Web Hosting Features To Look For
When you are looking for a network of professional services of hosting, you want to look for certain characteristics and services. Do not worry about knowing exactly what all the technical terms, just look for them! Always shop around, the phone companies hosting and ask questions as part of their qualification process.
1. The reliability and speed
Look for a hosting service that has its own team high-speed connections to multiple Internet backbones, the backup power generators and backup systems in place. The hosting company generally boast of their high-speed connections and usually guarantees 99% or better availability of your website.
Many hosting services are operated by dealers. This can be a good thing if they bring a better support and more knowledge to their resale services. Unfortunately, many resellers do not really have the resources or knowledge properly support.
Years in business is something you should take a look a. Three years or more is a pretty good test of reliability.
If they offer a trial period, take advantage of it and actually try the service.
2. Operating Systems
Do you use a standard system configuration be kept operating routinely updated? If they do, you may have trouble getting new scripts to work. On Linux servers, look for Red Hat, Mandrake, Debian, SuSE, Slackware and CentOS. On Windows servers, look for Windows latest operating system with all patches to keep up. If you do not publish this information email or phone to find out.
3. Language and Database Support
They must support the programming languages and databases, key used by the new scripts and must keep these updated as well. In Linux you should look for Perl and PHP, at least. For a database, look for MySQL. You should allow at at least one database. You must have your own CGI Bin. On Windows systems, look for Microsoft Access, at least, and MS SQL Server power and speed. To use the NET Framework Microsoft, your accommodation will have to support that.
4. Support
Check your support. The minimum support is email support. The best services offer email hosting 24 / 7, ticketing system and live telephone support. In fact, their support and try to see if they respond quickly enough to their needs and if their support staff is helpful and knowledgeable.
5. FTP Access
Many cheap hosting services do not provide FTP access. You will have FTP access if will add a lot of material to your website or if you need to install scripts on your website. Also check that you can change the permissions of your files via FTP or through SSH.
6. E-mail
How many email accounts do you offer? They are POP accounts? Can you add forwarders and email aliases? Looking for web mail access as well. The better the service, providing more options for email.
7. Control panel
Search a user on the integral control panel lets you manage your hosting account. The best control panel also provides automatic script installers like Fantastico or Elephant. Cpanel, Ensim and Plesk HSphere and are well known and well supported. There are many more of these control panels and are also good, but you should probably check more thoroughly and take a look at their demo system, if any.
8. Domain Names
You should be able to host at least one domain name. Best hosting companies generally allow you to five or more domain names. There should be no restrictions on sub-domains.
9. Statistics
It is your hosting service includes a statistics program so you can monitor traffic to your website?
10. Disk Space
The minimum is 50 MB, but you must pay very low prices to low disk space.
11. Band width
The main difference between basic and expensive plans any hosting service is the amount of bandwidth allowed per month.
To calculate how much bandwidth you need, multiply your hits per day view for visiting half-page size XX X 30 days.
Example: 100 visitors per day, 5 page views per visit, with a page size of 45 kb, 100 X 5 X 45 X 30 = 675,000 KB = 675 KB MB.
Try to get the bandwidth both for their money as possible, but beware of hosting services sites that offer unlimited bandwidth. Read the fine print and conditions of use carefully. Usually, some type of restriction that you must consider.
Make sure to see how they charge you if you exceed the monthly bandwidth and what upgrades they have available.
12. eCommerce
If you are running a shopping mall or insurance payments or transfers of data on your website, you need to make sure that the hosting service supports SSL.
Some Final Thoughts:
Typical prices for professional level range offering between $ 6.99 and $ 45.00 per month for a reasonable amount of disk space and bandwidth in shared accommodation. Below that is asking for trouble, since you probably do not make enough money to properly maintain their equipment, systems or you.
The Windows servers are usually more expensive than Linux servers because the Windows operating systems are not open source. The hosting company has to pay for their use.
When you are comparing plans, consider that you are getting a better offer of $ 25 per month for eight domain names $ 10 per month for one.
When you are looking for accommodation that is not afraid to ask questions. Good hosting services have no problem directing you to useful information or answer your questions a way that you can understand.
About the Author
Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of besuccessfulnews.com, a site that provides information and articles on how to succeed in your own home or small business.
