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How to Choose a Web Host - Frequently Asked Questions
In this article you'll be provided with helpful information
about how to choose a web host. There are several things
to look for when choosing a reliable web host. Below, you
will be provided with frequently asked questions and the
answers to common questions.
Q. How reliable is the service of a web host?
Most surveys indicate that reliability is an e-businesses
main concern. You should look for at least a 95 percent
guarantee uptime, to ensure that the service is indeed reliable.
Q. What kind of performance can I expect?
A great hosting company has one or more T3 lines that are
always connected to the Internet, not going through someone
else's network operations center. The servers should be
fast, ideally Pentium Pro or Linux. You should also let
your host know if you plan to use bandwidth killers such
as streaming audio or video.
Q. How good is phone support?
When it comes to phone support, you should look for 24/7
phone support that's always available with a live operator.
Once you have found out, you should always check it. Call
or email the technical support line at 10 o clock on Sunday
night then expect it to be answered.
Q. How much will it cost me?
The entry level hosting service with a single domain name,
20 - 30 MB (Mega Bytes) of hard drive space, email services,
and up to a 1 GB (Giga Bytes) of monthly bandwidth should
cost you no more than 50 dollars.
Q. How is security handled?
The passwords to your website or domain should be required
to control the host as well as manage the web site. Every
file on your server should also be backed up on a daily
basis. You should always look for a host that offers you
secure transactions as well.
Q. How much bandwidth will I need for data transfer?
Roughly estimating, 2GB of bandwidth should be perfect
for a very small personal site. If you're going to running
a medium site with text and images but no large files, 5
GB would be ideal. Larger sites on the other hand, require
30 GB of bandwidth. Good hosting company's will send you
an email if you're about to run out of bandwidth, letting
you know that your site may go offline if you exceed the
quota. This way, you can upgrade your plan if you choose
to do so.
Q. What about a control panel?
Almost all hosting packages come with some type of control
panel, enabling you to configure your hosting packages as
well as your settings without having to learn the entire
operating system that powers the site. Control panels can
be accessed through a secure webpage, and then they will
appear in your web browser. The most popular control panels
are Helm, Cpanel, Hsphere, Plesk, and Ensim. The most common
is Cpanel, which only runs on Linux. Most beginners and
other users would be more suited to Cpanel, as it runs on
the cheaper platform of Linux.
Q. What about a POP3 account?
When sending and receiving email, POP3 counts are very
important. These types of accounts you can assign to individual
users as their own email addresses. You'll need enough POP3
accounts for the amount of email addresses that you wish
to assign to other people. Often times this number will
be quoted as being unlimited, although there are only so
many email addresses that you can actually create.
Q. What about spam and viruses?
These features are classified in a separate category, and
can include autoresponders, spam filters, even anti virus
protection. They may be important to you, but they will
actually vary from host to host. Basically, these are all
free things that the host will give to you when you sign
up for an account. If you're plan doesn't quite offer what
you want, your host may be flexible when setting up your
account.
Q. What about running my own online store?
If you are planning on running your own store on the internet,
there will be a few factors that will be involved with that
decision. First of all, you'll need an SSL certificate for
your website, so that you can process credit card transactions.
Basically, these are 3rd parties that will take care of
each and every transaction, for a small percent fee, eliminating
the need for extra security on your server. You'll also
need to ensure that the server as well as the software is
capable of running the script you have for your shopping
cart.
Q. I need help making that final decision.
If you plan on having a website that you'll be relying
on for income or storing important data, you'll need to
make sure that you go with a host that will offer you a
high level of customer support. A lot of hosting companies
will offer forums as well as their contact numbers; however
the forums can be excellent when you are dealing very small
problems.
In Conclusion
By taking your time and checking to see what each host
has to offer, you'll find which service best fits your needs.
There are many hosts and many different packages out there
to choose from, which mean you shouldn't go with the first
one you see. Take the time to compare plans, costs, and
customer service and you shouldn't have any problems choosing
a web host.
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