The Online Guide to... Web Hosting

Web hosting services are in great demand

A hosting service provider or web host supplies web hosting services that enable users to post web pages on the Internet. These services are not only limited to providing web space on a server but also include facilities like connectivity to T3 lines, protection against malicious hacker attacks, domain name registration, design and coding of websites.

Web hosting mistakes that should be avoided

You cannot invariably avoid making web hosting mistakes, but it helps if you learn from your mistakes. There are two kinds of mistakes that you can make. The first is technical mistakes; and the second is general management mistakes.

Web hosting guide can help you find the right host

A web hosting guide can help you compare the services being offered by different hosting companies. This is a big advantage because you don't have to visit different sites to obtain details. You can log on to a single site and compare services by bandwidth, by price or by disk space.

Virtual hosting services are a great boon for small sites

Virtual hosting services allow clients to use a professionally managed server to host their websites for a low monthly fee. The hosting is especially suitable for small e-commerce websites or sites that are made of static web pages.

Selecting the right operating system

Should it be Windows or UNIX? Or should it be Linux? This is a question that worries most webmasters. They know that the selection of the right operating system will make a big difference to their business plans.

Technical support is vital for any net venture

A good web hosting service is one that provides effective technical support on a 24/seven basis. This is not only limited to hardware & software but also to other domain related issues such as integration with payment gateways, procurement of SSL certificates, advice on newsletter software or RSS feeds.

How to decide space and bandwidth

How important is space and bandwidth to your needs? This is an important question, and you need to mull over it before buying a hosting package. You must examine the content that you plan to host. Is it plain text? Are there photographs? Or do you plan to host audio and video files also?

Small business web hosts

Finding quality small business web hosts can be a challenge especially for individuals & businesses with limited budgets. This is because the high-end hosting companies focus on the corporate market or high traffic websites. They are not interested in the small and home office sector because the scale of operations is low, and the margins are less.

Shared hosting is economical and affordable

The most outstanding solution for most small and medium websites is to opt for shared hosting. This has several advantages. The most important advantage is cost. Shared hosting is much cheaper and affordable as compared to hosting on dedicated servers.

Setting small business website to deliver results

Setting small business website can be quite confusing for any merchant who is making a foray in the online world. The first thing that the merchant needs to do is to decide the scope of the website.

Compare fees and penalties before selecting a merchant account

While selecting a merchant account, you need to know about the different types of accounts attainable. This will help you find a merchant account that is suitable for you. Many merchants set out to look for the cheapest account, and end up with accounts, which don't suit them.

It’s not easy to run secure hosting services

People who do business on the Internet need secure hosting services. They must remember that viruses can destroy hosting systems and hackers can steal confidential data. Security is even more important in a shared or virtual web hosting environment where other customers can intrude into each other's services.

How to run a shielded e-commerce site

The first requirement of a secure e-commerce operation is data transfer in a secure environment. The second is protection of credit card numbers. The third, of course, is building customer confidence. Each is a different operation, but goes a great way in ensuring secure financial transactions on the net.

Mistakes online stores make

Are you planning to set up an online store? If yes, then you must avoid the mistakes online stores make. Most of these mistakes are a result of ignorance; of a failure to recognize Internet as a different medium. These mistakes include:

Managed hosting services can make hosting a breeze

Managed hosting services provide the servers, people & resources to maintain and run customer websites. They arrange for the deployment, testing, management and provisioning of all networking and server devices. These include setting up of virtual private networks, switches, routers, firewalls, SSL accelerators, routing tables etc.

The pluses & minuses of managed and unmanaged hosting

Managed and unmanaged hosting services are designed for customers with different requirements. Both have their pluses and minuses, and should be chosen on the basis of the technical expertise and the requirements of a website.

Different ways of increasing CTRs

There are many ways of increasing CTRs or click through rate on advertisements placed on a web page. The most important is the placement of the ad. An ad that is placed near the top of the page is likely to be noticed more than an ad placed at the bottom of the page.

What you should look for in your hosting plan features

Web hosts offer a range of hosting plan features to attract customers. These include disk space, e-mail boxes, auto responders, FTP access, free bandwidth, templates etc. It is for you to decide which hosting plan suits your needs best.

Free web hosting has several disadvantages

Anything that is free is suspect. The same applies to free web hosting services. They may or may not provide the level of reliability that you need. So, you have to be careful when you choose a free web host.

Points to keep in mind while finding a web host

Several points must be kept in mind while finding a web host that will save you time and headaches. The first is cost. Don't be influenced by web hosts that offer to host your site free of cost. Read the fine print to find out what are the hidden conditions.

Finding a shared host

One of the key requirements in setting up a website is finding a shared host. This is especially important for small websites which do not have sufficient funds to go in for dedicated hosting. They need to find a hosting company that can guarantee around 100 per cent server uptime, which is scalable & whose charges are reasonable.

Evaluating site performance is an important requirement

Evaluating site performance is essential to improve the level of customer satisfaction. Very often customers move away to another site if they find that your site takes hours to download. You can't blame them because the onus of hosting a good website rests solely on you.

Big websites must opt for dedicated hosting services

Dedicated hosting services are needed by large websites that generate high volumes of traffic. These websites often start by using a shared server but need to scale operations to meet the demand. There are also some companies which need huge storage space, and are not willing to share space with smaller companies.

Be careful while choosing a domain name

Great care must be exercised while choosing a domain name because this becomes your gateway to the net. A good domain name may attract a lot of traffic while an irrelevant domain name can end up getting ignored by potential customers.

Points to keep in mind while changing web hosts

Changing web hosts becomes a necessity when your site becomes popular, & your current host is unable to meet your needs. You then need to find a host that can offer you a higher level of scalability and more services.