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Posts Tagged ‘web hosting tips’

Once your super site is complete, you will need to host it on a server so that the public can access it. A server is a large computer which contains all files/documents associated with your website. From here you can determine which pages are open to view publicly, or grant permissions to authorised individuals. Your choice of host or web hosting plan will depend on a few factors:

1: There are three main types of server:

Shared Server

You rent a space on a large computer shared by others on a single operating system. This is usually the cheapest form of hosting and is quite suitable for start-ups. The pitfall of a shared server is that members are all using the same resources and excessive drain from any party could affect other users.

Virtual Private Server (VPS)

With a virtual private server you will still be sharing a section of a large computer except you’re resources will run on an individual operating system, so you’re less likely to be affected by others. Also, you will have a larger bandwidth and more reliable data transfer speed.

Dedicated Server

This is the ‘top drawer’ of web hosting. As the name suggest, a dedicated server is a stand-alone hardware device over which you have total control. This is the favoured solution for really-high traffic sites. It allows for maximum uninterrupted bandwidth capacity and will facilitate the use of extremely large data bases. Dedicated servers are expensive to purchase and may be costly to run as they will require paid-management if you don’t have the skills to set it up and maintain it yourself..

2. The size of your site.

Hosting packages are usually sorted by order of storage or size. Just like the hard drive on your PC, your website and its contents will require a certain amount of disc storage space. You will also need to consider whether your space requirement is going to increase in the near future. It is usually possible to increase your storage capacity by upgrading your hosting package but it’s worth paying some attention to this factor so that you are aware of the potential increase in operating costs for your business.

3. Application support

In order to use certain dynamic resources on your website you may require your host’s server to support certain application types. If you are unsure, just contact the host and explain what you need to achieve and they will tell you if they support the platform required.

4. Bandwidth.

Simply put: Bandwidth is the amount of information (data) that can be sent from the server at any one time. If you are fortunate enough to have a high-traffic web site (well done!) you will require higher bandwidth capacity from your server. Similarly if you have large files such as music, software or other digital products being downloaded regularly from your site, you’ll need enough bandwidth to meet the demand. Be cautious of hosts that boast unlimited bandwidth as this is often accompanied by a fair-use policy stated in the small print. Also, there are other factors associated with a servers’s hardware that determine the efficiency and speed of data transfer. So if this is a concern, be sure to ask questions before you sign up.

Generally web hosting isn’t too expensive and if you look around you can find good deals, but bear in mind: cheap web hosting doesn’t necessarily mean ‘good web hosting.’ Some hosting companies are new to the game and are still resolving bugs in their systems or they’re using cheaper, less reliable equipment. Another important feature is customer service. No system is 100% perfect; equipment can break down and when it does you will want to be assured that problems are being resolved effectively and efficiently. You will want to be kept in the loop and be given realistic forecasts as too when your site will be up and running again; but most importantly, you will want to feel that the person with whom you’re communicating, understands the issues you’re experiencing and is not just trying to blind you with science, or worse, tell you the problem is on your side when it is in fact theirs. Do an online search on the companies you’re considering. Use search phrases such as ‘problems with hostname‘…’ or ‘anyone using ‘hostname,’ keep in mind it is not possible to please all the people all of the time, also there is the possibility of rival companies publicly bad-mouthing the competition, but if you find overwhelming negative criticism of particular company, it could suggest a sub-standard service.

You have spent a good amount of effort in creating a website. Now, you are in a dilemma to choose the right web host from a plethora of web hosting providers almost all of which are claiming that they are better than the other. Again, you might be thinking that your whole effort of building website has been a mere wastage, but don’t panic as you are not the only person who is facing such a kind of a situation.

There are a number of things that you should keep in your mind before choosing the right web host; we will try to put down several of them here.

Firstly, you should be clear about what you want. There may be a web host provider that otherwise satisfies all your needs, but does not allow you to install a software, which is indispensable for your website, then that would be counted as a negative aspect.

Secondly, one should always have a clear picture of what the web hosting provider wants. What are their requirements and how will they be handling the business, so that you would know how much domain space they will be able to provide you. More space will mean that you can store more things like graphics and animation.

Thirdly, be ensured that the web hosts provide an unlimited supply of bandwidth. This would prove to be a boon for you, as more bandwidth will mean it can able to load your website quickly and could also store a large amount of information.

Last, but not the least, the web hosting company should have a 24 hour customer support facility. So, you don’t have to wait a day or two just for a simple problem, which might crop up also be ensured that they provide user friendly tools so that you can add or modify your information easily.

Web hosting is a big industry and you may get confused while choosing the number of companies that exist nowadays. Here are some simple tips to help you find the most suitable web host provider for hosting your website:

1) Before committing with any web service provider you must first have a clear idea about your needs and requirements. Whether you are looking for a window based or non window based server that also must be chalked out.

2) Look for companies that provide a trial period and offer money back if you are not satisfied with their services.

3) As there are plethora of web hosting companies to choose from, you can narrow your search by looking up the directories, if you like any of the companies you can then visit their sites and see what offers they are providing, you can also search for reviews of that company so that you can decide before purchasing the service.

4) With time your site may grow big and you may need to include more features, for that you may have to change your hosting plans, make sure that your service providers have a large number of options so that you do not have to change your service provider later on, only a change of hosting plan would suffice.

5) Customer service is an integral part of any company. You can blindly choose a web service provider, which is costly but gives you a good customer support. They should be technologically knowledgeable so that they can solve your problem smoothly.

6) An average user generally needs 100mb of space and 300mb bandwidth, so do not fall on tricks of some companies who charge you extra with the assurance of unlimited bandwidth and disk space.

7) To see the credibility of your chosen company, you may also see the number of years of its existence in the hosting business.

Finding a good web hosting service provider can be a frustrating and a tortuous job. So, we have made a list of ways to help you find a good service provider. Here it goes:

Never sign up with a company that demands yearly payment that way you have to stay with them even if you do not like their services unless you know them well enough, always go for monthly schemes.

Be acquaint with your needs do not go for companies that offers unlimited services there is no such magical servers that can provide unlimited services they know well that customers generally use not more than 300mb of bandwidth and100mb of space.

You may need a week or two to observe the performance of your service provider so choose companies that provide trial periods and offers refund if the customers are not satisfied with the service.

To choose a web host the best way is to look up for the directories that way the search will be less troublesome and you can also read the reviews about your chosen company to verify their reputation in the market.

Your service provider must be flexible with their plans of services because with time you may include many features and can even add graphics according to your requirements.

Customer services play a vital role in deciding the credibility of any company, customer support system should be competent enough to give you a good technology support and they must respond quickly to your problems.

Try to avoid very big companies as they usually have vast client pool and take a day or two to solve even a simple problem.

Try not to fall prey of companies that claims to provide free domain space because after you register with them they may persuade you to pay more.

Search the net for a web hosting provider on any search engine and you are bound to get astonished by the number of results that you will get. Here are some tips to help you to choose the right one for hosting your site.

Always go for a web host that provides specialized services. Companies that claims that they can provide both windows and non-windows services don’t expect good services from them as web hosting requires sound technological knowledge.

Stay away from web hosts that claims to provide unlimited bandwidth or disk-space. It is not possible for any company to provide unlimited services of its resources.

Economic method of hosting. The most economic way of hosting is ’shared hosting’ where you host your website along with many other websites. But too many websites can also degrade the performance of your site.

Telephone support is mostly hoax. Don’t be assured that you can solve your problem through phone. They never solve through phones as telephone support would mean extra costs and moreover most of the problems can only be solved through writings so at the end you will only get system generated mails saying what to do.

Always be clear about charges. You may choose an offer because of its low cost but there may be some hidden fees which you may get as a bad surprise later on. They may charge a good amount for a simple feature to be updated.

Be careful about divulging credit card information. Be scrupulous about web hosting companies that store your credit card information.

Don’t join a service provider that does not guarantee money back. You may need some time to see the performance after which you may or may not like their services, if you are not satisfied with their services they must arrange for an alternative service or refund you.

They May Be Nothing More Than A List Of Copied And Pasted Features

You see it all the time, those so-called “reviews” of web hosting services that are nothing more than a listing of features already displayed on the web host’s sale page. That’s not a review, it’s redundant information that you can get by yourself just by going to the web host’s home page.

Get Objective Web Hosting Reviews

While low pricing and an abundance of features all play into selecting the best web host for your needs, the most important thing to look when doing your research are comments from real people who have dealt with the technical staff, customer support or billing department, good, bad, or indifferent.

Look for objective reviews from real customers based upon first-hand experience. Anything else is nothing more than subjective commentary. Did they get answers from the help desk in a timely manner? Were their issues resolved, if not, why? Was the staff courteous or did they act like they were doing the client a favor by even showing up to work that day? You want to hear from people who actually have web hosting accounts with the hosting company. Is the system slow? Is there a lot of down time?

Help Desk Systems Are Not All Alike

Do they have a ticket system where you can submit questions and then track the replies, or is their version of a help desk simply passing emails back and forth? Emails have a way of disappearing in spam filters, lost over time or accidentally deleted. Names also get dropped in a maze of cc’s and bcc’s when being passed off from the help desk to the technical staff.

Write Down Your Pre-Sale Questions

If you can’t find any customer comments to your liking and you have pre-sale questions, make a list and don’t hesitate to contact the company. While placing a phone call is quicker, emailing or using their ticket system is best because you’ll have their reply in writing, should you need to use that information at a later date. Plus, you’ll also be able to gauge how quickly they answer tickets.

Guarantees Should Be The Money-Back Kind

Most web hosting companies have a 30-day guarantee, but not all guarantees are a 100% money back guarantee. Make sure you understand the guarantee before you sign up. Be especially wary when customers complain of calls to the billing department going unanswered, refund requests being promised, but nothing happens, or “the check’s in the mail” gimmick.

Check The Company’s Reputation With A Reporting Agency

If you’re in the US or Canada, go into the National Sites section on the Better Business Bureau website to see if any complaints have been filed.

Be Wary Of “Too Good To Be True” Testimonials

Check for testimonials on the host company’s site. Do they look credible or made up? They should include real names and URLs of the people making them.

Does The Web Host Have Any Awards?

Take any awards they have displayed with a grain of salt unless they are from reputable companies and publications. Click on those awards and follow the links to the site that issued the award. If necessary, contact the award giver and ask them why they issued an award to the web hosting company.