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All Web Hosts Are Not Created Equal
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Author: Sean Shehan
Topic: Web-Hosting
Viewed: 76 time(s)
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There are literally thousands of web hosting providers offering
hundreds of solutions for businesses owners worldwide. However,
choosing the right web hosting provider and having a clear
understanding of what level of service your business requires
can be a daunting task.
Many people think that all web hosts offer the same level of
service within a certain price point. This could not be further
from the truth. Fundamentally web hosting is web hosting but
when you compare apples to apples you will find a broad range of
differences that may or may not be a detriment to your business.
Surprisingly the same web host provider that charges $5/month
may have a direct competitor that charges $10/month for a
comparable service plan. Below are 3 simple steps to help you
determine what provider will best fit for your needs and where
to find them.
1. Determine Your Price Point
Let's face it; the bottom line is usually at the top of the
list, which is price. You can spend anywhere from a few dollars
a month to a few hundred depending on your needs. Only you can
determine your budget and what you are willing to spend so the
best bet is to choose a realistic middle ground on price and
then begin shopping. A great place to start is
[url=http://www.comparewebhosts.com]CompareWebHosts.com[/url]This
is a very well known and established web hosting directory
which lists many reputable web hosting companies. On this
directory as well as many others like them you will find
providers offering shared and dedicated hosting solutions. It is
important to clarify and understand the differences between the
two. Typically shared web hosting is more inexpensive than
dedicated hosting. Shared web hosting can be compared to
apartment living. You have a large building split up into many
small rooms. All of the rooms share the same pluming,
electricity, etc. In other words, all of the tenants share
resources which makes doing business considerably more
affordable for you and the provider because you share the web
server and it?s resources with several hundred other accounts.
Consequently a large percentage of individuals and businesses
start out with shared hosting due to this fact. Shared web
hosting has become much more sophisticated and reliable over the
years. As a result of this thousands of businesses have
benefited from a comfortable middle ground on price and
reliability, which can be a win-win for everyone. Shared web
hosting prices usually range from $5-$30/month on average.
Dedicated hosting can be compared to owning your own home. No
one else lives in that home accept you. You have all of the
resources at your disposal. Therefore you control the
performance of your web server based on the resources that your
web site requires and not hundreds of other web sites along with
yours as is the case in shared hosting. This type of hosting
varies greatly in price as well but typically you can expect to
pay any where from $99/month in upwards of $300-$400/month. The
obvious benefit here is that your hosting reliability factor
increases greatly as well as the control of your content and
customization.
2. Determine Your Needs What do you need? In other words, what
are your requirements from your perspective web host and what
are your expectations in relation to your budget? Web hosting in
general has become much more affordable and competitive over the
last few years but you should ask yourself some fundamental
questions first. Do you require your web site to be available
24/7/365 100% all the time or can you / your business live with
a modest 99.9% up-time which is normally the industry standard
for a much lower price point then a higher end SLA (Service
Level Agreement) from a more expensive provider. What level of
support do you need or expect? Will you require 24/7/365 phone
support for technical and sales assistance or will email and or
ticketing system be sufficient? Another important aspect but
highly overlooked is the issue of potential data loss. Make sure
that the web host you choose offers back up / restore services
or perhaps at least an option to ad it or make it available at
an additional cost. Many people take this for granted that it is
automatic but unless you see it advertised or offered in some
form or fashion on the providers plan description do not assume
that it is being done. You should also consider the number of
email accounts and databases you may require. If you have
employees they will most likely need individual email accounts
for interoffice and external communication. If you plan on
running an e-commerce shopping cart or a community forum of any
kind you will need one or more databases. Make sure to clarify
that this is an option through whichever provider you choose and
if there are additional charges. Typically email accounts are
standard but many hosts do charge extra for databases and or
limit both depending on their business model. Last but not least
how much disk space and data transfer will you need? These days
disk space and data transfer have become commodities and are
relative, meaning they are extremely affordable to provide to
you the customer. Performance, features, reliability, and
customer service are what your dollars and cents are paying for
so when it comes to the later if you know that your web site is
going to be very graphic intensive and you anticipate growing a
large database for what ever reason it does not hurt to have as
much disk space and data transfer that your money will buy
depending on your budget constraints. Even if you do not use it
all at first you may very well grow into it and it will be there
when and if you do need it.
3. Do Your Homework
So you have done your homework on steps 1 & 2 now its time to
switch to research mode. Once you have narrowed your web hosting
needs and price points its time to do a little digging on your
perspective providers. Your research should begin on the
providers own web site. Most companies have an ?about us? page
which may provide some relative background on company history
and a summary of their products, services, and infrastructure.
You should also read their privacy policy and terms of service.
Never take anything for granted. You should know exactly what
you?re entering into and what you can expect from your provider
should problems arise. Reading these policies may also give you
insight and knowledge on limitations between providers and what
direction you can take with future needs as well as steps you
can take to avoid any major problems until your budget and
business requirements change accordingly. Many companies also
provide a customer testimonial and FAQ (Frequently Asked
Questions) page as well. Testimonials can provide helpful
information on the types of web sites being hosted and how well
the company is currently providing service to its existing
customers. If companies FAQ page is done well it can provide a
wealth of answers to commonly asked questions about sales and
technical specifications that may not be listed on the home
page. Of course one of the most important ways that you can do
to research on the provider would be to actually contact them
with questions that may not be apparently answered or any
special needs that were not specifically addressed on any of the
later sources above. By contacting the provider directly you can
gage how responsive and accurate your questions are addressed
which is obviously important.
In closing, it?s important to note that there are literally
hundreds of specific needs that any one company or individual
may require when searching for web hosting services. One could
literally write a textbook on all of the industry specific
questions and challenges when researching the various different
types of hosting solutions. The short process outlined above is
simply a fundamental foundation of steps that will hopefully
serve as an informative beginners guide in the process.
About the author:
Sean Shehan serves as Senior Vice President of Operations for
[url=http://www.edatarack.com]eDataRack.com, Inc.[/url] which
provides high quality, reliable hosting solutions at prices
everyone can afford.
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