What to look for when searching for a web host
Today you can go online and find over 263 million links to web
hosting related sites. With all of those links, how do you pick
one? Which company is right for you? What do you need and what
can you skimp on? This article will go through every option of a
typical web host and not only explain what they are, but tell
you if you need them or not. Before you go looking for a host
you need to know some basic things. First off every hosting plan
will come with a set amount of bandwidth (sometimes referred to
as transfer). Bandwidth is how much information is passed
between the web hosting server and a visitor's computer. You
will get a monthly allowance of bandwidth and it will most
likely be a number in Megabytes (MB) or Gigabytes (GB). When
someone visits your website (referred to as a visitor) their
computer pulls information from the server you website is
located on and transfers it to their computer. This transfer of
information uses some of your allocated bandwidth. In general,
the more intricate your web page is, the more bandwidth it uses
per visitor. Pages with many photos, music, etc use more
bandwidth than pages with all text. You only need a lot of
bandwidth if you are planning on having a large number of
visitors to your site and have an intricate site. The second
thing all hosting planes must include is space. Space is simply
the amount of storage allocated for you to place your website
in. This number will be in Megabytes (MB) or Gigabytes (GB). The
more space you have the more stuff you can put online. If you
plan on putting pictures or big files online, make sure you go
with a hosting plan with a large amount of space. If you plan on
hosting a small site with just a few pages, then pick a plan
with less storage. A typical plan would include 500 MB of
storage and 1 GB of transfer. This is often more than enough for
a small website. So far we have talked about bandwidth and
storage space. Both of these are required to even have a
website. Now we move to the extras. Some may not consider email
an extra, but in terms of what you have to have for a site to
function it is only an extra. Email accounts are almost
universally considered a must for website owners. If you have a
website you should have an email address for that site. Most
sites need only one email address per person. Find the number of
people who are "behind the scenes" of a site, and give each of
them one email address. For example, if you are planning on
having a family website, give one email address to each family
member. Business sites are required to have multiple email
addresses (addresses like postmaster@example.com,
support@example.com, etc), so people seeking to start a business
website should find a hosting plan with many email addresses.
POP3 email allows you to use outlook, thunderbird, and other
email programs like that. I would not look at a hosting plan
that does not offer POP3. A typical website needs about 3 email
addresses. Another extra that is very useful is FTP. FTP (File
Transfer Protocol) allows you to transfer files between your
computer and your website quickly and easily. FTP is not
required, and not necessary for small sites or sites that don't
change often. I would suggest picking a plan with FTP access if
you are creating a website for business or one that needs
constant changes and/or updates. Sub domains are a great extra
that some people like. A Sub domain is simply
something.yourdomain.com. You can place whatever word you would
like in front of your domain name and have it directed to a
different webpage. For example, if you had pictures located on
your site at www.yoursite.com/pictures, you could add a sub
domain and rearrange that link to look like
pictures.yoursite.com. Sub domains are used most often by more
experienced users. Most people do not need them, so don't pick a
host based on these. My SQL Databases are necessary for things
like most photo galleries, calendars, shopping carts, etc.
Simple sites do not need these databases, but someone looking to
place a photo gallery, support system, etc. on their site should
get a hosting plan with these included. Each item that requires
My SQL will use one database, so pick a plan with enough
databases for your specific situation. Only factor databases
into a decision if you think you may use them at some point. Be
aware of hosts that charge extra if you decide later on that you
want My SQL databases. You should try to find a host that is
flexible and will allow you to add on to your package at
anytime. The absolute most important thing when considering web
hosts is support! A web host that does not have great support
should not even be considered. You will run into problem with
your website. Unless you are a seasoned webmaster, you will find
something you don't know how to do or fix, and great support is
critical then. You will need a host that can reply to your
support requests quickly, and correctly. Pick a host that has
been highly rated, or that you know puts more emphasis on
support than things like marketing or flashy site designs.
Beware of hosts that will say anything to get you signed up, and
beware of sites that charge for support. A good web host
included great support with all of their plans. There are other
features of web hosting not discussed here, but the most
important and most widespread are. The last two issues that
arise with web hosting are what server operating system to pick,
and what type of hosting to pick. 90% of people should be on a
shared server (a server with many different hosting clients on
it), but some may want a dedicated server. A dedicated server is
what big businesses or high traffic sites need, but they are not
cheap. Dedicated servers host you and you alone (hence the term
dedicated). As for operating systems, I highly recommend Linux
servers. They are more stable and often cheaper than windows
servers. Do not worry about not being able to find scripts that
will work with Linux servers. Linux has a huge following and
most scripts are designed to work on Linux servers. In fact,
many great scripts are only available for Linux. So in
conclusion, focus on service and support of a web hosting
company. Figure out an estimate of what you need (in terms of
space and transfer) then search for a reputable host that can
provide you with your needs, great support, and good prices.
Find a good price, but don't go with a free host. These are
almost always terrible hosting plans, bad service, and older
(often slower) servers. You can even ask around to see if anyone
you know has a website and can recommend a good host to you.
Don't be afraid to ask a host a question. In fact it's
recommended that you talk to your host before you join. After
all, this is the only way to evaluate their support before you
join.