A Beginners Guide to Web Hosting Providers

by David Nemer

Web hosting is a service that you may or may not be familiar with, but every time you surf the internet you rely on this service to provide you the information you are looking for. Web hosting refers to the specific function of storing a web page in a computer, and allowing it to be seen by others on a network. A web hosting provider stores the web pages on computers very similar to the ones you have at your home and office. The main difference between the computers used by hosting companies and the computers you use for personal use is the software that is loaded onto them.
Computers that are used primarily for hosting web pages are typically loaded with operating systems specifically designed to host web pages or internet applications, and are called servers. Web hosting companies may have only one server, or they may have hundreds or even thousands of servers connected together through a common interface.
Generally a web hosting company will have a dedicated, fast and reliable connection to the internet, allowing for quick access to the pages they are hosting. If a company has many servers and not a lot of clients, many times they will lease out the space on their servers to third party companies. These third party companies can then remotely administer the servers from anywhere in the world, allowing them to sell web hosting services without having hardware on site at their location.
With thousands of web hosting companies on the internet offering services ranging from basic, simple hosting plans all the way up to thousand page interactive business sites, the process of choosing the right hosting provider for your needs can seem daunting. There are several aspects of hosting that are similar to every company out there though, and by knowing the differences between these choices your decision about which hosting provider to choose can be made much clearer.
* Software Before choosing a provider it's important to know exactly what type of software the provider uses for hosting. Many people who are new to internet web page building might be surprised to know that hosting providers utilize different types of software for their service, and not all applications will work with all different types of software. The two most common types of software you will find are Unix, which will generally also include the Linux family of software, and Windows, or Microsoft type software.
* Bandwidth Bandwidth refers to the amount of data transmission that the web hosting provider will provide for your website. Generally, bandwidth is allotted in a per month format. I.E. - if you choose account A. you will be allowed 50 Gigabytes of transmission per month. If you choose account B. you will allowed 100 Gigabytes of transmission per month, and so on. This is important to consider if your website will be set up to allow downloads. If you plan on opening a website which sells software to be downloaded from your site, make sure that you calculate how much bandwidth will be used and make sure your hosting plan provides that amount of data transmission.
* Disk Space Disk space refers to the amount of space that your hosting provider will allocate for the storage of your site on their computers. Most sites themselves are not that large, unless you are planning on running a site with a lot of fancy graphics and a lot of pages. If you plan on storing videos, audio files, or lots of pictures and graphics which will be a part of your actual website design, then you will need more disk space from your web provider. A simple, mostly text based website, even with a certain amount of fancy graphics and design, will generally not take up a large amount of disk space on your web hosting provider's disk. An easy way to find out how much space you will need is to simply design your site, then put all the files into a folder on your computer. Just check the size of the folder with all your website's files in it to get a pretty good idea of the disk space required to store your site.
* Email Accounts Another thing to consider when choosing hosting providers is email accounts. Most hosting will come with email accounts, generally plenty of them for a typical site. Make sure if you will be requiring a lot of email accounts that they are included in your hosting plan. Also check with your provider to find out how those accounts are setup, and what type of control you will be able to have over them. Most hosting accounts come with several pre set email accounts and many non designated accounts which you can setup yourself. Check and make sure you have access to modify the settings of these accounts. Generally you will be able to change the names of the accounts, and have them forwarded to an existing account you already have setup.
Once you have a good idea of what type of resources your website will require in these four critical areas, your choice of web hosting providers can become a lot clearer. Remember that many companies will try and upsell you products and additional services that you probably don't need. When getting started, it's a good idea to just start with the basics. Get your site online and looking good, make sure it's working correctly and all the links are pointing where they are supposed to, and then start tweaking, fine tuning, and adding extra services if you need them.
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About the Author
David Nemer is the owner of http://www.financialproductsdirect.com and a freelance writer.

How to Choose a Web Hosting Provider

by David Nemer

Choosing a hosting provider can seem like a quite a headache when you don't know exactly what you're looking for. In general, there are several factors that are common with all hosting providers, and which you will need to consider before making the final choice of which hosting provider to choose. Before signing up with a provider, ask yourself the following questions: * How much money are you willing to invest in your website? Most websites can be up and running in a couple of days for very inexpensive prices, but consider just how much you are willing to invest in your site before choosing a provider. Remember, hosting might not be the only thing you are spending money on when setting up your site, so budget accordingly. * How much hard disk storage will your website require? Will your site be a large database of files, or a mostly text based web page? If you are going to be hosting large files on your site, like pictures or music, make sure you know exactly how much space all those files are going to take up so you can have an idea of how much hard drive space you will require from your server. * How much bandwidth are you going to need? This is a similar question to the storage aspect of your site. If you will be running large files through you site all day long, you will need much more bandwidth than most sites. If your site will be only a couple of basic pages describing your service and asking people to contact you, then you will probably be ok with purchasing minimal bandwidth.
* Will your site require any special software to run correctly, like scripts. If so, what types?
* Do you need a database? Some servers aren't set up to host a database, and some can only host certain types. If you are going to need a database with your website, make sure you find out in advance what the requirements will be. After asking yourself these questions, mentally visualize your site and what it's purpose will be. Get out some paper and write down some of the pages, where they will link too, and what each function of the site will be. Try and work out before hand any additional requirements that your site will require, so that when it comes time to actually set it up on your computer, and your hosting provider, you won't be surprised by requirements you haven't worked out yet. It's always a good idea to research several hosting companies before making any decisions.
Take a look at their websites, and read the technical requirements of their server software and hardware. Don't just read the sales hype, they will all tell you that they're the best value, and the best performing of them all. See if you can find some links to sites that are hosted on their servers, and see if those sites are similar to what you envision for yours. Finally, read up on some of the online forums that populate the net. You can find many forums dedicated to web hosting, and web hosting providers.
Just use the forums search function and type in the questions you would like answers for. Chances are, someone else has already asked the same question, and had it answered, in one of the threads on the forum. Log on for more info: www.financialproductsdirect.com

About the Author
David Nemer is the owner of http://www.financialproductsdirect.com and a freelance writer.

Reliable Web Hosting Services

by Blake Hendrickson

In addition to the many conveniences and headaches brought on by our increasing reliance on the internet, this new form of communication, advertising and commerce has brought with it an altered mindset for the new consumer; we want it fast, we want it now, we want it perfect. From small ecommerce websites to large web organizations, reliable hosting is the key to ensure that customers and viewers see the same site at the same speed every time they visit their favorites. Reliable web-hosting services provide the design of the site, along with support (often 24/7) and all important bandwidth. Reliable web-hosting is key to e-commercial success in that it gives the consumer a consistent experience while preventing down-time on the site that could cost the company in question hundreds, thousands and maybe even tens of thousands in revenue.
There is a fine selection of reliable web-hosting services on the market. Often these services host in a specific region. Other sites, such as Radical Webs in South Florida, spread their services over a larger area but may host fewer websites. There are a multitude of websites on the internet advertising the services of one or another reliable hosting company. Luckily, there are also a couple out there to help you choose what is right for your company. Netcraft and Web hosting Inspector are two examples of such sites.
Web hosting Inspector provides a comprehensive spreadsheet listing independent test results, awards, rankings services and prices for various reliable web-hosters. Though helpful, Web hosting Inspector feels a lot like paid advertising. A better choice is Netcraft. Netcraft supplies a lot of the same information as Web hosting Inspector, but also gives in depth analysis regarding down-time, a fate worse than death to any ecommerce entrepreneur. Very often, these companies are run from private homes, a low cost, high return way for the internet/code savvy to make an income and save on rent. However, the very "under the radar" nature of some of these businesses makes it all the more crucial that sites such as Netcraft exist, providing checks and balances to an otherwise turbulent industry where "start-up companies are cheap, but they come and go with the wind".
You cannot have a company on the internet without reliable hosting with an excellent team and dependable customer service. Their services are integrally important to keeping your ecommerce site consistent; visually consistent, consistently service oriented and most importantly, consistently lucrative.

About the Author
For your cheap reliable website hosting visit: http://www.myreliablehosting.net

Deciding Between Windows and Linux Web Hosting

by Ricardo d Argence

Many people recognize Linux as the best type of web hosting solution around, because of the added advantages of this solutions, which provide reliability, security, functionality, and affordability all in the one package.
Linux Servers Advantages Linux servers have been known to run for long periods of time without technical difficulties or down time being experienced, which is a considerable achievement since many Microsoft servers need to refresh and reboot their operating systems at regular intervals.
Linux installations have no known vulnerabilities in their security operating system; however, it is still considered a priority of Linux to keep their systems running with the best degree of security around.
Linux also offers its customers the added advantage of cheaper Linux based web hosting solutions. This is largely due to open source distributions; hosts generally pass these savings onto their customers, making Linux solutions extremely affordable.
Disadvantages of Linux Servers With every advantage of a solution, there has to be disadvantages as well, Linux hosting solutions are no exception to this rule. One of the main disadvantages of Linux based applications is that they are unable to accommodate windows applications and the coding conversions. This can spell disaster for websites that have been coded especially for windows based applications.
When choosing a web hosting provider for Linux, make sure he offers all the basics services on security, including firewall, load balance for the servers, Denial of Attack (DOS) protection.
Also, there are some basics services any service should include, such as MYSQL services, statistics (preferably two scripts), antivirus and antispam services (added or included) and the possibility to add your own scripts via FTP. If provider doesn't include SSH access (this is very common), make sure they can offer you support to install those scripts. Of course, if your script presents a security flaw, your provider may ask you to change it or deny installing it altogether. Windows web servers Windows web hosting solutions provide many benefits such as NET support, ASP, visual basic C++ and pearl scripts. Windows are also known for their dynamic page displays. All windows plans, as well as MSSql for more experienced webmasters support the Microsoft Access 2000 database and are generally easy and strait forward to apply codes to.
Be aware that a Microsoft Access database, although simple to use is a limited option, and should not be considered if you are planning your site to grow. However, it is a very good option for small sites with little growth.
Although Windows hosting packages offer a large number of benefits and extras, the fact that they have the odd security problem, are prone to down time, and scheduled rebooting on a regular basis remains a viable disadvantage to using windows servers as an option for your web site.
While the choice of a web hosting provider is an individual decision, those looking for a business solution should consider the benefits and disadvantages of both windows and Linux severs before making a choice.

About the Author
Alojate.com is the premier web hosting company in Mexico, offering a range or services for all business needs.http://www.alojate.com http://www.alojateextra.com

Professional Web Hosting vs. Free Web Hosting

by Ricardo d Argence

Both free and professional web hosting have their benefits and down sides. However, before the best type of web solution can be found the webmaster will need to consider the main motivator for the website.
For those looking for a home page, hobby site, or non-profit website a free hosting service will provide the basics of what is needed at just the right price- free. Although a free website will not provide a professional scene for a business, or a webmaster looking for credibility, as unfortunately free services look very "cheap" then little else can be expected from something that costs nothing.
A free website will offer webmaster's free templates for the design of the website, and helpful wizards that take the webmaster step by step through the uploading process. Often a free service may offer free domain names and email facilities with their package.
Customer service is often included, although how good the service is will often vary. The biggest problem with a free service is, the amount of traffic onto the sight may be limited, and the sizes of the files being transported may also be limited. Free hosting companies often experience a lot of down time, so they can at times be unreliable.
Because the site is free, the hosting company may very well be relying on sponsors in the way of banner ads to keep the company in business. If this is the case, setting up a business with flashing banners will really cramp your style, credibility, and scare away potential customers.
Paid services are used by webmasters to keep things running smoothly in business, what this means is the good web hosting companies will provide excellent customer service, and have plenty of happy customers who are willing to add their testimonies. Professional companies will usually offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee, live chats, and telephone services for customers experiencing difficulties.
Many professional companies will also offer discounts and bonuses for your business, and reward you for paying early. Other things that a professional web hosting company will offer is ample web space, and disk space. Often large amounts of uptime will be guaranteed, and sometimes failure to keep this amount of uptime will result in compensation from company to their clients.
Professional services may cost money, but the service is far more advanced, and professional companies never take space from their customers in order to place their paid advertisements on. Depending on what a customer is looking for when they create a website, will have a lot of bearing on their choice of providers. For a webmaster that is creating a credible business venture, a professional web hosting plan is vital to business success.

About the Author
Alojate.com is the premier web hosting company in Mexico, offering a range or services for all business needs.http://www.alojate.com/ http://www.alojateextra.com/