A web host facility allows anyone to make their own piece of the internet for anyone else to visit and see. People can load some documents, documents, data, messages or interesting bits of information in this area. There are some web host firms, which will offer room on their operator in addition to providing an Internet connection to you, commonly in a center for data. Some net hosting firms also place a connection to the Internet on servers that are not owned by them, in addition to providing space on data centers. A collocation is the term given to this style of hosting. To take advantage of this situation and obtain this space, a user has to have an internet connection and have other servers to use. It offers an entrance to your documents and to Mail server for other people on the World Wide Web, allowing them to see the site and swap emails with you. Normally the more basic web host will offer a limited amount of files and storage to their customers but more advanced firms will offer a lot more services. These could include emails and script installation tools.
Web host features you should be aware of:
You must consider your budget needs and what storage and bandwidth you require before choosing what web host features you want. If you have an e-commerce site you will need a payment facility. This can be done through SSL, Secure Sockets Layer, encryption and the addition of a shopping cart. If you run a forum or discussion board services like PHP or Perl are useful as is CGI scripting. In addition you may wish to be able to access database such as Microsoft SQL Server, Postgre SQL or even MySQL. All of this means your initial tasks should be to focus on what you need to have to run your site as extra costs equals extra money. This means knowing how much bandwidth you'll want, what limit of storage space and will you need facilities like protection from spam or assistance with building your site.
You need to have a web host firm you can trust to ensure that if anything goes wrong, they will be able to fix it and help you recover from any breakdowns. The following are a list of Do's and Do Nots you should be aware of when trying to select a host company.
What you Must Do:
Do a thorough research: Search in the Internet about the various web hosting companies and make a list that provides all the features you require. Make a comparative study and check which one is providing the best deal. You can also utilize the online forums and speak with other webmasters about their opinion. Once you decide on a particular web hosting company, spend some time reading the opinions of others about the company. Examine the reviews and look into the history and achievement of the company. Consider certain factors such as the data center they are located at, the number of customers they have, the number of employees proving support as well as consider the time period since they have been in this business. If possible also speak to one of their existing client to get a better picture about their services.
Create a list of what you require: Items like bandwidth size and space for storage are vital for all site owners and a list should be made of what you really need. A higher level of these functions would be good but is it worth paying for? If you don't really need them could you use the money in other ways? If you believe you may need these features but are not definite, try and find a host that offers some room to grow. This will give you a better chance of avoiding big bills for exceeding your usage limits.
Have something in reserve just in case: Every reliable business needs to have a secondary plan in case things go wrong. Although web hosts will claim to be reliable, things can go wrong, for some sites more than others. If your site offers backup and can help you fix things, this is not a major issue. This will enable you to recover quicker and prevent you from losing a lot of data. Make sure your host provider offers these facilities and if they don't, consider finding a new host.
Ensure you will be offered support: It makes perfect sense to contact a firm before any deal is agreed and asking some questions about their experience and service. You can learn a lot by seeing how quickly they respond to your questions and how well your queries are answered.
Somethings you Must not Do:
Do not choose a host on price alone: It is always better not to choose a web hosting company only on the basis of their pricing. You will find a number of cheap web hosting providers from whom you get only what you pay for. But there is a very less chance of getting quality service from them. For an average reliability, generally, you need to pay at least .50 cents for one gigabyte of bandwidth. However, if you want high quality hosting you will have to pay three or four times more.
Do not use free web hosting: Avoid the common web page mistake, if you want people to take your online business seriously. Free web hosting earns their revenue by placing numerous advertising on your site some of which may even harm a computer. Your customers will not like this at all; moreover this also gets in the way of your credibility. Further more, choosing a professional web hosting provider ensures that you have a reliable domain host and will also enable your customers to trust you with their credit card information.
Be wary of testimonials from "customers": Be warned that not every testimonial you will read about a firm is true. Quite often the firm will create these testimonials about the company to make it look good. The stories may be partly true or not true at all. It is always better to read reviews from different sources and locations and to ask around for opinions. This is very true if you can find clients who have already used the company. People who have genuine experience of the firm will give you the best opinions about the service the company will provide. One way that a testimonial on a site may be believable is if they offer contact details to allow you to discuss this with the person who placed the information.
Do not get your host and domain name from the same place: A great amount of people will try to find a fabric host that also provides a domain name for no cost along with its main package. If it is possible, this should be avoided. This style may work is if the domain is held by the site owner allowing them complete control. This situation is not sometimes the case and the web host will endeavor to register the domain in its name and then allow you to use it. If there is a large demand for the domain name they may try and take control of it or if you want to move to a new web host, they can try and remain in control of the domain name.
Web host features you should be aware of:
You must consider your budget needs and what storage and bandwidth you require before choosing what web host features you want. If you have an e-commerce site you will need a payment facility. This can be done through SSL, Secure Sockets Layer, encryption and the addition of a shopping cart. If you run a forum or discussion board services like PHP or Perl are useful as is CGI scripting. In addition you may wish to be able to access database such as Microsoft SQL Server, Postgre SQL or even MySQL. All of this means your initial tasks should be to focus on what you need to have to run your site as extra costs equals extra money. This means knowing how much bandwidth you'll want, what limit of storage space and will you need facilities like protection from spam or assistance with building your site.
You need to have a web host firm you can trust to ensure that if anything goes wrong, they will be able to fix it and help you recover from any breakdowns. The following are a list of Do's and Do Nots you should be aware of when trying to select a host company.
What you Must Do:
Do a thorough research: Search in the Internet about the various web hosting companies and make a list that provides all the features you require. Make a comparative study and check which one is providing the best deal. You can also utilize the online forums and speak with other webmasters about their opinion. Once you decide on a particular web hosting company, spend some time reading the opinions of others about the company. Examine the reviews and look into the history and achievement of the company. Consider certain factors such as the data center they are located at, the number of customers they have, the number of employees proving support as well as consider the time period since they have been in this business. If possible also speak to one of their existing client to get a better picture about their services.
Create a list of what you require: Items like bandwidth size and space for storage are vital for all site owners and a list should be made of what you really need. A higher level of these functions would be good but is it worth paying for? If you don't really need them could you use the money in other ways? If you believe you may need these features but are not definite, try and find a host that offers some room to grow. This will give you a better chance of avoiding big bills for exceeding your usage limits.
Have something in reserve just in case: Every reliable business needs to have a secondary plan in case things go wrong. Although web hosts will claim to be reliable, things can go wrong, for some sites more than others. If your site offers backup and can help you fix things, this is not a major issue. This will enable you to recover quicker and prevent you from losing a lot of data. Make sure your host provider offers these facilities and if they don't, consider finding a new host.
Ensure you will be offered support: It makes perfect sense to contact a firm before any deal is agreed and asking some questions about their experience and service. You can learn a lot by seeing how quickly they respond to your questions and how well your queries are answered.
Somethings you Must not Do:
Do not choose a host on price alone: It is always better not to choose a web hosting company only on the basis of their pricing. You will find a number of cheap web hosting providers from whom you get only what you pay for. But there is a very less chance of getting quality service from them. For an average reliability, generally, you need to pay at least .50 cents for one gigabyte of bandwidth. However, if you want high quality hosting you will have to pay three or four times more.
Do not use free web hosting: Avoid the common web page mistake, if you want people to take your online business seriously. Free web hosting earns their revenue by placing numerous advertising on your site some of which may even harm a computer. Your customers will not like this at all; moreover this also gets in the way of your credibility. Further more, choosing a professional web hosting provider ensures that you have a reliable domain host and will also enable your customers to trust you with their credit card information.
Be wary of testimonials from "customers": Be warned that not every testimonial you will read about a firm is true. Quite often the firm will create these testimonials about the company to make it look good. The stories may be partly true or not true at all. It is always better to read reviews from different sources and locations and to ask around for opinions. This is very true if you can find clients who have already used the company. People who have genuine experience of the firm will give you the best opinions about the service the company will provide. One way that a testimonial on a site may be believable is if they offer contact details to allow you to discuss this with the person who placed the information.
Do not get your host and domain name from the same place: A great amount of people will try to find a fabric host that also provides a domain name for no cost along with its main package. If it is possible, this should be avoided. This style may work is if the domain is held by the site owner allowing them complete control. This situation is not sometimes the case and the web host will endeavor to register the domain in its name and then allow you to use it. If there is a large demand for the domain name they may try and take control of it or if you want to move to a new web host, they can try and remain in control of the domain name.
About the Author:
Matt Ewing is a professional web hosting admin and writer. Visit WebHostingMadness.com to read his reviews on the best hosting companies each month.
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