Home > Basic Tutorial >
Web Host
With your shiny new domain name, you are in need of webhost. Web host keeps your pages in their storage and from a request like a click of link to your site the host makes your site appear to visitor's screen.
A common recommendation is that don't choose any free web hosting plan. They are unstable, you may loose your site, they are unstable and if you are in this business for real, you have to choose a non-free webhost. Don't worry, not all of them are expensive!
What Is a Good Web Host?
1) Support rate: Do they have a phone number? If they advertise their all-day-long phone service then call them in weekend or such to test them. You could test e-mail too. Phone service has to be at most few minutes away and e-mail at most one day away.
2) Money back guarantee: It's a good thing to have but not mandatory. It simply ensures that if you think their services are not enough for you they return the money you paid for them.
3) Reliability: This must be good when you are going to pay for services. Blackouts are the most intolerant things to happen! Once they happen, they should be as short as possible. Usually the uptime percentage of a quality web hoster is and should be over 99% all the time.
4) Reasonable price: Being very expensive web host doesn't mean it's the best. That's one interesting aspect when talking about web hosts. You must always think what you are actually getting for the money you pay or you will end up thinking what you have paid for!
Choosing a Good Web Hosting Package
1) Special Services: Do you need special databases (MySQL) or scripting language support (PHP, Perl)? No? Then do not choose them, they will cost you more in some cases if they are not integrated part of every web hosting account. If you need them, you should be able to get them at least when asking them!
2) Space: Check out the space they provide. Unless you have a VERY vast website or you want forums with no significant message removal rate I would recommend taking a modest space amount because many times the average normal user account has several gigabytes. Let's see the little presentation down here:
One page takes max 100 kb (kilobytes, 1,000 bytes) space. One mb (million bytes) takes then 10 x 100 kb pages. For one gigabyte (1,000 megabyte) there would be space for as many as 10 x 1000 = 10,000 pages!
3) Bandwidth: At first bandwidth will not probably be your problem. Unless you are streaming video or doing any heavy-duty things with your visitors, once again, I would say that the average is quite enough. See the following example for some enlightement:
Once again, very large page takes about 100 kb space. Let's imagine 100 visitors. That makes 100 kb x 100 visitors = 10 Mb. There are about 30 days in every month. The total month consumption will be about 30 x 10 mb = 300 mb. This goes about 3,3 times in one gigabyte!
4) Transfer Control: Ensure not to transfer control of your domain name to web host! Web hosters can make it seem that this is a must thing but it is not. Keep the control over your domain name in case you need to switch from web host to another! If a webhost insists for this kind of action, choose another web host. It's so free world so far!
5) Other Features: Are you going for an e-commerce website? Do you need shopping carts, credit card processors or other scripts? What about other fancy things web hosters give even for free?
Remember, if you end up in a sudden need of a service from your web host (like more bandwidth) there could be upgrades available. If not, you could consider a new service package or new web host.
Good Web Hosts:
These are web hosts tested to be good. You can find more good ones yourself since there are more of them but in my opinion these are quite satisfying. They are not sorted in any way. Their 'in-depth' services differ a little bit so it's up to you which one you like.
PowWeb
-Incredible amount of webpage space
-Huge bandwidth
-Unlimited domain names
-Site builder
-30 day money back guarantee
-Etc...
Bluehost
-Also incredible amount of webpage space
-Also huge bandwidth!
-Up to six domain names
-Site Builder
-30 day money back guarantee
-Etc... :)
For e-commerce and actually for anyone willing to succeed! The following one is truly the one and only great web host for anyone willing to significantly boost the chances to create financial benefit from a website.
Site Build It!
-Relatively little costs
-Unlimited webpage space and bandwidth
-Ready-to-use webpage templates
-A huge mountain of marketing and other tools
-Everything included to do shopping
-30 day money back guarantee
-The ULTIMATE e-commerce system with all imaginable features!
Let's proceed to: 'Designing'