Choosing a Web Hosting Provider

There are literally thousands of web hosting providers on the Internet and it can be extremely difficult to decide on the right one. It is important to choose the right web host for your business. After all, your business is a reflection on you, so you definitely want a web host that is reliable – this means that cost should not be the only factor you consider when choosing your web hosting provider. To help you search for a good web hosting provider, you can start reading some web hosting reviews and visit some web hosting demo site. You can begin at this web hosting review site at http://www.ixwebhostingreview.org , over 60 web hosting being reviewed and with sample demo sites.

It can be very confusing to know where to start when you are looking for someone to host your website, because there are so many different companies to choose from. It is like being on vacation and trying to choose just the right local restaurant – unless you know a little about the culture of the city, you are lost. However, with web hosting, if you know a little of the basics, then you should not have a problem choosing a reputable web hosting provider.

One of the first issues you will need to assess about your prospective web hosting providers and the amount of server uptime they guarantee. Most reputable hosting companies strive for at least 99% uptime. If the servers of hosting company you choose are consistently down, then you will lose visitors and traffic and of course income. Most good hosting companies have scores of satisfied customers, so be sure to check customer reviews and feedback. You should find these both on the website and by searching the internet.

Another consideration is how much hosting space the plan you are interested in provides. If you are planning on hosting a lot of images and videos, then you will need to plan accordingly. If you are unsure of the amount of space you might need, make sure your web hosting provider allows for easy upgrades to other hosting plans.

Bandwidth is another concern when you are trying to decide which web hosting plan will suit your needs. This is simply how much data transfer you are allowed each month for your visitors and customers to use and view your website. Again, if you have lots of images and multimedia files, you will need to make allowances. On the other hand, if your site is mostly informational and/or your multimedia hosting is done elsewhere, you will probably be able to get away with less bandwidth. Ease of hosting plan upgrade is also definitely a consideration here.

When considering both storage space and bandwidth, the general rule is to get as much for your money as you possibly can without sacrificing quality. Beware of hosting companies that offer unlimited bandwidth at ‘too good to be true’ prices. Be sure to read the ‘fine print’ in the ‘Terms of Service’ agreement. Normally, the hosting company’s definition of ‘unlimited’ will be defined.

Be sure that the web hosting provider you are considering offers all the features you will need to manage your website properly. A feature that you thought was included might not be available or may only be available as an ‘add on’; and if you are running an ecommerce site, there will be certain necessary security software and features you will need , such as secure Socket Layer (SSL). If you have any questions before purchasing, make sure that you ask them. This is also a good way to gauge the customer service of your prospective web hosting company.

Doing your research ahead of time will save you much wasted time and money when selecting a reputable hosting company. Hosting providers are literally ‘a dime a dozen’, so take your time and be selective. Your business depends on it. Finally, before your enroll to their hosting services, you should find the best web hosting coupon and web hosting deal. A huge collection of over 30 web hosting coupon available at http://www.ixwebhostingreview.org/web-hosting-coupons/ coupon site. Compare and select the best web hosting deal.

Web Hosting Basics

If you have decided you or your company is in need of a website, you will have to purchase web hosting services from a hosting company. There are many different web-hosting companies to choose from, and they can easily be found on the internet. If you do a quick search for them in any search engine, you will find that there are almost too many to count. Choosing the company that is right for you can be a harrowing experience, but there are really only a few basic things to consider.

The first factor to consider when choosing a web hosting company is how much space they will give you for your account. If you merely want a single page on the Internet with little or no graphics, you can get by with purchasing an account with the smallest amount of space available. However, if you are planning to create a full e-commerce site with multiple pages and order forms, you will need to make sure you have enough server space to support your entire operation.

Before you sign your web-hosting contract, you will first have to choose and purchase a domain name. Though many of the names you might want are already taken, you can often find one that suits your needs, especially if you get creative with it. For instance, if your business is called Cards For You and that domain name is already taken, you might consider choosing More Cards For You or Cards For You Today. The possibilities are endless, and with a little thought you will be able to think of a snappy domain name.

You can often purchase a domain name through your web hosting company, or you can purchase it through a private domain name retailer. These companies are very easy to find. Often times, if you type the domain name you want into a search engine, a domain name seller will pop up if the name is not already taken. You can purchase a domain name for a year at a time, or for several years, depending on how much you want to invest at the get-go.

Once you have a domain name, you will of course have to create a website to put on the Internet. There are many do-it-yourself web design programs that are fairly user friendly. Software like FrontPage makes web design a cut and paste, fill in the blank soft of affair. However, if you would like a more professional look, you can use programs like Dreamweaver or Image Ready to make your sites. There are always freelance web designers looking for work who are ready to take on your cause if you are not savvy enough to do it yourself.

Web hosting companies give passwords to allow you access your space on their servers. You can upload files and pages using their own interface programs, or you can utilize the upload tools built in to your web design program. Once you upload a page, it is important to make sure it looks correct on a variety of different web browsers. Because each browser interprets information differently, you may run into trouble if you build a site while only previewing it in Internet Explorer. There are often compatibility issues between Safari and Mozilla browsers that distort site tables and images.

However, once you work out the kinks and create an excellent site, all you have to do is pay your web hosting bills, and your site will be available for the whole world to see. Web hosting companies usually offer options regarding payment plans. You can pay for a year at a time, or you can monthly or quarterly to maintain your place on the World Wide Web.

Web Hosting Requirements

In scouting for a web hosting company, always ensure the disk space and amount of traffic needed.

Amount of Disk Space

The requirement of a small or medium web site is between 10 and 100MB of disk space.

When looking at the size of HTML pages, you will notice that the average size is very small – smaller than 1K. But looking at the size of the pictures used within the pages, you will often find them several times bigger than the page itself.

5 and 50K of space on the server is the expected consumption of each HTML page which is dependent on the use of images or other elements that may consume disk space.

More disk space is needed for web sites that plan to utilize lots of images or graphic elements (not to mention sound files or movies).

Before scouting for your web host, make sure that you have knowledge of your requirements.

Monthly Traffic

Monthly transfer of data for a small or medium web site will take up between 1 and 5GB.

On the other hand, monthly traffic in larger commercial sites consumes more than 100GB.

Before the contract with the host provider is signed, be sure that the following is checked:
What are the limitations on monthly transfer?
Will your site be closed if you go beyond the volume?
Will you be the billing be higher if the volume is exceeded?
Will it cover future requirements?
Is upgrading easy?

Connection Speed

Your web hosting provider should offer a relatively faster connection for your visitors who often connect through a modem.

During the early days of the Internet, connecting using a T1 was considered a fast connection. However, modern speeds are much faster.

One byte is 8 bits long, and that is usual amount of bits used to transfer a character (a letter or a digit). 14,000 to 56,000 bits per second (bps) is the transfer speed for low speed communication modems. The range is within 2000 and 7000 characters per second, nearly 1 to 5 pages of written text.

Before making any deal with hosting providers, research some other web sites on their servers, to have a good background about the speed of their network. Likewise, compare the other sites with your site, to check if you have the same requirements. Getting in touch with other customers is another alternative.

Disk space and the amount of monthly traffic is not the only requirement in web hosting. This will depend on the web site you are planning to put up.