Whether you already have a website or are thinking
of setting up shop online, sooner or later you'll
have to deal with the issue of web hosting. Although
it may seem like a "no brainer," there are
actually many factors you'll need to consider before
making this important decision. Your first inclination
may be to look only at the cost, thinking "cheaper
is better." However, that old saying "you
get what you pay for,"is especially true in this
situation. Here are some of the more important points
you'll want to look at when considering your next
host.
UNIX/ NT/ The two most popular hosting platforms
to choose from are UNIX and NT. UNIX is by far the
favorite, as it was the only choice way back in the
early days of the Internet. It is easy to configure,
great for setting your own file permissions and the
platform for most of the free scripts available for
download. It is flexible, reliable and supports scripting
languages like Perl and PHP3.
NT is Microsoft's baby. One problem that I have found
with NT servers is a lack of readily available scripts
that work on this platform. Also, (unlike UNIX) many
NT users need assistance from their Web Host Administrators
to set file permissions. NT supports MS applications
such as ASP, Access, FP and scripting languages such
as Perl, Cold Fusion and ASP.
TECH SUPPORT/ When you need help you'll want to make
sure you can get it. Some web hosts offer phone support
or even live chat. Make sure they have good tech support
in place as there's nothing more annoying than needing
assistance with your site and not being able to get
it.
SET UP FEE/ MONTHLY FEE/ Some hosts charge an initial
set up fee to get your site set up and running on
their server. Make sure you check on this when comparing
prices. I've seen monthly fees ranging from 9.99 to
39.99, depending on the plan and services offered.
My advice to you would be to look past the cheapest
and most expensive ends of the scale and go with a
mid-range pricing plan to be on the safe side. You
should be able to pick up a reliable web host for
20 to 25.00 per month.
HARD DRIVE/ SPACE/ How much space they're willing
to give you is important if you're going to compare
apples to apples. You need to keep in mind the size
of your site when deciding how much space you really
need. Generally, 20 to 30 MB is plenty for a small
site. You might want to ask if you can pay for more
space should your site ever outgrow its present state.
FTP ACCESS/ TELNET ACCESS/ Even if you plan on using
Frontpage to manage your site, you'll still need to
have FTP access. It is usually standard, but it never
hurts to ask. Make sure you keep your user name and
password in a safe place. You'll use FTP to set file
permissions and to upload your files to the web server.
Telnet can be very useful for troubleshooting CGI
scripts and changing server configurations. There
are some servers that will not grant telnet access.
CGI-BIN/ A very important component if you're planning
on adding any sort of interactivity to your site like
forms, shopping carts, etc. Usually comes as standard
equipment, but I've seen some of the cheaper hosts
leave it out entirely.
EMAIL BOXES & POP 3 ALIASES/ One thing that's
very important to me is the ability to use different
aliases with my domain name. For example, if your
domain is ezineadauction.com, you may want to set
up separate addresses to sort your mail like service@ezineadauction.com
or support@ezineadauction.com. They may all funnel
into the same mailbox, but you can set up filters
at your end, making customer service a whole lot easier.
If you have a "wildcard" account, you can
set up as many aliases as you like. If you have other
employees who will need their own private box, check
with the web host to see how many boxes they will
allow.
STATS/ Once you start getting traffic, you'll want
to know where it's coming from and what pages of your
site are being visited. Some web hosts will throw
stats tracking in with their standard package or at
least give you access to your log files, which you
can then use with third party software to run reports
on the traffic your site is receiving.
MISCELLANEOUS THOUGHTS/:
1) If you want to use Frontpage: Do they have the
FP server extensions installed?
2) Do they offer autoresponders?
3) How about a secured server option for payment
transactions?
4) Do they back up all websites in case of disaster?
5) Do they offer assistance in programming or design
work if needed at an hourly rate?
6) Do they offer shopping cart software if you're
going to be selling products?
7) Do any customized forms come standard with your
account, like feedback or order forms?
8) Bandwidth- Be aware that bandwidth is how much
data can be transferred in a month's time. This shouldn't
be a concern unless you're getting a ton of traffic,
but be aware that most hosts do have limitations on
what they'll allow.
As you can see, there are many factors to take into
account when choosing a web host. Your host is essentially
the spine of your site,so you want to make sure that
the one you choose is reliable and solid. Nothing
can ruin a site faster than an unreliable host. I
know; been there, done that.
If you'd like a list of possible hosts take a look
at http://www.WebIspList.com. For a comparison of
hosts pop over to http://www.HostCompare.com or to
search for a host by the features you need go to http://www.HostSearch.com
Remember, choosing a good host is essential to the
success and reliability of your online business. Do
your homework and choose the one that's right for
you.
