Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Webhosting Tips - Picking A Good Web Hosting Company

Picking a good web hosting company is important to keeping your website open and your costs down.

There are many to choose from, as well as different pricing plans to look over. Depending on the amount of sites that you intend on building, you may want to consider a larger web space in the long run.

You should start with the smallest web space that you can get to test the waters, just incase niche website Internet marketing does not work out for you. You may want to add on later, so make sure that your provider offers that option.

You will want to choose a provider that has a reliable service. If your site is down or takes to long to open up when visitors are trying to get in, it may lead them to click out of your site and move on to the next one. They will also more than likely not visit in the future since they will remember their bad experience.

For this reason, it is probably best to stick with a well known company who you can check reliable references on.

Like anything larger companies have a reputation to uphold, so therefore they have more too loose and generally the bigger the better when it comes to web hosting companies as you will want the support asap shoudl you need it. With smaler companies web hosting support is sometimes lacking or delayed.

There are many small hosting providers that offer space for as low as $.50 to $1 per month, however, you never know what you will be getting and many of them want you to pay for at least a years worth in advance.

You will also want one that has the most affordable hosting. If you can create your own small site or have one made for you, then you will probably be able to find space for as low as $3 to $4 per month.

However, if you need to choose a company that offers a What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) website builder, then you will probably end up paying $10 to $15 per month for the smallest amount of space.

But if this is the only way that you can build a site, then it is necessary.

Some web hosting providers may also offer a deal on a yearly URL or other products when you make a web hosting purchase.

Ultimately, whatever web hosting provider you choose will depend on your individual needs and what you can afford.

Hopefully you will be able to snap up a well known provider at a low price who will allow you to upgrade your service as needed.

Cheap Webhosting - Is It For You

There's an old adage which states that "You get what you pay for".

In most areas of life, and business, this holds true. Not necessarily so, however, in the webhosting industry. Often, you pay too much, and don't get what you pay for.

Several weeks ago I got a call from a web designer friend of mine.

"John," He said "You won't believe this".

He went on to tell me about a Plastic Surgeon he was redesigning a website for. This client was paying $600.00 per month for his webhosting account.

"The incredible thing is" He related, "I can't get the current host to return my phone calls or emails".

After looking at these clients needs, I was shocked to find that there was nothing special about his site that justified his being on anything other than a basic shared webhosting plan. We quoted him a monthly rate of under five dollars.

In this case, the client was being raped by an unscrupulous host who was not only overcharging him, but not even providing the basic support he needed.

This is an extreme example, no doubt, but it all too often characterizes the poor deal which most website owners fall into.

Several years ago, there was no such thing as a webhosting industry. Nearly all websites were hosted by local ISP's. The average monthly cost for hosting a website was $20.00 per month. Often, if you called the ISP with a technical question, they would tell you to buy a book or take a class.

Around 1996, we saw the emergence of a few "webhosting" companies. These were companies which were strictly committed to hosting websites. Using the economy of scale, they were able to offer incredibly useful webhosting packages for around $10.00 per month. What's more, some of these companies provided useful tech support which was geared towards meeting a website owners needs.

Fast forward to 2005 and we now see the emergence of a new type of web host - the cheap webhosting provider. These are companies which offer hosting for less than $5.00 per month.

Generally, cheap webhosting providers are newer companies. There's a reason for this. It's extremely difficult for the older companies to lower their prices when they already have a large customer base which pays higher prices. They'd be slashing their gross, and most companies just can't afford that.

So how do cheap webhosting providers offer such a low price to begin with?

Part of it is that servers, hard drive space and bandwidth are much, much less expensive than they were several years ago. Cheap webhosting providers capitalize on this.

Another part is that cheap hosting providers use a different business model than the older providers. Webhosting is a very competitive business. Until recently, web hosts attempted to compete by providing the most tools and features. The problem with this model is that not everyone needs everything. Most web hosts provide free backup services to all of their clients. Backups are costly, and not everyone needs or wants them, but everyone pays for them because they're built into the cost of the package.

A cheap webhosting provider, on the other hand, might give you the basic features that everyone uses, but offer weekly backups as an available add on feature, putting the cost of backing up websites on only those customers who want that service.

This all sounds great, I know, but what about service? Will I get competent and fast customer support from a company which charges me $4.00 per month?

The answer, surprisingly, is usually yes.

Obviously, not all cheap webhosting providers will give you great service. But not all expensive webhosting providers will give good service either. Our Plastic Surgeon friend couldn't get his $600.00 host to return his emails.

But, with a cheaper provider, the key for the provider’s success is customer retention. A savvy web host will endeavor to please his existing clients by providing the best support possible.

Some Of The Benefits Of Shared Webhosting

The benefits of shared webhosting can be very useful, especially for someone just getting started. Many individuals or small to medium size businesses choose to do this since it is cheaper than getting a connection to the internet for their web site all on their own. Web hosts provide the customer with the means to get the internet requirements they need in an affordable way. This is a great way for smaller businesses or individuals to save money, but still get exactly what they need.

The shared cost of the internet connection helps these businesses or individuals as well as the companies. The basic fee is a low monthly fee. This fee is cheap enough for you to afford, while still allowing you with the services you need to keep your website running smoothly. Another benefit is the powerful server that you will now have access to. Without the proper server and proper connection you will have a hard time keeping your website up and running.

Another advantage is that you do not have to be a professional webmaster to do this. This shared web hosting allows those who are not as technically advanced a reliable web presence. This is very important if you want to make sure you web site gets seen. If nobody know about your site it will be hard to get anybody to visit it. The shared web hosting also insures that you will have connectivity and uptime.

You will also get at least one e-mail address, and a domain name. You need both of these if plan on making your business a success. An e-mail address allows you to send information back and forth quickly. This is very important in a business.

You will also enjoy the convenience of shared webhosting. It is easy to set up and activate your services. You can do this right from home. Being able to do things from home always make it easier. This will only take a little bit of time, and will be available for you to use within a few minutes of signing up.

For those of you are may need help from time to time there is always support available. This is music to some ears. If you run into any trouble you can call them up and they will help you with whatever you need.

These are a few of the benefits that you may find once you start using a shared web host. If you are looking for a way to lessen your web hosting costs, you may want to look into a the shared web hosting. This is a great way to save money and still get all the benefits that you need for yourself, of your business.

Cobranded Hosting can Allow You to Provide More

Some webhosting providers have cobranded webhosting service by allowing other domains names to offer free webhosting using their webhosting services and software.

Among the most popular cobranded webhosting services are OCatch, Community Architect, Portland and Wigloo/Megagiga. Other cobranded webhosting services that ceased operation for the last years include: Muttle, Excelland and Homestead.

0Catch or ZeroCatch Partners is a cobranded webhosting service that do not offer hardware or tech support for their users. 0Catch Partners earn by charging 50% of banner ads in member pages and 25% of the entire paid upgrade subscriptions after 10 paid signups. Partners are given banner-free web space to host the domain name. All pages are made automatically but you can customize them. You can email all users, edit and delete user accounts. 0Catch also features statistics for banner totals, user signups and bandwidth usage. To become a partner of 0Catch you need to pay $14.95 per month. Domains are allowed to change the MX record for email. Some 0catch partners offer free email services via another third-party company.

OCatch partners free webhosting offers 100 MB space for Domain or Subdomain, forced Banner-Top or Popup, upload using FTP or browser, statistics, file sizes limit 1MB, bandwidth 600 MB per month, password-protected files and scripts.

Community Architect is another cobranded webhosting service that offers partnership for free. If you are a cobranded webhosting partner of Community Architect you receive 50% of the banner space and additional revenue if members choose one of the three member upgrade options. For those who want to avail of premiere partnership, a $49.95 per month is charged. You can have 100% ownership of the banner space or remove the banners including the Community Architect logos.

Free webhosting in Community Architect partners has 12 MB space for Subdomain, Forced banner, upload via browser, ISML scripting, file size limit of 256 KB, bandwidth 512 MB/month and scripts, email forwarding and other email services.

Portland cobranded webhosting service offers 15 MB space, upload thru FTP, scripts, bandwidth of 100 MB/moth, file size 2 MB, web-based email, POP3 or forwarding, statistics and MP3.

Wigloo/Megagiga cobranded webhosting has free hosting and cobranded hosting under their subdomain. Signup is not working anymore.

Cobranded webhosting users will need to rely on at least two services to continue their free service. Which could be a disadvantage should one service quit such as in the case of Excelland. When Excelland folded a few years back, a number of co hosts were forced to close their business too. Regardless, some great deals can still be had and allow you to provide more services for your members.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Things You Need To Know Upfront When Looking For A Web Hosting Company

The many advancements that have been made in technology make it possible for you to access all kinds of information that you may need. Webhosting companies make it possible for people to get their information on the internet for other people to access. If you are looking for a webhosting company there are some things you will want to keep in mind. You will want to make sure you pick the company that best suits your needs.

The first thing you will want to consider is cost. How much are you planning on spending to get what you want. There are many companies out there, and the cost can vary from company to company. If you set a limit to your spending make sure you stick with it. If you find a company that has what you need, but costs more than you want to spend you may want to check around with other companies.

Cost and quality go hand in hand. The price you are willing to pay will affect the quality that you will get. You will want to check around to make sure you get the best quality you can for the amount of money you can spend. Do make sure you check into the quality to make sure that you will not be disappointed later on. Also, just because it costs less now, does not mean you will not end up spending more in the long run.

Spending more money in the long run may come into play when you think about what is offered. If the company adds extra costs along the way, you will end up spending just as much, if not more than if you had just gone with the better company in the first place. Not every company offers the same things with their initial package, so make sure you check into this, and see if there will be any extra costs or fees.

Features is another thing you will want to consider. You will want to make sure that everything you will need is available, or can be added if needed. If you are not able to do exactly what you want to do, this can be frustrating. Some companies offer one e-mail address, while another may offer ten. Some will allow unlimited forwarding, while others may have extra fees or costs.

Make sure you check out all your options before you make your decision. This is a big decision and you want to make sure you are getting exactly what you want, and for a reasonable price. Investing a little time in research will pay off in the long run. Your time investment will guarantee you get what you want.

Four Critical Factors to Business Web Hosting Success

There are a number of business web hosting services over the internet. It is important to choose a business web hosting service that caters to your needs. Do you require a business web hosting that is a dedicated server, a managed server, or a shared server? A business website could be very simple or complicated depending on the entity. The business could sell one product and may only require a simple e-commerce site or a very complex pay per click engine with complete statistics and payment features.

There are a nearly thousands of business web hosting services you can find online. These business hosting sites offer a number of features. Some may be unfamiliar to you such as Miva Scripting, co-location services, virtual private servers, redundant backbone connections and many others. You must define your aim. Ask why do you need a business web hosting company? This way you will only look for the services that you truly need for your business web hosting. You will not end up paying for the services that you do not actually need.

A business web hosting site can range from $40 - $50 a month to thousands of dollars. The price range will usually depend on the dedicated servers and bandwidth capacity. Choosing a business web hosting service is a major consideration. This is because down time usually means your business is down too.

You must consider a number of factors before committing to a business web hosting service. One factor is a business web hosting service must offer a money back, no questions guarantee. Another is an uptime guarantee. You should also consider the types of backups they offer. A business web hosting service should have redundant backbone connections to the internet or connected to the internet by more than one major backbone providers. A business web hosting service must offer 24/7 technical, phone, and email support. You should also check the background of the web hosting service; how long have they been in business and do they have business references of sites that they host. Also, a web hosting vendor should also make it easy for you to upgrade/down services. And finally, know if the web hosting service requires monthly or annual payments.

Choosing the right business web hosting service is essential for your business to grow. Your web hosting service may spell the difference between success and failure in your business. That is why great care should be exercised in choosing one.

Monday, September 22, 2008

What In The World Is Cpanel And Why Do I Want It?

For those not familiar with some of the terminology associated with doing business on the internet and with web hosting in particular, the tem "cpanel? may be unknown. When you get a web hosting package from a company it will come with a control panel to enable you to manage and maintain your domains and their respective files, cpanel is one of these control panel options and in the opinion of most professional internet marketers, it is also the one favored.

One of the most important issues when dealing with managing your domains is the ease with which that is accomplished, cpanel fits the bill for this. As a web based administrative control panel, cpanel makes it easier to manage all of your domain names and files associated with them from a central location. Cpanel also gives you access to important features like website statistics
such as web stats, FTP stats, AWstats, latest visitors, bandwidth usage, and even breaks it down to what country the visitors are in and gives you the functionality of FTP to upload and download files to your sites. The web hosting control panel within cpanel was designed with the end user in mind and is probably the most user friendly on the market today.

From your control panel you can manage functions such as account or site creation, domain redirects, and more. Cpanel also gives you the ability to manage your email addresses and gives you autoresponders and mail forwarding to help you with your business and even includes additional features like spam filitering and webmail so that you can check your email from any computer on the planet.

From your cpanel web hosting control panel you can build and edit web pages and manage your Microsoft Frontpage password plus make changes to the Apache handlers and manage options such as search engine submission. You can also set Cron jobs from there which for those unfamiliar with the term, is a way to set up automated tasks to take place at a particular time schedule.

Another great feature that is possible with cpanel is the ability to activate and use the pre-installed CGI scripts such as forums, chats, shopping arts, and website development tools. One of my favorite features with cpanel is Fantastico which allows for one step installation of Content Management Systems such as Mambo, Joomla, and the ever popular Wordpress blogging platform which I use for the majority of my websites. Having cpanel with the Fantastico enabled makes my life a lot easier and helps me to get my work done much more quickly. I am sure you will find cpanel to be the same for you.