Choosing the right web host is a very important process that is often accelerated by or; just misunderstood.
Choosing a web host is actually one of the most important components of an online business. You need a service that is fast; easy to use and understand; provides excellent support; and takes its operations seriously enough to ensure that your website never drops unless the entire data center is completely destroyed.
Below is a list of the most common questions and answers that need to be considered when searching for a web host. Understanding the various areas of web hosting and services available will help you make a more informed decision if you are subscribed to web hosting.
What is web hosting?
Web hosting is the process of hosting your website on a web server or web site, so everyone who is connected to the Internet can see it. If you have a permanent Internet connection, you can host your website on your own computer, but this is usually not a good idea. A good web host is a real server in the data center with a fast high-speed Internet connection. And, to make sure that you can move your website to another web host, if necessary, you need a web hosting provider that supports domain hosting.
What is domain hosting?
Most Internet service providers (or Internet service providers) will provide you with a free website when they give you access to the Internet. They do this because they do not want to provide you with a permanent IP address, which you need if you want to host the website on your own computer. Unfortunately, most Internet providers do not support domain hosting with their free websites. Here your website URL is an extension of your provider's URL. So what happens when you change the ISP? You will have to change the URL, and no one else will find you.
Using a domain name for your website is absolutely necessary for a professional website and in order to host your own domain you will need to find a real web host with a domain hosting. Many web hosting plans actually include the cost of registering a domain, so do not register your domain before you choose your web hosting company.
What is shared hosting?
Shared hosting is often used as a synonym for shared hosting, for example, you host your website on a web server with hundreds of other websites, and you share the IP address with these websites.
The term shared hosting should imply, however, that while you are sharing a web server, it looks from the outside world that you are the only web site on this server. This means that with shared hosting, you must have not only your own IP address, but also allocated bandwidth to the Internet and a dedicated slice of computing power of computers. So, if a web hosting provider uses the term “shared hosting,” read these features carefully before you decide to pay a premium price above standard shared hosting.
What is bandwidth?
Bandwidth is a measure that reflects how much data can be transmitted over a data link.
In web hosting plans, the allowed bandwidth usually indicates how much data can be downloaded from your website per month, and therefore indicates how many web pages and images that visitors can download. If the average amount of page views per visitor is considered constant, the allowable bandwidth limits the number of visitors that you are allowed to have per month.
However, it is also important how fast the communication channel is between your web host and the Internet. The amount of data that can be transmitted per second is also called the bandwidth of this channel, and this bandwidth is shared by all websites hosted by the same provider. If this bandwidth is insufficient, you will sometimes notice a slowdown in the display of your web pages. However, in most cases, this slowdown is most likely caused by congestion on the web server itself.
What is a web server?
A web server is either a dedicated computer or a server for reliable website hosting or a software application that runs on this server. The two main web server applications used by most hosting providers,
Microsoft IIS for Windows-hosting and Apache for hosting Unix. Both use the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) to transfer web pages to your web browser.
What is a data center?
A data center or part of a building is being created that offers a professional environment for running computer servers. The data center usually has high-speed connections to the Internet and other networks, as well as good protection against natural disasters such as fire and other hazards such as intruders and hackers.
Resume web hosting.
So what are the important things to look for when choosing a web host?
- Price
- Data Center Standards
- Easy access to the control panel
- Ease of navigation through the control panel
- 24/7 support
- Host supports scripting / database languages required for your site to work.
- Several packages are available (as your business grows, you may need to upgrade. Make sure your web hosting provider allows you to do this)
It really is just the basics; despite all the very important things to consider. Most web hosts will have a FAQ file or a knowledge base file that you can read before registering. In most cases, cheap is no better; In most cases. However, I have to say that the web hosting I am using now combines an impressive price with impressive services. Over the years, I used about 8 - 10 different web hosts, and HostGator.com is, in my opinion, one of the best I've ever used. But you can see for yourself:
http://www.hostgator.com
In addition, the big name in the industry, with which most friends are familiar, is Yahoo. Yahoo also provides World Class Hosting services for all types of businesses. Yahoo services can be viewed here:
http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com
Make sure you are viewing the checklist above by browsing their website and you’ll be better off comparing web hosting services.
Register your domain? I have always used GoDaddy.com, like many other Internet experts, with whom I spoke. I can safely recommend their service without hesitation.
Good luck and, as always, feel free to drop me an email if you have any questions about this article or most aspects of your own online business.
Regards,
