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With a large number of hosting companies offering services, choosing a good web host seems like a daunting task. Technical jargon is difficult to decipher and that makes it even more difficult. It is better to prepare in advance and then look for deals rather than act differently.
What is web hosting? If one compares the web to the earth, it is the place where your office or website will be located. The server is the computer that stores your website files and allows you to view them when you click on the link to your site.
With free hosting out of place for businesses and dedicated hosting being too expensive, shared hosting is the only good option for home-based businesses. As the name suggests, in shared hosting your site is stored with many others, unlike dedicated hosting, which stores only your site.
Now let’s discuss other features:
o Disk or server space:
This is the space on your server’s hard drive that will be allocated to your site. Without graphics, a typical web page is 40-50 KB. Now 1000 KB = 1 MB. Allowing space for graphics as well and the need for any future expansion between 50-100MB should be good enough if you’re not running a flashy website. Many companies offer space up to 1GB (1000MB), but if you don’t require it, don’t be fooled by the offer.
oBandwidth:
A very important and often overlooked aspect. This is the amount of actual data that can be transferred from the web server that contains your website. It is directly linked to the number of visitors to your site. If you have 10,000 visitors per month with few downloads, you will need 5-6GB per month. More downloads means a higher requirement. As your business grows, you will need more. To start with, 10 GB should be enough. That leaves you an extra margin.
oE- Mail aliases:
This allows you to formulate an email address in your site address, for example anything @ your site name.com where anything can be support, live support, help, information, subscription, etc. Anything! This makes your business look professional. Look up your needs, but anything around 10 is sufficient. Many companies also offer unlimited aliases.
o Be on the lookout for these too:
If you plan to accept a payment from you, it is mandatory to have access to SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption. If you want your site to be interactive, you will need to install cgi (Common Gateway Interface). So you better find a host that provides your own cgi container.
If you want to create your site in Microsoft FrontPage, check if your host provides the FrontPage extension. If you plan to run a site with a database, then MySQL should be a desired feature.
Your host should also provide you with free access to their server. You should have free access to the log files and statistics of the traffic your site receives. If your host offers a referral program, that is better.
o Customer service:
This is very important to your business. You will need this help whenever you have problems. If your host is not supportive or quick enough, it could spell a loss to your business. Make sure you get good and meaningful support. Send them a question or two. Study the answer. Find out if they are available by phone in case you are in an emergency situation.
Make sure this service is free and they won’t charge anything on behalf of customer support.
Finally, you will have to find what suits your business needs. Search before reaching an agreement. Limit your choice to a few potential hosts. Look for your reputation. Ask them for examples of hosted sites.
Check in with your existing customers and find out how satisfied they are. Most good business hosts are available between $ 15 and $ 50 with few differences that could be important to the individual.
You can start small and upgrade later, as long as your host gives you this option. Select the one that allows you to expand if the need arises.
Just two words before you go. “Select carefully”
Copyright © 2005 Arun Pal Singh