How to Select a Web Site Host
So, you know how to create
HTML files (web pages) and want to start a website. You have a domain name
but don't know where to store the files (web host). You find countless
web hosting companies offering a wide range of products but you can't make
heads or tails of all the features to decide which plan is right for you.
Does this sound like you?
If so, this article was written
for you. Hopefully after reading it, you will have a better understanding
of all the terms associated with web hosting and find a hosting company
that is right for your business.
File Storage Space
Usually hosting companies
sell different packages centered around storage space. Storage space is
specified in kilobytes (KB), megabytes (MB), or gigabytes (GB); a megabyte
is 1000 kilobytes and a gigabyte is 1000 megabytes.
How much storage space do
you need? Well, that depends on what you are planning to do with your website.
If you have only a few pages of text and little to no graphics or images,
a 25 MB should be more than you will ever need. Most hosting packages start
at 25 MB of storage space. When comparing web hosting companies for file
storage space, be sure to check their terms and conditions to make sure
they do not charge another setup fee for upgrading to a packge with more
space.
One way to determine the
size of your files in Microsoft Windows, right click the Start button and
click Explore. Scroll down and select the file(s) or folder(s) you plan
on using for your website. Right click on the selected file(s) or folder(s)
and click Properties and you will see the size.
Bandwidth
Bandwidth is the measure
of how much data flows through your site. It is usually expressed in GB
transfered per month. If you are expecting a lot of hits (millions of page
views) to your site you will need to get the most bandwidth you can afford.
For new web sites it may take a while to get up to a significant bandwith.
If you find you are approaching the bandwith limit, you can always upgrade
to a plan with higher bandwidth. Some plans allow you to increase your
monthly bandwidth for an additional monthly charge.
E-Mail
Most hosting plans include
a significant number of POP e-mail accounts and unlimited e-mail forwarding.
POP accounts can be accessed
with your current e-mail program and some hosts may include a webmail interface
for your POP accounts. If you have several people that work for your web
site/business and want them to have their own e-mail address, you will
need to select a hosting plan with enough POP accounts.
E-mail forwarding is when
e-mail that is addressed to your website gets redirected to another e-mail
address that you specify. Most plans include unlimited e-mail forwarding.
An example of e-mail forwarding: for one of my websites mail addressed
to mike-@-mrgoodbeer.com, sales-@-mrgoodbeer.com, and webmaster-@-mrgoodbeer.com
all get redirected to my Gmail address. With e-mail forwarding you can
easily track where your e-mails are coming from. Be careful though...the
more e-mail addresses you have, the more SPAM you will receive.
Shared vs Dedicated
When comparing hosting plans,
you may notice plans for shared hosting and dedicated hosting. Shared hosting
simply means that your web site will be hosted with other websites on the
same server or machine. Shared hosting is good for the average web site
where speed is not a priority.
A dedicated server is just
that, a server that is dedicated to your website. The advantages of a dedicated
server are speed and control. The disadvantage is cost, you will usually
have to pay a much larger monthly fee for having a dedicated hosting plan.
If you know nothing about Unix, Linux, or network administration make sure
to get a managed dedicated server. The hosting company will take care of
all the security and software patches/updates that arise over time.
Make sure to review the hosting
company's terms and FAQ concerning their dedicated servers to determine
if their service is right for you.
Support
For the companies that do
not have 24 hour support, you will have to determine if their phone support
hours meet your specific needs. Make sure to note the location of the company
and offset the support times for your time zone. If you plan on working
on your web site during all hours of the day, make sure to choose a company
with 24/7 phone support; otherwise, you will have to wait for them to open
before you can get help to solve your problem.
CGI
Common Gateway Interface
(CGI) is a program, also know as scripts, that can be run on a website
to make the site more dynamic. CGI programs can be written in PERL, C,
Unix shell, and countless other languages. It is best to select a hosting
plan that allows CGI because you will undoubtedly run across an application
or game that you want to modify or include on your site.
There are many resources
on the web that list free CGI scirpts and countless companies offering
CGI scripts for you to buy.
MySQL
MySQL is used for creating
and maintaining web based databases. If you anticipating having some data
on your site that your users might want to sort you will probably need
to find a web host that supports MySQL. Some hosting companies specify
how many databases you can have on your site and charge an additional monthly
fee if you want more. You will have to determine how many databases you
will need and select the appropriate web hosting plan.
FrontPage
FrontPage is a website creation
and management what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) tool developed by
Microsoft. The files generated by FrontPage may have extentions asscoiated
with them. If you are using FrontPage to develop your site, you will need
to make sure that the hosting plan you choose supports FrontPage extentions
or your web pages may not display properly, if at all.
Server Operating System
(OS)
For most basic websites
you will not have worry about which OS your web hosting company is using.
Most plans are running on either Unix or Linux. For some unique web site
features, you may need a Windows based server.
Setup Fee
Some hosting companies charge
a setup fee when your account is created. This is usually a one time fee
and may be waived, in some cases, when you pre-pay for your service. Check
the hosting company's terms carefully to determine the details of their
setup fee.
SPAM Filter
Most hosting plans include
some type of SPAM filter for your e-mail accounts. This feature can come
in very handy if you are using POP email accounts.
Shopping Cart
Some hosting companies provide
shopping cart features as part of their hosting plan. You do not have to
worry about this featue if your web site is not selling products. Also,
there are many different third party shopping cart applications and CGI
scripts available on the web that you may choose to implement on your web
site such as the ones found at PayPal.
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Mike Snyder is an award
winning Brewmaster and author of Beer Inside. Mike has been a webmaster
since the early 1990's.
You may reprint this article
(can be found at http://www.mrgoodbeer.com/hosting/
)in any form but all links to MrGoodbeer.com in the credits, title, body,
and this footer must not be altered.
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