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Below is a quote of the "Hosting and you" article
This post is for discussion and replies to this article.
This post is for discussion and replies to this article.
Today's Internet is a very big place, with e-commerce growing exponentially and personal websites popping up faster than you can count. It's time for you to get your slice of the pie, but you're not quite sure where to begin. There are so many web hosting companies out there; it's hard to figure out which one will be the best value for your dollar. Before we get started, let's outline a few important points:
1. Depending on the type of site and/or it's applications your needs will be different.
2. If you come across a term you aren't familiar with, please check the glossary at the end for a simple description of the more complex terms.
3. This is only meant only as a guide, your needs/expectations may differ from those outlined in this article. Ultimately the responsibility is on you to do your homework and make sure you make an informed decision.
For our purposes, we will look at two types of websites requiring hosting: A personal oriented website, and a commercial/business website. No specific web hosting companies will be named, as this is merely a process by which to choose a host.
The Domain Name:
The first thing you will need, regardless of your website content is a domain name. These days domain names are so cheap, you really don't have an excuse not to get one. With prices below $10 per year at many sites, it's definitely worth getting a domain for your site. A few great domain registrars are Name Cheap ( www.NameCheap.com ) and Register Fly ( www.RegisterFly.com ) An entire article could probably be written about domain registrars alone, but that will be for another article.
Business Websites:
So you're finally ready to make the leap and put your business online, or you've got a great idea of the latest e-commerce site on the net. You've got the website and domain name ready, but you're not quite sure where to host it. First of all, we need to identify what will be the qualities you will be looking for in a host. The reliability and speed of your website is the most important. After all, potential customers could be turned off by a website that's slow or one that experiences a lot of downtime. The quality of support you receive will also be very important. You probably have some technical knowledge, but it's somewhat limited when it comes to web hosting. You're going to want a company that can answer your questions quickly with easy to understand answers. Cost should be a secondary factor. While you don't want to pay too much, you should be willing to spend a bit extra to ensure you're required needs are met by your host. Next, you need to estimate the amount of bandwidth you'll need for your website. Generally the average website can receive about one thousand visitors per gigabyte of transfer. So, unless your website is graphically intensive, that's a good standard to go by. Don't be impressed by a web host offering a large amount of bandwidth with all their plans if you're not actually going to need it. Now you can make an estimation of the number of visitors you're going to receive every month and determine the amount of bandwidth you will need. (The average small to medium business website is less than one gigabyte per month) Now that you know what you're looking for, you can find some candidates and run them through the screening process we'll talk about a bit later in the article.
Personal Websites:
You're ready to share a bit of yourself with the rest of the world by launching a personal website. The most important thing will probably be finding a low cost solution to hosting your site. Not many people want to spend a fortune on a hobby. So for your personal website it's best to find a cheaper host at the cost of some reliability. It won't be the end of the world if a few people can't visit your site immediately. Depending on your level of expertise, support may also be near the top of your list for important features. The bandwidth for a personal site can be tough to estimate. It may experience a very low amount of traffic, however you may have something unique that draws thousands of visitors in which case you're bandwidth requirements will be greater. The best thing to do is make sure your host will let you start with a relatively low bandwidth plan and upgrade if necessary.
The Screening Process:
There are a few basic things you want to find out about a potential host. These things can help influence your decision. Start off by doing a whois on the domain ( http://betterwhois.com/ is one place to get this done ). From the whois information, you can tell when the domain was registered. This will give you a general idea how long the company has been in business. Generally you should probably avoid companies than have only been running for a few months. Not all new web hosting companies are bad news, but it is best to air on the side of caution. You'll also want to do a trace route on the potential host. (A visual trace route server like http://visualroute.visualware.com/ is one place to get it done) The piece of information you're looking for is the average ping time. This will tell you how fast the servers respond to a request for data. Lower numbers mean faster response time. This can be helpful when you're trying to decide between two seemingly identical hosts. Finally it's always a good idea to see what other people have to say about the host your thinking about selecting. Try starting off with a simple search for the host on google. If the host is really bad, you're sure to find some sites dedicated to making others aware of the host's problems. After you've searched google, you can surf over to the Web Hosting Talk Forums (http:://www.webhostingtalk.com). Search the forums for threads on the hosts you're thinking about going with and possibly start your own thread asking others if they've had any experience with the host you're interested in.
Conclusion:
Whether you're looking for a host for your business, or a host for your hobby, following these steps should put you on the right track to finding the right host. Make sure to learn as much as you can about the company you're looking at before making the plunge, always use common sense and you should have no problem finding the perfect host for you.
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About the author: David Saraiva owns and operates RealityHosting.ca a Canadian based web hosting company focusing on quality hosting for small to medium businesses.
Contact Address: Sales@RealityHosting.ca
Website: www.RealityHosting.ca
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