Hosting Your Web Page

From LoveToKnow Web-Design

Hosting your web page or website can be as simple as a quick Internet search. But as with most things you buy online, you need to be wary of what you purchase. A hosting plan is only as good as the reputation of the company from which you purchase it.

hosting your web page

How to Find a Host for Your Website

In simplest terms, you rent web space from a host to store your website. Besides pages, your host will also store pictures, videos, documents and another files you use to keep your website up and running. Most times, the company with which you purchased your domain name will also act as a host.

But just because you got a good deal on the domain purchase and registration doesn't mean you will like the hosting plan. How do you know what hosting plan will work for you? It all depends on your web design knowledge and experience, budget and the size and complexity of your website.

Keep a Checklist

The price of a host should not be the only characteristic when choosing a plan. You also consider:

  • Bandwidth: The amount of traffic allowed between your site and the rest of the Internet; most small businesses and personal sites usually don't need more than 1GB of bandwidth per month
  • Speed: How quickly visitors to your website can load and view your pages
  • Security: Protects your site from unwanted intrusions; a host's security protocol should be outlined
  • Control panel: This is a centralized location where you can set up your domain, e-mail accounts, logins, software and more; most control panels are included in the package you purchase, although some will charge you an additional fee
  • Reliability: How often does the host's main servers crash? Are there backup servers available? How often are your file backed up?
  • Customer service: Many options should be available including a 24-hour toll-free phone number, 24-hour e-mail help, a FAQ page, forums, and many times, a live chat feature
  • Contract: These are usually available on a month-to-month, quarterly or annual basis; discounts are usually offered on contracts for longer time periods
  • Server software: The operating system of the server; most use Windows or UNIX

Additional questions to keep in mind when choosing a hosting company include:

  • Cost of additional storage space
  • Cost of extra gig of data transfer
  • Number of FTP accounts are included in the plan
  • Inclusion of shell account
  • Number of POP3 e-mail accounts
  • Spam filtering provision
  • Number of sub-domains allowed
  • Support for C++, JSP, Java Servlets, etc.

Hosting Your Domain

If you decide to go with a hosting company that is different from where your domain is registered, you need to follow a few simple steps to make sure your domain points toward your new host. Do not cancel your current host until your new web host is up and running (and verified!):

  • Establish an account with a new host; you will receive a temporary domain name to be used until your site goes live
  • Access new account with server hostname or IP address provided (usually in a welcome e-mail)
  • Upload your website through FTP or other publishing software
  • Open site with your temporary domain to make sure everything is working correctly
  • Update your domain with the company with which it is registered to use the new host's DNS (Domain Name Servers) numbers; these are usually given to you in a welcome e-mail from the new host (you may need to contact the registrar's customer service for help)
  • It can take as little as 12 hours or as much as a week to switch servers

Top Hosting Companies

The following are the top 10 hosting companies (as of March 2008) as reviewed by Hosting Review.com:

  1. StartLogic
  2. ix Web Hosting
  3. Host Monster
  4. Dot5Hosting
  5. Host Papa
  6. Blue Host
  7. Yahoo! Web Hosting
  8. FastDomain Hosting
  9. Go Daddy
  10. IPower

A Final Thought on Hosting Your Web Page

There are many companies out there that want to host your website. While some will try to rip you off, there are many that very legitimate. Take your time and ask a lot of questions until you find the host that is right for you.

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