| If you have a website or would like a website you're | | | | to have email addresses at your own domain, like |
| going to need a website hosting company. The good | | | | Does the host provide this with the package? Does it |
| news is there are tons out there to choose from. | | | | allow you to have a catch-all email account that |
| The bad news is you're going to have to learn a little | | | | allows to wind up being routed to you? Will you have |
| bit about web hosting to be able to choose the right | | | | the option to send auto responders for your e-mail |
| one for you. That is what we are going to discuss in | | | | accounts? Can you retrieve your mail with your email |
| this article, to help you choose the right web host for | | | | software? Can it be automatically forwarded to your |
| your company/personal website. | | | | current email address? Can you check your e-mail on |
| What is a web host company? | | | | the web? These are questions that you |
| A web host provides the service that allows you to | | | | should ask when searching for the right web host. |
| store the information that makes up your website. A | | | | Down time |
| web host stores your website's information on a | | | | This is extremely important. A website that is |
| web server. Each time you type a web address into | | | | frequently down will lose a lot of visitors. If someone |
| your browser , the browser asks for your website's | | | | finds your site on the search engine, and clicks on it |
| information from the web hosts server and then the | | | | to find it us unavailable, they will simply shop |
| browser displays it on your screen. Basically, if you | | | | somewhere else. Slow access is also very frustrating |
| don't have a web host or your own server, you | | | | for visitors. How do you know if a web host is |
| don't have a website. Some ISP's (Internet Service | | | | reliable or fast? The best way to find information |
| provider) provides web space but, this is not the | | | | about a web hosting company is to search the net. |
| type of web hosing we will be discussing. | | | | Once you have decided on a web host to check out, |
| Types of hosting plans | | | | typetheir name in Google. As you look through the |
| The next thing you are going to need to know is | | | | results, you will see that some of the pages that |
| that there are different types of hosting that is | | | | come up are actually reviews of that company. Now |
| available to you. There is virtual / shared hosting. | | | | look at the review websites to see what everyone |
| What that means is that the web host company | | | | else is saying about potential web hosting companies. |
| hosts more than one account on that server. There | | | | Remember to take reviews with a grain of salt. As |
| is also dedicated which basically means you would get | | | | reviews can usually be posted by anyone |
| your own server. Another type (which is not | | | | anonymously and you can't please everyone all the |
| as common as the first two) is VPS (Virtual Private | | | | time! |
| Server) and what it is, is " virtual " servers on the | | | | Traffic or Data transfer |
| actual server and the user can add different modules | | | | Data transfer is the amount of bytes transferred |
| within their server. The user can also allocate how | | | | from your website to visitors when they browse |
| much CPU usage or memory easy module gets. Most | | | | your website. Always look for details on how much |
| users will generally only need shared hosting unless | | | | traffic the package allows. To give you a rough idea |
| you have a large website with over 5,000 visitors per | | | | of the typical traffic requirements of a website, most |
| day and large scripts. If that is the case you will need | | | | new websites are likely use less than 3GB of |
| dedicated hosting. | | | | bandwidth per month. Your traffic requirements will |
| Types of Operating Systems | | | | grow over time, as your website becomes larger and |
| There are three different types of operating | | | | more popular. You will need to check to see if you |
| systems for servers. There is Linux, Unix and of | | | | will automatically be charged for going over your |
| course Windows. Just because your computer is a | | | | bandwidth limit or are you expected to pre-pay for it. |
| PC doesn't mean you have to opt for Windows web | | | | Personally, with my web host I have 30 GBs of data |
| hosting. The operating system you use on your | | | | transfer and I host 7 domains and one sub-domains. I |
| desktop has little to do with your choice of web | | | | currently only use 750 MBs /month. My websites |
| hosts. As long as you understand how to use your | | | | have a total of 30, 000 visits per month and have |
| FTP or web publishing software, your can use either | | | | about 2 million hits/month. |
| operating system. | | | | Price |
| When it comes to Web hosting, Linux has for some | | | | Unfortunately price is always a factor. You should |
| time, been widely considered the best Operating | | | | realize that you often get what you pay for, |
| System for Web servers. It's typically found to be | | | | although it's not necessarily true that the most |
| the most reliable, stable and efficient system. If your | | | | expensive hosts are the best. Your best bet would |
| website, like most web sites, is what might be | | | | be to go with a web host that is neither cheap nor |
| termed "brochure-ware" then Linux servers are ideal. | | | | expensive but, in between. |
| A web site housed on a Linux operating system will | | | | Technical support |
| have very high up-time and very low downtime. | | | | Does the web host company's technical support |
| If you intend to create your website using ASP, | | | | function 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year |
| FrontPage, the .NET environment, Windows | | | | around? Make sure you get a response for the web |
| Streaming Media, Access, MSSQL, or any of the | | | | host company quickly not just the next day. Another |
| other Microsoft proprietary technologies then you | | | | thing to check is that the phone number they |
| probably need to use a Windows host. All other | | | | provide actually is answered by a real person. This I |
| languages are able to be hosted on either platforms. | | | | know from personal experience. Make sure it is not |
| Basically, unless you are specifically using features | | | | an automated system that eventually ends with an |
| that are unique to one platform or another your time | | | | answer machine that asks you to leave your name |
| will be much better spent looking for a really good | | | | and number. Besides speed of responses, check to |
| quality host than a really good quality server. | | | | see if they are technically competent. You wouldn't |
| Email | | | | want to sign up for a host that is run by kids. Would |
| If you have your own site, you would probably want | | | | you? |