- Important considerations before choosing a web hosting provider

The first thing before choosing a web hosting provider is that you should be fully aware of your hosting requirements. If you are a beginner wanting to host a personal web site, then your only concern is that you get a decent amount of disk space for your web site with a host that is as cheap as $5 per month. However, if you are a developer, an online entrepreneur or an online business looking for e-commerce capabilities or advanced scripting technologies, then you can determine your requirements in the following order.

(1) Whether you need Shared Hosting or Dedicated Hosting:

This depends mainly on two major requirements, the traffic your web site is expected to receive and the degree of administrative privileges you need. If you expect your web site to receive huge amounts of traffic, then you will need to have a Dedicated Server which definitely has a much greater bandwidth offering. Also you should select Dedicated server hosting if your web site requires customized options, secure information or complex applications i.e. e-commerce, dynamic content, database and multimedia applications.

(2) Whether you need Linux Hosting or Windows Hosting:

If you're going to use server technologies such as ASP, JSP etc or intend to run Microsoft applications like Microsoft Access or Microsoft SQL database on your server, then you should use a Windows hosting provider. Although ASP can be run on the Linux platform using some commercial applications, there are security and reliability concerns related to it. However, if you want to use ColdFusion, it can run on both Linux and Windows platforms.

(3) What are your Space and Bandwidth requirements:

Many web hosting providers nowadays offer generous amounts of disk space from 1 GB to 3 GB. However, if your web site mainly acts as a download resource, then your disk space requirements may be 5 to 10 times greater than this. The second consideration is how much traffic your web site is expected to receive which will let you estimate your bandwidth requirements.

(4) How many Parked Domains and Subdomains do you need:

Parked domains are very advantageous and can significantly increase the amount of traffic to your web site. Similarly, subdomains can help with your search engine rankings by pointing to specific directories of your web site. Parked domains and subdomains occasionally come free with certain web hosting packages. However if you need more, you will have to pay an additional price per month.

(5) FTP Accounts and Anonymous FTP Requirements:

You may need more than one FTP account if you have coworkers working on your web site project at different locations. The Anonymous FTP permits the general public to access certain directories on your web server to whom they have been granted permission by you. In most cases, you will need a dedicated IP address for Anonymous FTP to function.

(6) Whether you need e-commerce Features:

If you need e-commerce features, you should choose a web hosting provider that provides e-commerce functionality such as shopping carts and the ability to accept credit cards. You should also check whether their server is SSL secure.

In addition to your own hosting requirements, the following considerations must be kept in mind when looking for a quality web hosting provider.

(1) More than 99.5% uptime:

Choose a web hosting provider that has an uptime greater than 99.5% and if there is an uptime guarantee, it's even better. If your web site is for business purposes, it's very crucial that your site stays online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year.

(2) Fast Servers:

The level of connectivity of your web hosting provider to the Internet is very important. So you should choose a web hosting provider with at least a T3 connection to the major Internet backbone. Analysis has shown that the average web visitor waits for about 30 seconds before your web page loads. So if your web site takes more than 30 seconds to load, chances are that you will loose a lot of visitors and consequently sales.

(3) Server Backups:

To make your data secure, your web hosting provider must have a power backup system and should backup the data to an external device in order to prevent the data loss due to failure. Check how frequently the web hosting provider backups the data, i.e. daily or weekly.

(4) Disk Space and Bandwidth:

Choose a web hosting provider that meets your disk space and bandwidth requirements. Most web hosting providers offer 1 GB to 3 GB of disk space, so if your web site is not mainly a download resource, then this factor is not that important for you. However, as regards the bandwidth, it should be as much as possible because your traffic can increase in the future thereby requiring more data transfer. Also check that you have the option of buying more disk space and bandwidth when required.

(5) Unrestricted CGI, SSH, FTP access & Anonymous FTP:

If you have a professional web site, you will need to run CGI scripts, have SSH (Secure Shell) access and FTP access. CGI and FTP access is provided by most web hosting providers whereas SSH access is provided by a few. You may also need to check if anonymous FTP access is provided.

(6) Software/Scripts:

Choose a web hosting provider that has an extensive script library that you can use to add guestbooks, forms, surveys, newsletters etc to your web site.

(7) E-commerce capabilities and SSL:

Choose a web hosting provider that provides you with e-commerce capabilities with shopping cart software and also merchant accounts. The web hosting provider must also have an SSL secure server for safe and risk-free transactions.

(8) Web-Based Administration:

Almost all web hosting providers nowadays provide a control panel to access and manage web site features. Ask for a demo of their control panel if possible and check to make sure that it is simple as well as comprehensive. The control panel should provide access to FTP, e-mail, databases, e-commerce and all other functions for effective web site management. VDeck 2.0 and CPanel are the leading brands of administration control panels.

(9) Full e-mail services:

Choose a web hosting provider that provides both POP3 and IMAP e-mail accounts, web-based e-mail, autoresponders, mailing lists, forwarding accounts and antivirus and spam filtering software.

(10) Moneyback Guarantee:

If the Web hosting provider gives a moneyback guarantee, it's even better because it makes you absolutely risk-free.

(11) 24/7/365 Customer Support:

The web hosting provider should provide as many support channels as possible including an FAQ section, a knowledgebase, video and flash tutorials, toll-free support, e-mails support, live chat support and a community forum. Try e-mailing the web host a couple of times to check how quickly they respond to your request. The customer support should be as prompt as possible and should be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. This is crucial because if you run into problems and the support staff is not receptive or knowledgeable, you will be helpless.

Michael Smith is an expert web hosting analyst. His site Web Hosting Provider reviews and rates the leading web hosting providers.

By Michael Smith
source: http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/2-14-2006-88850.asp

- Web Hosting Features to Consider for Your Website

A lot of people start their own website without really knowing what may be required ahead of them. One of the most overlooked aspects of starting a website is choosing the proper web hosting company. You need to host your website with a company that is reliable, safe and trusted. There are many variables involved and without knowing what they are and why you may need them can become a problem as your website grows. The following features are the main factors you should consider when choosing a web hosting company.

Bandwidth

This is the amount of data that can be transmitted in a given time interval and is usually measured in bits/second. You may have already experienced in the past that you can download files from some websites faster than others. This is mainly due to the bandwidth that the hosting company provides to that website. Many internet users these days don't have patience to wait for a website to load or hours to download a small video file. The greater the bandwidth the faster your website will load and in return the more likely a visitor will stay on your website. This is important especially if you plan on having a website with many pictures or videos.

Disk Storage

How much space do you require for your website? If you are planning on a full shopping site like Amazon then you are going to need a lot of space for you site. If you are only planning to have a 5 page website with information for customers to read about then space may not be such an issue. Look closely at the different plans available for your requirements. Some hosting companies provide a set amount of space for your site, others unlimited.

Network uptimes

This is referring to the amount of time that your website is accessible to online visitors. Most of the popular and larger webhosting companies often guarantee a 99% uptime, meaning that your site is available to the world 24/7, 99% of the time. Look to see if the company backs their claims up with a guarantee and if they have any compensation or backup for when there servers are down.

User Interface

One of the more popular control panels used by webhosting companies is the cpanel control panel. It has an easy to use graphical interface and allows you to have full control over your domain. Cpanel provides automation tools that are designed to simplify the website building process. It is also easy to incorporate your website with Joomla, wordpress, blogger etc using cpanel and has many other great functions. There are other control panels available, some easier to use than others, but cpanel by far is one of the more popular and easiest to use control panels.

Extras

Lastly, a lot of webhosting companies throw in extra features for their hosting plans. Although not all important, you may still want to look at these as extra benefits for your site. Some include inbuilt website builders, unlimited subdomains and email accounts, ecommerce and merchant facilities, satisfaction/money back guarantees, free website templates and more.

It is very important that you take the above factors into consideration when choosing your webhosting company, remember your website is only good if you have a reliable, trusted and supportive web host.
Web Hosting Services
Choosing the right domain name and web hosting service plays a vital role in the success of your website. Visit hostgator webhost to find great plans at affodable prices, all with unlimited bandwidth and space.
By Stephanie Ly
source: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/web-hosting-features-to-consider-for-your-website.html

- Types of Web Hosting Services

Website hosting Is a competitive and Interactive field. Today I'm going to explain to you the Types of website hosting services available for you to utilize.

However one should remember that a service has to selected after complete research.

Website hosting can be distinguished Into 3 broad parts.
-Shared hosting
-Virtual private hosting(VPS)
-Dedicated hosting

Shared hosting Is also known commonly as 'Basic hosting'
While virtual private hosting Is known simply a VPS

A decision on what hosting service to utilize has to be taken after careful research and surveying.
Each hosting service has their own advantages as well a draw backs.

Let me now go Into more details and explain to you what each web hosting service Is all about.

Shared hosting
Shared hosting Is what most website hosting customers end up with. Shared hosting Is the most basic part of hosting, Its simple, non-complicated and the most economical out of the 3 web hosting services.

Shared hosting Is where multiple single websites sit on a single server that
due to this the charges are economical when It comes to shared hosting.

A basic shared hosting package comes at 3-10$/month

Some web hosting companies that Offer Shared hosting.
-Hostgator hosting
-Lunarpages hosting
-MD hosting

VPS hosting
A VPS Is also referred to as a VDS. (virtual dedicated server)
Under VPS hosting multiple websites can run on a single web server. The biggest difference from a shared package Is that a VPS Client can run their own operating system.

For Example:
Both Website A and B are hosted on the same server
-A can Run on a Unix Platform while B can run on a Windows platform.
This flexibility Is not possible In a shared environment.

A VPS server comes between 20-75$/month or more.
In general a hosting company that provides shared hosting also provides VPS hosting.

Dedicated hosting
Dedicated hosting Is the most advanced type of hosting available.
Under dedicated hosting a single website Is run on a single server, this Includes complete control of the webmaster(of the website)
If multiple websites reside on a dedicated server, then It will no longer be called a dedicated server, it either becomes a shared server or a VDS.

This Is the most expensive type of hosting.
It generally cost's between 50$-500$/month or even more then that.

By Parastar Doctor
source: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/types-of-web-hosting-services.html