Web Hosting Basics For Small Businesses

There doesn't seem to be an end to the number of companies offering web hosting solutions. To make things even more confusing, they all offer different packages with varying features and costs.

If you're new to the Internet, you may be confused about which hosting company to choose, and what type of features your site will require.

Since different types of websites can have vastly different needs, web hosts offer a variety of features. For example, a site dedicated to storing images and media will need a hosting plan which emphasizes storage space and bandwidth (the amount of data your visitors can download from your site in a given time period).

Similarly, if your website will receive high traffic, you would require a server that efficiently balances the data load and keeps your website available on a consistent basis.

Depending upon these features, the cost of each hosting plan is different. When comparing web hosting providers, you will see that their price structure normally depends on the operating system, storage space, security options, availability of a dedicated server, the number of email addresses, and dozens of other features. Your decision to choose a hosting plan depends on how many of these requirements you want, and, of course, your budget.

If you have decided to buy a hosting plan for your website, you can often save money by getting domain registration and web hosting in one package. However, this is not a necessity, and many people choose different companies for both of these services.

For small sites, don't be oversold or wowed by big numbers. You likely won't use anywhere near some of the storage and transfer limits offered by many hosts in their premium packages. Stick with the basic package and upgrade if it becomes necessary.

For sites with higher performance or security needs, a virtual private server is recommended. While a VPS is more costly than other hosting plans, it ensures that your site will not share as much of the server with the hundreds of other sites that may be hosted there.

For enterprise level sites, a fully dedicated server is recommended. Sites on a dedicated server do not share any resources whatsoever with other sites.

Regardless of the size and type site you plan to host, look for things such as customer support forums, optional phone support, and reasonable prices. Remember that rock bottom pricing is sometimes a signal of poor quality, and opt for hosts which offer reasonable service at a fair cost.

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Tips on Choosing a Web Host

One you have your new web site ready to go and have registered your chosen domain name, the final step it to find a web host. A web host provides you with space on their server, where your web site will reside, for a monthly or yearly fee. With the number of companies both large and small nowadays offering this service it can be a daunting process deciding which company is right for you, should you go with a larger company or should you look for a smaller company?

Hopefully the tips below, will make it a little easier for you to make the right choice.

1: When looking for a hosting company, you should look at more than just the price, some larger hosting companies will offer you cheaper hosting, but there may be charges for additional features that come as standard with many smaller (and still very affordable) hosting companies. Also with smaller companies you are much more likely to be able to speak to the same person each time, giving you that personal touch, which may well not be the case with some larger companies.

2: Does the host offer full cPanel, video tutorials and Fantastico included in price?, these are now seen as a must by many people.

3: Support: Many smaller companies will provide personal support 7 days a week, whether via email or telephone, giving you a much more personal service, whereas some of the larger companies work on a submit ticket basis, which means if you have a problem or question, you simply fill out a support ticket, whilst this method may be fine for some, others may prefer that more personal touch of being able to telephone or email the host direct. Also some of the larger companies that do offer telephone and email support, only do so Monday-Friday, which is of course not ideal if you need to speak to someone over the weekend. Therefore before you sign up for hosting check what level and method of support is provided.

4: Contract: Many hosts will require you to agree to a minimum contract, for example 12 months, this could potentially leave you frustrated if it turns out that you are unhappy with the service they provide, and even out of pocket if you decide that you have no option but to find a new host. However this does not have to be the case, many hosts still offer a no minimum contract and some even offer a 30 day money back guarantee.

5: If you have paid to have your web site designed by a professional web designer (or are planning to), it's worth checking whether they also offer hosting, quite a few designers nowadays also provide this, either an additional service in it's own right or as a service to their design clients.

Conclusion: Just because a companies bigger doesn't necessarily make it better, don't forget to look into the smaller companies too, sometimes you can get just as much for your money and much more besides.

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Hostgator Web Hosting Review - Is it a Good Hosting Company?

A web host is a type of hosting service that allows individuals and companies to use space on their server to make their website accessible via the World Wide Web. Hostgator is very popular web hosting service which provides hosting to individuals and companies, a lot of things has been said about it but here is a review of what to expect from it.

They offer 3 main web hosting solutions which are shared, reseller and dedicated hosting. The kind of web hosting solution you choose would depend on what you need the hosting for. But shared hosting is usually good for those who have a lot of websites as it allows you to host unlimited domains on that one account.

The reseller package is good for those who want to sell web hosting or those who have websites that they would like to sell in the future, while the dedicated package is good for those who want to host their website but want to have the ability to go beyond what is found in a normal shared hosting package.

The good thing about this web host is that they offer support by email, phone and live chat and they also have a forum where you are free to discuss and ask questions on any issue you might be facing. The thing I did not really like was that it is not a one time fee, you have to keep paying as long as you continue to use them but you are free to cancel at anytime.

All in all, hostgator does look like a good web host and if you are some who is looking for a good web hosting company for your website, it might be worth giving them a try.

To read more about hostgator Click Here Now

Segun Ling likes to write articles on a wide range of issues

HostMonster Web Hosting Review

I Use Seven Different Web Hosts

I have a decent amount of experience with shared web hosting accounts as I currently have accounts with seven different webhosts and I've used three other web hosts in the past (that I've left.) Of those 10 total web hosts I've used only one have I never experienced any down time with: HostMonster web hosting. Considering that the prices & features of shared web hosting services tend to be pretty similar it's up time and ease of use that I care most about. In those categories, HostMonster is without peer.

Additional Domains With Free Privacy

A great feature that is unique to HostMonster (in my experience anyway) is that they allow you to buy additional domains for your account (which you can host unlimited domains with with unlimited bandwidth and unlimited hosting space) at $10 a pop with free privacy included. If you're like me and you like to buy privacy on all of your domains this actually ends up saving you a bit of money compared to buying a domain at GoDaddy and adding the privacy separately.

I Host 16 Domains With My HostMonster Account Currently

I push my web hosting account pretty hard. For just $6.95 a month I currently have 16 domains all hosted on my one shared account and I've never had any problems at all.

All Of The Features You Would Expect

MySQL, Perl, Frontpage Extension, all of the features that you get with any decent web hosting account. You'll get them here. Like I said, these feature are pretty much the same everywhere, so don't worry about them.

Customer Service?

I can't really give any report on the customer service. Why not? In a year and a half with HostMonster, I've never had to contact them because I've never had a single problem. It's an easy service to use and I've never had any down time. That's the kind of customer service I like best, no problems to start with.

CLICK HERE: HostMonster. Learn more about this fantastic web hosting service. Sign up right now (your first domain is free with free privacy included!)

Domain Registration.

Selecting a Web Host For Your Business

Web hosting for your business is arguably more important than a physical location or even a telephone number. Prospects often seek businesses within online search engines or directories. Without a quick and reliable web hosting provider your business can be left behind other firms competing for the same audience. With an overwhelming number of choices however, how does a business owner find the right provider for their needs?

Since web hosting has become pretty much a commodity, price alone can no longer be used as the basis for comparison. Most providers offer pretty much the same price and feature set because their customers have come to expect these services as part of the base pricing. So what else can you use to compare the multitudes of providers against each other? That would be the often stated yet rarely executed term of customer service.

Although creating a web site has been simplified to a point where a novice can come up with a decent web presence, the hosting and maintenance of a site still requires some knowledge and technical assistance when things go wrong. Many providers offer support that leaves a user lacking the personal touch and can often lead to frustration or even worse a web site that doesn't work. As most business owners know, a site that is down translates to dollars being lost by customers who may never return to visit the site again. A good provider will answer questions quickly and deal with any issues with minimal site downtime.

Security is the next important topic but we're not only talking about online security but also the site where the servers themselves are stored. Customers want to be certain that their data is safe and not being accessed by unauthorized users. A competent provider will make sure that their servers are housed in a secure and safe environment and that their online security methods are up to date and proactive. A hacked site can be very damaging to a business especially if the site is high visibility. The damage created by such an intrusion could resonate for years after the actual event takes place.

The last differentiator we'll talk about are the other intangibles that make a difference in the world of today. A provider that practices business ethics and supports local or national initiatives can make a business feel good about who they are partnering with. It can also lead to positive publicity for your business as you'd be associated with a company that is making waves in the industry.

Use these tips and you'll be that much further ahead from your competitors when seeking a web hosting provider.

To read an overview of the best web hosting providers proceed to the Save A Lot Guy web site!

Web Host Rebates - What to Look For in a Site

Web host rebates are a great way to save money. There are people that miss out on saving some big time money simply because they don't think that they can trust these rebate sites, but if you know what to look for and how to tell a professional site from another webhosting rebates can be one of the best ways to save money on your hosting needs. Let's go through what you should look for in a hosting rebate site so that you can be one of the educated people who save money:

Professional Site:
Take a look at the site. Is it nicely set up? Is the navigation scheme easy to follow? Does it look like the site is updated or just left alone? The main thing you must decide is does the owner of the site truly care about the site enough to keep it updated with the fast moving web hosting industry.

The Webhosts:
Take a look at which hosts the site supports. Are they reputable hosts? Do they have a variety of host's that support different types and features of web hosting? Is the site truly trying to help you select a web host or are they taking the hosts that they get the most money from.

Support:
Is the person or company that owns the site easy to contact? Are they willing to give you support and are they there to answer the questions you have?

Once you get how it works and what to look for web host rebates can be a great way to save money. It's very easy and a great way to save money, but you must be careful about the sites you use. Using the combinations of rebates and coupons can make hosting one of the cheapest parts of starting a website. You can end up paying pennies on the dollar for hosting.

About the Author- Steve Quatrani is an expert in the hosting industry and operates http://www.RebateRabbit.com a site which helps people select the best web host. If you are looking for hosting and enjoyed this article you can check out more articles at http://www.RebateRabbit.com/resources.html Don't pay as much as everyone else use the Rebates and Save!

The Business of Reseller Hosting

Reseller hosting is the business of providing web hosting services owned by another web hosting company to end customers. Reseller hosts provide website design and management services as well as hosting services to users. Generally, a reseller will buy a product or service from another company, repackage it by adding something extra and resell it to other companies under its brand name. This means that the reseller acts as a middle-man, creates brand-image, finds customers and hosts their sites on the servers owned by the original hosting company. Naturally, this also means larger sales and profits for the original web host.

Entrepreneurs can make a decent living through reseller hosting, as it is a great business opportunity for people who want to create a stand-alone business venture. It also opens up allied opportunities for those with parallel businesses who can combine web hosting with their other services. Let's take a closer look at the advantages.

Branding Opportunity: The best part of the reseller hosting business is that one is able to create one's own brand even though it is another company that provides the web hosting service. For example, as per the reseller hosting program of the reseller company need not get involved in the technical aspects, but can certainly market the service under its name at prices of its choosing.

Competitive Edge: The reseller has the opportunity to offer other services which can be used in conjunction with web hosting accounts. These include merchant accounts, SSL Certificates, search engine optimization and domain name registration. That's almost money for nothing.

Cost Optimization: Reseller hosting does away with the need to maintain expensive in-house hardware such as different types of servers, backup generators and other network equipment and connections required to host Internet web sites.

Market Expansion: A reseller can cash in on the ever increasing numbers of businesses and individuals who are migrating to the web. That's almost unlimited scope.

Now that you know the benefits, we're sure you wanna pick up this lucrative business option! But the business of reseller hosting is not without its red flags.

~ You need a large site and the ability to market through
various channels to justify the initial costs associated with reseller
packages.
~ You need to be cost competitive as compared to other resellers
with similar services.
~ Ensure that you have adequate bandwidth for the number and type of sites you need to support. Check out to understand the different levels of storage and bandwidth offered.
~ Make sure you secure Service Level Agreements for technical
support and hardware repair from the web hosting provider.

Although you don't need to maintain very sophisticated hardware, you will still need some. Take care when you make that purchase.

~ Check for the brand name of the hardware. Does it enjoy a reputation for reliability and after sales technical support?
~ Check for the speed of the CPUs in the servers as this will directly correlate with the load speeds of customer websites.
~ Ensure the hardware can offer backup options, such as drive mirroring. This will help keep a synchronized copy of all data for easy backups.

Bearing these points in mind will certainly improve your chances of success at reseller hosting.

Hi, I'm Akhil Shahani, a serial entrepreneur who wants to help you succeed. If you like to work smart, check out http://www.SmartEntrepreneur.net It's full of articles and resources to help you start and grow your business successfully. Please visit us & download our special "Freebie of The Month" at http://www.smartentrepreneur.net/freebie-of-the-month.html