventually need to install some type of CGI script. Whether it be a mailing list management script, contact form processor, or maybe even a fancy credit card processing script, your hosting account will need to allow you to install and run them. This requires access to a special folder on your server called "CGI-Bin". Some hosting accounts will only allow you to use "pre-installed" scripts as a security measure. These are scripts that the owners of the company have installed and configured so that they know that they will work properly and not adversely affect their server's performance. That may be all you need, but if you have the knowledge, it's always nice to have the ability to install your own scripts and configure them to suit your individual needs. You should also be sure that the account you choose supports the language in which your scripts are written, such as PHP, Perl, etc.
Security
The security of your website is the most important thing to consider once your site goes live, you should be 100% confident that the technology that brings your web project to life is of the highest caliber and extremely secure. If you set your website to process customer details and collect payments via the internet then you should consider a hosting provider who can provide you with a server which has encryption capabilities and the ability to set up a dedicated secure server if and when requested by you.
Server Space
Before you commit your self to a hosting provider, first consider the amount of disk space you will need to host your website, a reasonable amount is around 500 MB, to 1 GB disk space, which is sufficient enough for any small business, unless you are planning on running a software repository or an image gallery or a file sharing website. Web hosting providers offer their customers several hosting packages and many of the packages comes with un-necessary disk space for a very reasonable price in attempt to out perform their competitors in many cases I found hosting providers are cutting corners to bring it customers an excellent hosting package which only looks good on paper.
Reliability
The reliability of the hosting provider is crucial. The length of time they have been in business, their percent of uptime, reasonable uptime you should expect is at least 99.5% and their backup and data retrieval practices and policies. Some hosting providers have multiple data centres, and some might even give you a choice of where your server will be at. Ideally, the closer the server is to you the better, as file transfers and interaction with the server will be at faster speeds. This might be a good question to ask the company on the phone call above.
Support
Technical support is something that should definitely be a part of a web hosting plan. Professional web hosting providers offer customers a support ticket system, this support system track all queries made by you and will automatically notify you via e-mail or SMS when your query get updated. The support system also give you access to review the status of any tickets you have raised, set priorities and check response times.
PHP/CGI-Bin
No matter what type of site you are planning on running, chances are you will eventually need to install some type of CGI script. Whether it be a mailing list management script, contact form processor, or maybe even a fancy credit card processing script, your hosting account will need to allow you to install and run them. This requires access to a special folder on your server called "CGI-Bin". Some hosting accounts will only allow you to use "pre-installed" scripts as a security measure. These are scripts that the owners of the company have installed and configured so that they know that they will work properly and not adversely affect their server's performance. That may be all you need, but if you have the knowledge, it's always nice to have the ability to install your own scripts and configure them to suit your individual needs. You should also be sure that the account you choose supports the language in which your scripts are written, such as PHP, Perl, etc.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Web Hosting Advice And Information - How You Can Find A Cheap Web Hosting Package
All webmasters will at some point face one question: how will I find a good and cheap web hosting provider?
The web hosting business is saturated with web hosting companies competing for your business. You'll find everything from huge companies hosting hundreds of thousands of web sites, to the small reseller operating out of Mom's garage. So how can you make an educated decision with all those options?
All web site hosting companies tend to have some similarities, although their main sales arguments are normally focused on two things; cost and bandwidth. A lot of the time people go for a sales pitch like that. Getting something that's inexpensive is desirable to most folks, and if it seems to come with some great extras too, then all the better!
So if you are choosing between a web hosting company that's offering a cheap web hosting plan with 50GB bandwidth for $10 per month, and a different hosting company that promises you a hosting plan with 500GB a month for five dollars, a lot of people will foolishly pick the second option. However, it is this type of logic that leads to disaster for many web hosting clients.
Sure, it's great to save a few bucks - although do you believe a web hosting company is going to give great support and reliable service when you pay them almost nothing? The old saying "You get what you pay for" is very truthful, and the complete truth is you're far more apt to receive great service if you keep clear of the really cheap web page hosting packages.
That being said, it is also true that the service quality can differ a lot betweeen web site hosting companies in the same price range. In truth, the one way of making sure you keep clear of the bad apples is to do a little of your own research. Check out places such as Web Hosting Talk to find out for yourself what real customers feel about the web hosting provider they use.
While there isn't a web hosting company that will be liked by everybody, you will find that some have a lot more complaints than others. I have done extensive research on this and learned that while some web hosting providers may have mostly good reviews, other providers have mostly negative reviews. In conclusion: when looking for an affordable web hosting service, keep clear of the cheapest offers and do some research before you sign up.
The web hosting business is saturated with web hosting companies competing for your business. You'll find everything from huge companies hosting hundreds of thousands of web sites, to the small reseller operating out of Mom's garage. So how can you make an educated decision with all those options?
All web site hosting companies tend to have some similarities, although their main sales arguments are normally focused on two things; cost and bandwidth. A lot of the time people go for a sales pitch like that. Getting something that's inexpensive is desirable to most folks, and if it seems to come with some great extras too, then all the better!
So if you are choosing between a web hosting company that's offering a cheap web hosting plan with 50GB bandwidth for $10 per month, and a different hosting company that promises you a hosting plan with 500GB a month for five dollars, a lot of people will foolishly pick the second option. However, it is this type of logic that leads to disaster for many web hosting clients.
Sure, it's great to save a few bucks - although do you believe a web hosting company is going to give great support and reliable service when you pay them almost nothing? The old saying "You get what you pay for" is very truthful, and the complete truth is you're far more apt to receive great service if you keep clear of the really cheap web page hosting packages.
That being said, it is also true that the service quality can differ a lot betweeen web site hosting companies in the same price range. In truth, the one way of making sure you keep clear of the bad apples is to do a little of your own research. Check out places such as Web Hosting Talk to find out for yourself what real customers feel about the web hosting provider they use.
While there isn't a web hosting company that will be liked by everybody, you will find that some have a lot more complaints than others. I have done extensive research on this and learned that while some web hosting providers may have mostly good reviews, other providers have mostly negative reviews. In conclusion: when looking for an affordable web hosting service, keep clear of the cheapest offers and do some research before you sign up.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Web Hosting - Are You Getting Your Moneys Worth?
Web hosting. If the term means anything to you at all then you either already have a hosting provider or are looking for one. Either way I hope to educate you on some of the basics to look for in a hosting company. Personal, business, free, ecommerce or discount an educated consumer makes all the difference.
When reviewing hosting providers most people wouldn't put this point first, but I do. Support. Yes, most companies have some type of support, but not all are equal. First and foremost is availability. Support staff should be available 24/7 by phone and email. Response time should also be quick and wait times should be announced and published on the web site. Technicians should be friendly, educated and speak your language.
After support the next most important set of things to look for in a hosting company are features. If the company can't provide what you need then you might as well look elsewhere. Some basics are of course capacity and bandwidth, but more importantly is the ability to do what you need to with your site. Ecommerce, blogging, forums, scripting and databases are much more important anymore then the amount of space you get.
Last but not least is price. When I say price I don't mean to suggest you get the cheapest plan out there. You should find the plan that has the features you need and is affordable. Don't get more than you need simply because you can. There are many hosting companies out there with bargain basement pricing. They can do this because your server is in their basement next to their washer and dryer. Be careful who you do business with and remember you get what you pay for.
In summary I just want to point out that the hosting environment is changing. With blogs and the like becoming more prevalent hosting companies need to adapt to stay in business. You as the consumer need to be educated in what you need and don't be afraid to make a switch if you have to.
When reviewing hosting providers most people wouldn't put this point first, but I do. Support. Yes, most companies have some type of support, but not all are equal. First and foremost is availability. Support staff should be available 24/7 by phone and email. Response time should also be quick and wait times should be announced and published on the web site. Technicians should be friendly, educated and speak your language.
After support the next most important set of things to look for in a hosting company are features. If the company can't provide what you need then you might as well look elsewhere. Some basics are of course capacity and bandwidth, but more importantly is the ability to do what you need to with your site. Ecommerce, blogging, forums, scripting and databases are much more important anymore then the amount of space you get.
Last but not least is price. When I say price I don't mean to suggest you get the cheapest plan out there. You should find the plan that has the features you need and is affordable. Don't get more than you need simply because you can. There are many hosting companies out there with bargain basement pricing. They can do this because your server is in their basement next to their washer and dryer. Be careful who you do business with and remember you get what you pay for.
In summary I just want to point out that the hosting environment is changing. With blogs and the like becoming more prevalent hosting companies need to adapt to stay in business. You as the consumer need to be educated in what you need and don't be afraid to make a switch if you have to.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
How To Choose A Reliable Web Hosting Provider
Learning how to choose a reliable web host for your web hosting needs is an important and difficult decision. Make sure that you prepare a detailed list of your web hosting requirements before you start searching to find the most suitable web host. Here are few 'verification' points to make sure that your web host is reliable.
- Past performance: Go through the web site of the host to find out details like how long the host has been around, up time commitment (I will come to this later), any awards that the web host has won, any well known sites that are being hosted by this provider (normally a list of clients can be found on the host’s site or you may find testimonials). These should provide you with a sufficient amount of confidence in the first place to deal with this specific web host.
- Up time: This is a very important feature. Web sites hosted on the servers of a particular web hosting provider are subject to technical problems and things can happen and servers crash. This means that during this period if a web surfer comes to see your site, they will be unable to view it. Normally represented as a percentage, this value gives you the idea of the time the sites hosted by the particular host are up and working fine. A value above 98% is good. Nowadays many web hosts guarantee a certain percentage of up-time like 99.8%. This is exceptional.
- Flexibility: A flexible web hosting plan is useful because you can start with a minimum plan and later upgrade to another hosting plan when your needs grows. Web Hosts who provide only one kind of plan are always not useful for everyone.
- Cost and features: Compare the features and costs of a few web hosting providers. See if the features match your need. Also make sure that all basic requirements are covered and also check out the availability of latest technologies on the hosting feature list. Even if you don’t need them, this can show the reliability of the provider.
- Payment plans: Check out very carefully the payment plans of the web hosting provider. A monthly payment plan is always good even if it costs you a few dollars more. You always have the choice to change providers at any time you want. Most web hosts now provide a 30 day money back guarantee period.
- Support: This is something you will need the most. What kind of support the web hosting company provides the clients such as telephone support, email, FAQ sections, etc... Maybe a dedicated discussion board or forum will help as well. Also check on the delay in responses especially for the email support service. A web hosting provider who supports clients 24-7 is an excellent feature.
- Backup: Last but not least. Recently we have been hearing a lot about sites with tons and tons of pages disappearing. Why, because of some technical problems on the servers and no backups. No one likes to see their years of hard work disappear within a few seconds. Now, many reliable web hosting service providers have a daily automatic backup feature.
Learning how to choose a reliable web host for your web hosting needs is really about what is important to you and your needs!
- Past performance: Go through the web site of the host to find out details like how long the host has been around, up time commitment (I will come to this later), any awards that the web host has won, any well known sites that are being hosted by this provider (normally a list of clients can be found on the host’s site or you may find testimonials). These should provide you with a sufficient amount of confidence in the first place to deal with this specific web host.
- Up time: This is a very important feature. Web sites hosted on the servers of a particular web hosting provider are subject to technical problems and things can happen and servers crash. This means that during this period if a web surfer comes to see your site, they will be unable to view it. Normally represented as a percentage, this value gives you the idea of the time the sites hosted by the particular host are up and working fine. A value above 98% is good. Nowadays many web hosts guarantee a certain percentage of up-time like 99.8%. This is exceptional.
- Flexibility: A flexible web hosting plan is useful because you can start with a minimum plan and later upgrade to another hosting plan when your needs grows. Web Hosts who provide only one kind of plan are always not useful for everyone.
- Cost and features: Compare the features and costs of a few web hosting providers. See if the features match your need. Also make sure that all basic requirements are covered and also check out the availability of latest technologies on the hosting feature list. Even if you don’t need them, this can show the reliability of the provider.
- Payment plans: Check out very carefully the payment plans of the web hosting provider. A monthly payment plan is always good even if it costs you a few dollars more. You always have the choice to change providers at any time you want. Most web hosts now provide a 30 day money back guarantee period.
- Support: This is something you will need the most. What kind of support the web hosting company provides the clients such as telephone support, email, FAQ sections, etc... Maybe a dedicated discussion board or forum will help as well. Also check on the delay in responses especially for the email support service. A web hosting provider who supports clients 24-7 is an excellent feature.
- Backup: Last but not least. Recently we have been hearing a lot about sites with tons and tons of pages disappearing. Why, because of some technical problems on the servers and no backups. No one likes to see their years of hard work disappear within a few seconds. Now, many reliable web hosting service providers have a daily automatic backup feature.
Learning how to choose a reliable web host for your web hosting needs is really about what is important to you and your needs!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Dedicated / Virtual Dedicated Servers and its Benefits!
What is a Dedicated / Virtual Dedicated server and why is it different than normal web hosting. Web hosting offers you limited control of how the server your web site is hosted on behaves. Normal hosting plans put many customers' accounts on a single server and you upload your files to that Server. Dedicated / Virtual Dedicated servers allow you to actually control your own server where you receive Admin access to install and run virtually anything YOU want on the server. You can host multiple web sites on the one server account, and even sell hosting and host other sites on your server.
I have referred to Dedicated and Virtual Dedicated Servers. You may ask, what is the difference? Virtual dedicated servers are similar to Dedicated servers as they offer many of the same features, but at a much lower price.
With a virtual dedicated server, the customer shares the server space with a limited number of other customers using the same server box. Each virtual dedicated server is isolated from the other accounts giving the user full control of their own server. Virtual dedicated servers are useful for companies and individuals that run complex applications that need the bandwidth, consistent performance, and flexibility of a virtual dedicated server.
With a dedicated server, you actually lease a server box that is dedicated to only you and is set up to your preferences. The dedicated server customer has exclusive rights to the server's bandwidth, memory and storage space. Also, a dedicated server account provides full control of any software installation on the server. Dedicated servers are useful for companies and individuals that run very-high-trafwfic Web sites or applications that need the bandwidth, versatility, and consistent performance of a dedicated box.
Dedicated / Virtual dedicated servers are an excellent choice to use for gaming sites, database management, shared hosting, and hosting of Web sites that receive high amounts of traffic.
Companies now offer your own customization of your Dedicated / Virtual Dedicated Server. This allows you the flexibility to choose one of their popular pre-packaged plans, or go wild and customize and configure your own virtual dedicated server by selecting your own options.
One bonus that can help you decide on where to get your server from is the support they offer, the value they give you when signing up and what system
you will actually be running the server on. With support, the standard now is to be offered 24x7 email, telephone and Web-based tech support, as well as you having access to modify your server 24x7. Sometimes a free offering when purchasing the server is given. You should look for companies that offer Free and quick setup of the server, so you may be running in no time.
So you have decided you need a Virtual Dedicated Server or Dedicated Server. Now what? You need to choose a company to purchase your Dedicated / Virtual Dedicated Server from. Here is a company I recommend for purchasing your Dedicated / Virtual Dedicated Server from.
Domains at Retail - offers 24x7 email, telephone and Web-based tech support for your Dedicated / Virtual Dedicated Server, allows you to pick a pre-configured server or to customize your own server and will set up your account for free. Visit Domains at Retail at http://www.domainsatretail.com/wholesalehosting.html for your Dedicated / Virtual Dedicated Server needs!
Good Luck with the purchase of your Dedicated / Virtual Dedicated Server and start running your server today!
I have referred to Dedicated and Virtual Dedicated Servers. You may ask, what is the difference? Virtual dedicated servers are similar to Dedicated servers as they offer many of the same features, but at a much lower price.
With a virtual dedicated server, the customer shares the server space with a limited number of other customers using the same server box. Each virtual dedicated server is isolated from the other accounts giving the user full control of their own server. Virtual dedicated servers are useful for companies and individuals that run complex applications that need the bandwidth, consistent performance, and flexibility of a virtual dedicated server.
With a dedicated server, you actually lease a server box that is dedicated to only you and is set up to your preferences. The dedicated server customer has exclusive rights to the server's bandwidth, memory and storage space. Also, a dedicated server account provides full control of any software installation on the server. Dedicated servers are useful for companies and individuals that run very-high-trafwfic Web sites or applications that need the bandwidth, versatility, and consistent performance of a dedicated box.
Dedicated / Virtual dedicated servers are an excellent choice to use for gaming sites, database management, shared hosting, and hosting of Web sites that receive high amounts of traffic.
Companies now offer your own customization of your Dedicated / Virtual Dedicated Server. This allows you the flexibility to choose one of their popular pre-packaged plans, or go wild and customize and configure your own virtual dedicated server by selecting your own options.
One bonus that can help you decide on where to get your server from is the support they offer, the value they give you when signing up and what system
you will actually be running the server on. With support, the standard now is to be offered 24x7 email, telephone and Web-based tech support, as well as you having access to modify your server 24x7. Sometimes a free offering when purchasing the server is given. You should look for companies that offer Free and quick setup of the server, so you may be running in no time.
So you have decided you need a Virtual Dedicated Server or Dedicated Server. Now what? You need to choose a company to purchase your Dedicated / Virtual Dedicated Server from. Here is a company I recommend for purchasing your Dedicated / Virtual Dedicated Server from.
Domains at Retail - offers 24x7 email, telephone and Web-based tech support for your Dedicated / Virtual Dedicated Server, allows you to pick a pre-configured server or to customize your own server and will set up your account for free. Visit Domains at Retail at http://www.domainsatretail.com/wholesalehosting.html for your Dedicated / Virtual Dedicated Server needs!
Good Luck with the purchase of your Dedicated / Virtual Dedicated Server and start running your server today!
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