Useful Information:
Points To Consider Before Selecting A Web Hosting
Service
by Ba Kiwanuka
Today with the ever growing number of web hosting
companies to choose from, everybody should be able
to find the perfect package to fit their needs.
But if you are new to the internet, the vast array
of choices out there may be rather confusing.
What features do you really need and what can
you do without? Why should you pick a particular
web hosting company over another? These are just
a couple of several web hosting issues that may
be confusing if you are new to the web hosting
scene. Hopefully this article will help you make
an informed decision when you are ready to select
your dream web host.
STORAGE: Your storage requirements
are going to be determined by the type of website
you have. For example, if your website is nothing
more than a personal online jotting pad, then
server space issues should not be a major concern.
If however you have something a little more grandiose
in mind--say a business or eCommerce
website that will grow with time--then make
sure that your web host has a package that not
only covers your current space requirements, but
is also adequate for future growth or can be easily
upgraded.
BANDWIDTH: This is a measure
of the amount of data permitted to flow between
your site and the rest of the internet. Once again
if your site is commercial in nature or generates
a substantial stream of traffic then you need
a web hosting company that provides ample bandwidth.
Also be aware that a lot of web hosting services
claim to provide "unlimited bandwidth"
but in fact rarely do. And if you do exceed your
allotted bandwidth most web hosting providers
will slap you with a penalty fee.
SUPPORT: There's a saying that
a web hosting service is only as good as its support.
If you conduct your search for a web host with
this in mind you really can't go far wrong. Consider
for example, most web
hosting companies claim 24/7 technical support.
But how true is this? After all, as is so often
the case these days, it's hard to tell where the
truth lies and where the lies, well...lie. However
one way to get round this is to test run the support
team of the web hosting service you have in mind.
The value of this trial-test is to measure the
response time of the web host's support department,
as well as their degree of competence. Bear in
mind that a support team with an indifferent attitude
to new business (you) is highly unlikely to become
any better once they've got you onboard.
SERVER PARAMETERS: Any web hosting
service worth its salt should have a server uptime
of 97% and above; this simply means that your
web host's server is up and running at least 97%
of the time. I mean can you imagine what would
happen to your business if your hosting company's
server is down 20% of the time. Your clients--with
the merest flick of the mouse button--will turn
to your competition to satisfy their needs. Other
important server issues to bear in mind are how
many servers does the company actually have and
what kind of sites are hosted on a particular
server.
Why should you concern yourself about the kind
of sites being hosted? Well you wouldn't want
to compete for bandwidth with adult websites.
This isn't a question of morality...it is just
that adult sites are well-known bandwidth hogs.
Sharing servers with them will significantly slow
down your websites' loading speed (another great
way to lose customers).
Again, with respect to slowdowns, you should
ask how many websites are hosted on a given server
and when the web hosting company considers a server
to be full (i.e., cannot host any more sites without
impairing functionality). Over hosting actually
happens quite often because many web hosting services
commonly oversell their servers. Most of them
get away with it until the day a sufficient number
of websites actually make good on their full allotment
of bandwidth/storage and then...Ouch! That's how
your website is going to feel if it's hosted on
one such server.
Another aspect to consider about your hosting
company is...where are the servers physically
located? Though it rarely ever happens, if the
web hosting company lacks redundancy or backup,
if any drastic event occurs at the site of the
servers, there goes your online presence. (This
scenario really happened: At the World Trade Center
when 9/11 occurred).
WEBSTATS: Traffic is the lifeblood
of any internet business. Being able to track
and analyze where traffic is coming from is a
great advantage. Having such a tool at your disposal
would enable you to make accurate and informed
changes to your website to better position it
for even more traffic. Plenty of web hosting companies
provide such tracking and analysis tools with
their various packages...even those 4-dollar-a-month
or less, hosting services. So there really is
no reason for you to settle for a web host that
lacks this feature.
SCRIPTS/LANGUAGES: What script
types does the web hosting company support: PHP,
ASP, CGI, MySQL? The web script you use will of
course depend on the type of website you have
in mind.
UPGRADING: Does the web hosting
company give you the option of upgrading your
current package to a more advanced one if the
need ever arises? And can you upgrade seamlessly,
with minimal fuss and interruption to your business?
(After all, the whole point of the upgrade is
because your business is expanding. No point upgrading
if you are going to lose a substantial portion
of your business because of it.
E-MAILS: A lot of web hosting
services offer unlimited POP3 e-mail as a big
selling point. Don't be seduced by this, especially
if the web host is using it as a factor for charging
you increased monthly fees. Truth is, most web
hosting services today offer (as standard) more
e-mail addresses than you'll probably ever need.
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