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Once you are ready to upload your site, it is time to choose your web host. As I mentioned previously, you can have free web hosting. But since this site is for people who are serious in establishing a business presence in the Web, I will only discuss the criteria for choosing a paid or commercial web host.
1. Speed and Reliability
When you shop for a web host, look for the uptime guarantee. It should be at least 99.5% percent. Some advertise 99.9 percent uptime. This is even better.
If your website is going to be a source of income, it should always be available. A website that is always down loses a lot of visitors. Check out the forum section of your prospective web host to see if there are a lot of gripes about downtime.
Also, check out the speed of the other websites that the host is hosting. See how fast they download.
2. Disk Space
Disk space refers to the amount of data you can store in the server. It includes your files, images, uploads, emails and database. Some experts recommend a minimum disk space of at least 20 mb to allow for some space. If you intend to run a forum, allocate at least 50mb.
You may want to note that simple, small sites do not really take up a lot of disk space, sometimes can be less than 10 mb or even less, if it is a text site. Bearing this in mind, do not choose a web host just because it promises a very big diskspace, because you probably have no need for it.
3. Bandwidth
Bandwidth refers to the data transfer or sometimes "traffic". This is simply the amountof bytes,usually indicated in gigabytes, transferred from your site to your visitors when they browse your site. This includes web traffic, email and ftp. As a rule, the higher the traffic, the more bandwidth is needed.
Just to give you an idea of how much bandwidth you need, most new sites, especially static sites use less then 2 gigabytes of traffic. However, as you market your site and it grows in popularity, your bandwidth requirements will grow. When this happens, you will need to upgrade. For starters, however, a 3gb bandwidth is more than sufficient. Keeping this in mind, check out the host's policy when you need to upgrade.
A word of caution: Do not fall for hosts that lure you with unlimited bandwidth. There is no such thing as "unlimited" bandwidth as they also have to pay for your excess usage. Once you reach this "limit", you will have to be billed. Some hosts are just audacious with this claim because they know that new sites rarely enjoy high traffic at the onset.
4. Server Location
When you search the Web for web hosts, you will be amazed wih the options that are available to you. However, my advice is to choose a local web host company. The most important reason is that you can easily get in touch with them should you have an issue. It is a lot easier to get a response from someone who is just a phone call away.
5. Technical Support
This for me, is the most important consideration in choosing a web host especially if you are a newbie. 24/7 is a must. You may not need to call them in the middle of the night, but it feels good to know that if something happens you can get support.
How do you know if a web host provides support if you haven't tried them. The best is to get recommendations. If this is not possible, email or call them on Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and see how fast you can get a response.
6. Features
Check out what you are going to get with your hosting package. Normally, this is in some form of a table where the host compares the features.
If you are planning to sell something and accept credit card payments, you definitely need SSL. MySQL and Shopping Cart. You also need to check whether you have FTP, Perl CGI-bin access, .htaccess, telnet, etc.
Other features that are normally included are autoresponders, spam filters, malforwarding, etc.
You need enough POP3 accounts to allow you the flexibility to create different email addresses. Even if you are a one-man show, it is a good idea to have separate emails for each concern. Example, one for admin, one for sales, and another for support. Does your host allow you to retrieve emails through the Net from anywhere?
The best way to find out which feature you will be needing is to call your prospective host and tell them what you intend to do. A good webhost should be able to tell you what you need, without overprescribing.
7. Operating System
There are two standard webhosting operating systems: Windows and Linux. If you do not understand Linux, there is no need to worry. It is simply a platform to hold your files. Most web hosts recommend Linux as it has greater compatibility with most scripts and is generally cheaper. Again, the best thing to do is to call your prospective host, tell him what your needs are and ask for their best recommendation.
8. Price
As I mentioned in very bold tones previously, you always get what you pay for. This is very true for web hosting services. When you scan the ads for different offers, you will be astounded by the different price range. As always, price is a consideration but it shouldn't be your main focus. An overly cheap hosting may not be reliable and is probably run by a teen from his study table. In the same vein, there is also no need to pay exorbitantly, if you can get good service from a reasonably priced web host.
9. Size of the Hosting Company
This factor is related to the price and the service that your host can provide. A very, very big hosting company may not be able to give you a personal service because they serve thousands of clients. On the other hand, a very small hosting company, like 1 or 2-man shows can be very unrealiable andmost likely have inferior facilities. Personally, I choose medium-sized companies that have a respectable number of employees, with a few dedicated to technical support.
10. Market Feedback
As with anything, the best is word-of-mouth or recommendation from a source you can trust. Check out the forums, if you have time and see what others are saying.
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After going through the checklist for domain name registration and web hosting, create your own shortlist.
Personally, I prefer to use the same company for registration and web hosting. One, you can sometimes get a good package and Two, it is much easier to administer.
Check out www.3ix.org. They offer really competitive rates for both domain registration and hosting. You can get reliable hosting for as low as $1.00 a month.
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To start working on your e-business, click here.
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