TOP TEN WEB HOSTING

Welcome to online Web Hosting 101, an introductory beginner’s guide and Web Hosting Intro which will identify key concepts of the service.

To begin, web hosting is an online service which makes websites available for access on the internet. A web hosting service does this by allowing a user a regulated amount of space on one of their servers. A server is a powerful computer dedicated to web hosting which makes a user’s website accessible via the internet.

You may be wondering, since a server is just a dedicated computer, why can’t you use your own computer to host? You can, but hosting yourself requires an internet connection stronger than your usual cable modem or DSL connection.

Depending on your knowledge, self-hosting can possibly limit your page’s expansion options. To your advantage, hosting yourself means you do not have to pay a hosting fee, but unfortunately may run into more trouble than anticipated if you haven’t any previous experience hosting your own site.

Since we’ve identified and discussed the nature and structure of a web host in Web Hosting 101, let’s talk about how it applies to you, the user.

There are several characteristics of web hosting services to consider before choosing the best for you. If it’s your first time being introduced to web hosting, the user interface is probably the most important. If the learning curve or complexity of the interface is too high, you will only experience frustration. Most of the top hosting companies these days provide users with a very simple, user-friendly interface that makes it easy for first timers to navigate and accomplish tasks. Some, on the other hand, are made for the more experienced and may cause first timers nothing but headache.

Disk Space is one of the most important characteristics of a hosting service that needs to be considered. Depending on the nature and intention of your website, you may require more server space than others. A business site with multimedia elements will use more disk space than a simple, text-based site. Compare and consider the amount of file hosting space provided by the web hosting companies you’re interested in when making a decision.

Bandwidth is another option to consider when choosing a hosting company. Bandwidth is the amount of traffic that is allowed to occur between the internet and your website. The amount of bandwidth a hosting company is able to provide is determined by their internal data center network connections, and external connections to the public internet. Most of the top web hosting services allow unlimited bandwidth with their hosting plans, because they know that the average user will not be exchanging that much traffic.

Reliability and Technical Support of the web hosting service is also very important. When it comes to electronic operations on such an abundant level, the uptime of the servers is sketchy considering the possibility of blackouts and the loss of electricity. A 99.9% uptime of a web hosts’ servers is what you should look for when it comes to the reliability of a web hosting company. They should also have 24/7 tech support available on hand in the vent you are having a technical issue with your hosting provider.

Congratulations, you’ve completed Web Hosting 101. Hopefully this Web Hosting Intro has helped you if you’re trying to host your website. If you wish to take advantage of the services that a web host can provide, you must decide 1) the purpose of the site, and 2) what features (translated into server space) you may need to accomplish your purpose. The next step is to research possible web hosts based-on factors such as those mentioned earlier, service level, reputation, and how their payment plans are balanced based on cost vs. services.

The goal of the new, hungry internet entrepreneurial enthusiasts is to find a cheap domain name and web hosting service. You can search until you’re almost dead to find the cheapest price, but if you don’t weigh the options and features of a service correctly, the fewest dollars used per month may be used against you. Be smart when you’re on this mission.

Most web hosting services these days offer a plethora of beneficial features along with a free registered domain with the purchase of web hosting. When searching for a cheap domain name and web hosting option, make sure you weigh the features that come with your purchase to determine how each individual attribute will benefit you based on the purpose of your web site or hosting needs.

Technical Support and service may not be as important to you as it is to anyone else, but it is arguably the best option to consider since the reliability of any hosting service is never 100%. Any company that offers a cheap domain name and web hosting can attempt to promise you unlimited “fill in the blank”, but if they aren’t around to help you when something goes wrong, unlimited space and bandwidth won’t benefit you much.

Even though it’s not the most important feature initially, unlimited bandwidth is important, especially if you are planning to expand your business, add sub-domains, or add other spoke and hub businesses on your hosting plan.

Also, make sure you are given an unlimited space option as this comes in handy if you eventually would like to start storing large multimedia marketing files and archives for your business on your hosting site.

Lastly, a very important option to consider when searching for a cheap domain name and web hosting service is the expandability and update frequency of the features offered. Most great hosting services offer one button installation and updates of state of the art applications such as WordPress, Joomla, Wiki Sites, and other up to date applications.

Make sure the hosting service offers the latest updates and security patches for these hosting applications as well so that you won’t be left behind in the daily changing status of the internet’s many offerings.

Get one of these for yourself.

There are many reasons why a web developer would want to employ dedicated hosting for their websites.  Dedicated hosting allows the client to have an entire server without having to share the space with anyone else.  Having dedicated hosting allows the client to determine what type of operating system they want to use, the hardware they wish to employ, and complete control of any other applications.  The ability to have total control of one server provides a significant advantage to those with the means to afford a dedicated hosting plan.

As of now, there are no uniform standards when it comes to dedicated hosting.  Thus, it is important to understand fully what services the providers cover and what they believe their technical responsibilities are.  The best service providers will have engineers ready to handle any technical problems or difficulties that may arise.  However, it is the responsibility of the client to make sure that they have an adequate understanding of what is being offered and what can be expected.

Dedicated hosting is more expensive than traditional hosting plans.  Yet, you get a server to yourself that will allow you to host a number of sites with a variety of IP addresses and domain names.  In addition, you get unparalleled technical support.  Dedicated web hosting allows you focus on the more important job of building the best site possible and providing content that benefits your users.  If these are your goals, dedicated hosting takes all of the fuss out of doing what is most important.

Virtual Hosting

Virtual hosting allows web servers to host more than one domain name on the same server.  Virtual hosting is gaining in popularity because it is cost-effective and inexpensive.  As opposed to dedicated hosting, which assigns one server to one client, virtual hosting allows multiple users to share server space.  This decreases the overall costs for everyone sharing the hosting space.  Those operating under a budget with modest requirements for their website should obtain virtual hosting information, as it may be the key to their hosting needs.

Virtual hosting is a wonderful option for those with small websites with moderate bandwidth requirements.  Larger companies whose business revolves around providing hosting space for other people often employ virtual hosting.  Other businesses use virtual hosting for their internal structures in order to save money and space, while allowing each part of the business have separate websites.  As a business solution, this hosting model is extremely flexible and useful.

Saving money on technical problems, administrative costs, and other overhead costs is the goal of most for-profit enterprises.  In addition, having an Internet presence is integral in today’s business environment.  Thus, creating and building websites is an important expenditure that can reap rich rewards for a business or entrepreneur.  Having virtual hosting information and being able to determine what your exact needs are, is an essential aspect of anyone trying to create a successful Internet presence.

Make an informed choice.

Before looking for online hosting reviews, it is important to know what constitutes a good hosting service.  Good web hosts do not necessarily come cheap; and cheap web hosting plans are not always good.  A good web host should provide credible and quality service, rather than merely cheap services.  Unfortunately, a common mistake made by website owners just starting out is to pick the most inexpensive web hosting package available, opening themselves up to a whole host of technical problems such as downtime.  Online hosting reviews can provide you with much useful information.  However, you will be unable to utilize the advice unless you have a good idea of exactly what your needs are.

Make sure that the review informs you about the number of users using the server.  This allows you to determine if the network of the web host is overpopulated, which can lead to latency and network problems for your website.  Find out about the server technology being used so that you can know the quality of the servers.  Good web hosts keep their systems updated and well maintained.

The online hosting reviews should also give you an idea of the technical support that is offered as well as the hosting package.  If you have a good hosting package, not only do you have a number of options to enhance your site, but you also have access to 24/7 technical support.  Good hosting packages also have more than one connection to the internet in order to resolve network redundancies.  Thus, if one connection goes down, your website does not disappear off the internet, as it can still be connected by rerouting it through other connections.

When reading online hosting reviews, make sure that you are looking for a hosting package that best suits your needs.  Signing up for redundant features will only serve to increase clutter when modifying or changing your website and drive up your hosting costs.  Use an upgradeable hosting solution so that your website’s space, bandwidth, and functions can grow along with your business requirements.

Find out if the web host backs up your website data on their own servers.  This allows your website to be up and running even when a crash occurs on the main server network.  Also, make sure that you own your domain name.  You should never let your web host have administrative control over your domain.

Overall, a good, but cheap web hosting plan will have all of these features and precautions taken care off, leaving you to focus on your business or your website.  Online hosting reviews help you navigate this tricky terrain and will allow you make the most informed decisions possible.

Stack your pennies.

Many beginning web designers are curious about web hosting on a budget.  When setting up a website, the most important thing that you can do is pick a good web hosting company.  The web host is the foundation for the website and without a good one, the website will end up running into all sorts of problems in the future.  Thus, picking a quality one is of utmost importance.  We all know that cost is also a major factor in picking your web host.  It is not always practical or feasible to pick the most expensive web host because of cost considerations.  Learning to find cheap web hosting plans that are reputable is of paramount concern.

If the quality of the web hosting service is not important, then using a free web host would definitely be the best option.  Web hosts such as 007sites and 0catch are among the better ones.  The free providers often are funded by advertisements.  As a result, if you have no requirement for formal web hosting, you should consider a free service.

However, free web hosting may not always be the best choice.  There are many cheap web hosts these days, with costs going as low as $2.00 a month.  Sometimes you need to pick the cheapest possible web host that is of suitable quality.  Nevertheless, before committing it is also wise to check for any additional fees.  Most cheap web hosts charge a fee for the domain, as well as start-up costs.  These cheaper web hosts provide better service with higher bandwidth and more web space than the free ones.  However, even the cheaper web hosts usually provide little more than the standard web space, bandwidth, and perhaps the occasional site builder or content management system.

The mid range web hosts would likely be the most suitable choice for anyone who wishes to have a proper website hosted.  Websites like Host Monster and Blue Host offer cheap web hosting for just $5 and $6 respectively.  Considering the top-end quality service, this is a real bargain.  Furthermore, if you opt for a 12-month plan, there are no start-up costs.  As expected, these higher end plans offer much more than their cheaper counterparts.  With Host Monster, you are entitled to various domain privacy services as well as technical help, site builder, and many more services.  This obviously is ideal for anyone who wishes to set up a formal web site, yet keep their hosting costs low.

In any case, picking which web host you want to subscribe to is largely a function of your particular needs.  For a low-end private blog, the free web hosts would likely suffice, however for formal, nonprofit, and even certain smaller business websites, the cheaper or mid range paid services would be ideal.  As with anything else in life, finding web hosting on a budget is an art not a science.