The internet has become a common way of life for many of us, and every day, more users are starting to realize the benefits. This global network has opened the doors for users around the world to communicate, seek entertainment, shop and conduct business online. Many are leveraging the internet as their medium for connecting with the world – and the same opportunities exist for you. If your plans require a website, then you will need web hosting to accomplish those goal.
What is Web Hosting?
Web hosting is a common service designed to serve websites to internet users. Operated by companies known as web hosting providers, or simply web hosts, these services are managed out of data center facilities and made available to personal and business customers in various regions throughout the world. Web hosting is composed of numerous elements, and four of the most essential of all are the server hardware, web server, operating system and the hosting provider itself.
Server Hardware
Though technically a computer, a server is very different from your typical PC. The standard home-based computer has a single processor and limited capacity, while a web hosting server usually contains at least two processors, a robust hard drive and larger capacities of other vital hardware components. This allows the machine to execute much faster and simultaneously process more applications. When set up in most environments, this high-powered computer can run one or dozens upon dozens of websites with relative ease. In theory, a server keeps your website available 24/7 with redundant dedicated connections to the internet.
Web Server
Often confused with its hardware counterpart, a web server is a software application that plays a critical role in the web hosting process. As the name indicates, it helps the server hardware serve your web pages when they are requested by a visitor’s web browser.
Web servers run a method known as HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol), a standard communications procedure that utilizes the client-server model to facilitate communication between remote computers. For example, when a visitor opens your website in their browser, which is a client program, a request is sent to the server hosting your site. The server application then processes that request and responds accordingly, displaying your web page to the visitor. There are many types of web servers, but the most prominent on the web hosting market are Apache and Microsoft IIS (Internet Information Services).
Server Operating System
The operating system is the most important piece of software for a server or any computer. Often referred to as a platform in the web hosting environment, this software is responsible starting and shutting down the server, communicating with computer hardware and allowing the installation of various other software packages. If you are like most users, the operating system you are familiar with is Windows, the popular software developed and distributed by Microsoft. In the hosting arena however, several platforms exist, with Unix and the open-source Linux operating system being among the most widely used. Although the web server application is extremely important, the operating system is the heart of the server hardware. Because the platform acts as the core of the computer, it must be installed and configured before implementing any other applications.
The Hosting Provider
As a customer, the most essential element of web hosting is the company providing the service. The web host must be able to ensure quality and reliability in order to make sure that your website will be available to internet users. This is made possible by running their network operations out of data centers, complete with state of the art electrical and backup power systems, environmental controls and advanced security measures. They must also deliver a superb level of customer service and technical support to make sure you have a way to present your questions or concerns 24/7/365. Collectively, these features better assure that your website is secure and running smoothly with minimal downtime.
There are many aspects that go into a web hosting operation, and these are just a few of the key ingredients. You don’t need to be a technical wizard just to run a website, but knowing what makes this business ticks can result in a less frustrating experience.
What are the options for web hosting?
If you are just starting out and want no string attached, there are plenty of alternatives. Free hosting allows you to not only create a website, but it helps beginners, no matter how much experience they have. Although there are popup downsides and other annoyances, free web hosting will give you everything that you need. If you are not sure if you even want to extensively design one, Geocities or AngelFire is great to experiment with.
Shared Web Hosting
Are you looking for something a bit more customized? For many webmasters, shared unix hosting or shared windows hosting are the most favorite platforms. This means that an abundance of websites are actually on one server. While this only costs a few dollars a month, there are still issues that come along with it. For instance, if a fellow webmaster were to have done something illegal, chances are your website would be shut down as well. This is because you share an IP, which of course can be quite dangerous. For this reason, you must be careful when choosing people to share a host with.
Dedicated Server Hosting
While these are great alternatives, many professional companies enjoy dedicated server hosting. Fortunately, the website is the only one on the server, which results in a lot less complications. With freedom comes a plethora of features, which include extra bandwidth, visitor trackers, and your own I.P. As a result, you do not have to worry about illegal situations occurring within your server. Everything is based around your needs.
Reseller Web Hosting
Reseller hosting is another admired amenity. If you are a webmaster and are looking to make some extra cash, reseller web hosting is a great opportunity. In simple terms, you purchase a web hosting package from a company and divide the space into several sections. These sections can easily be purchased by fellow webmasters, who are in need of space. With this business in place, you will effortless make a few dollars.
Regardless of what you are looking to make, web hosting is necessary. From affordable shared unix hosting or shared windows hosting to dedicated servers with only one website, there are endless opportunities. Although most beginner webmasters assume that there is only one type of web hosting service, this article clearly shows how wrong the myth can be
Saturday, March 27, 2010
How to Sell Domain Names Quickly and Easily
To understand how to sell a domain name quickly and easily, you’ll first need to understand the nature of the domain name industry:
How many times has this happened to you? – Just when you think there are no good domain names left, you find out about this new megasite with a five letter domain name, that you only wish you would have thought of first!
The fact is, a domain name is only as good as the brand or business it represents. In fact many of the most popular domain names consist of terms that are not even real words, such as Sedo, Ebay, Yahoo, Bing, Digg etc etc. How much do you think each one of those sites is worth? Do you think the site is worth that much based solely on the name? Of course not, the site is worth that much because of it’s presence.
An Incentive to Buy
The truth that many domain speculation experts don’t want you to know is that the actual name of the domain has very little to do with the value of the domain in most instances. Granted, there are some instances in which a domain name by itself could go for thousands of dollars. However, even in those instance, the domain would undoubtedly be worth even more money if it had a significant web presence as well. A web presence is the overall popularity of your site. Clients that are in search of a website to buy want to know one thing only – will this website make me money? If it will not, then they have no incentive to invest. As in every other industry, in order to make the quick sale you need to give the customer a strong incentive to buy.
Building Your Web Presence
Creating a reputation for your site may not be an easy process, especially if your trying to do it manually. In fact, it will be nearly impossible to do it quickly without the right tools and methods. To build a site’s presence within a matter of weeks, you’ll need to have leverage. Leverage is key in all business. This means you’ll need connections, and software! There are tools available that will help you build your backlinks up in a very short period of time. Backlinks may just be one of the most important aspects of building a site’s reputation, as the search engines view it as a reliable way to gauge the popularity of a site.
Selling the Site
Once you have built a substantial web presence, which should take anywhere from several months to a year, depending on the tools you have in your arsenal, you can then sell the site in one of the many domain auction sites online. Some of the most popular sites are the aforementioned Ebay and Sedo. These sites have thousands of clients frequenting their auctions daily, so you’ll definitely get all of the exposure you’ll need by listing your site on one of these sites. Make sure you mention all of the positive attributes of your site including traffic numbers and backlinks. Remember – you have to give the customer incentive to buy.
How many times has this happened to you? – Just when you think there are no good domain names left, you find out about this new megasite with a five letter domain name, that you only wish you would have thought of first!
The fact is, a domain name is only as good as the brand or business it represents. In fact many of the most popular domain names consist of terms that are not even real words, such as Sedo, Ebay, Yahoo, Bing, Digg etc etc. How much do you think each one of those sites is worth? Do you think the site is worth that much based solely on the name? Of course not, the site is worth that much because of it’s presence.
An Incentive to Buy
The truth that many domain speculation experts don’t want you to know is that the actual name of the domain has very little to do with the value of the domain in most instances. Granted, there are some instances in which a domain name by itself could go for thousands of dollars. However, even in those instance, the domain would undoubtedly be worth even more money if it had a significant web presence as well. A web presence is the overall popularity of your site. Clients that are in search of a website to buy want to know one thing only – will this website make me money? If it will not, then they have no incentive to invest. As in every other industry, in order to make the quick sale you need to give the customer a strong incentive to buy.
Building Your Web Presence
Creating a reputation for your site may not be an easy process, especially if your trying to do it manually. In fact, it will be nearly impossible to do it quickly without the right tools and methods. To build a site’s presence within a matter of weeks, you’ll need to have leverage. Leverage is key in all business. This means you’ll need connections, and software! There are tools available that will help you build your backlinks up in a very short period of time. Backlinks may just be one of the most important aspects of building a site’s reputation, as the search engines view it as a reliable way to gauge the popularity of a site.
Selling the Site
Once you have built a substantial web presence, which should take anywhere from several months to a year, depending on the tools you have in your arsenal, you can then sell the site in one of the many domain auction sites online. Some of the most popular sites are the aforementioned Ebay and Sedo. These sites have thousands of clients frequenting their auctions daily, so you’ll definitely get all of the exposure you’ll need by listing your site on one of these sites. Make sure you mention all of the positive attributes of your site including traffic numbers and backlinks. Remember – you have to give the customer incentive to buy.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Start Your Own Web Hosting Company
Although it may seem like a daunting task, it is very possible to start your own web hosting company with very little money down. In fact, ordinary people do it all the time. Starting a web hosting company does not involve buying servers, setting up a thousand dollar website, or even finding thousands of people to invest in your business. In fact starting a web hosting company can be done just about anybody!
Finding the Resources
The first question that probably comes to your mind when trying to start your own web hosting business is; Where am I going to get all of the server resources. The answer to this question is much simpler than one might think – reseller hosting. Although it may seem like you are only the middleman, many reseller hosting plans give you the right to rebrand and resell the server resources allocated in any kind of plans you see fit. This means all that is needed to start a web hosting company is a simple reseller hosting account.
Finding the Customers
Once you have the resources, you’ll want to start looking for some clientele. This may be one of the most difficult challenges involved in starting a web hosting company. You have to get people to trust your web hosting company, and many times this means offering extra incentive for your customers to join, such as cheaper pricing and integrated support services. One good way to find customers is to buy and sell domain names along with the hosting plans. This is a great way to capitalize on newer webmasters that are looking for an all-inclusive deal.
How Much Will You Make?
The answer to this question will directly depend on how much you’re charging and how many customers you have. Generally speaking, you should make enough to at least pay your hosting bills. If nothing else, this will equate to free web hosting for all of your domains. On the other hand, if you’re very successful, you could make hundreds or thousands every month.
Creating Hosting Plans
Before you start thinking about how much you’re going to make, you may want to put together some appealing packages that will attract and convince customers that your web hosting company provides the best deals around. Although you may not be able to prove this, you need to find a unique angle that will give your customers this impression. For example, you could offer unlimited bandwidth and other server resources. Even though these resources may not be unlimited, this will attract a large number of customers, and most of them will not use even a portion of their allocated server resources, leaving the rest for the more demanding customers. If you can balance the situation correctly, you can accommodate everyone’s needs.
Conclusion
Many business owners find reseller hosting to be the only kind of hosting that makes sense to them. After all, isn’t it more beneficial to have complete rights over your server resources?
Finding the Resources
The first question that probably comes to your mind when trying to start your own web hosting business is; Where am I going to get all of the server resources. The answer to this question is much simpler than one might think – reseller hosting. Although it may seem like you are only the middleman, many reseller hosting plans give you the right to rebrand and resell the server resources allocated in any kind of plans you see fit. This means all that is needed to start a web hosting company is a simple reseller hosting account.
Finding the Customers
Once you have the resources, you’ll want to start looking for some clientele. This may be one of the most difficult challenges involved in starting a web hosting company. You have to get people to trust your web hosting company, and many times this means offering extra incentive for your customers to join, such as cheaper pricing and integrated support services. One good way to find customers is to buy and sell domain names along with the hosting plans. This is a great way to capitalize on newer webmasters that are looking for an all-inclusive deal.
How Much Will You Make?
The answer to this question will directly depend on how much you’re charging and how many customers you have. Generally speaking, you should make enough to at least pay your hosting bills. If nothing else, this will equate to free web hosting for all of your domains. On the other hand, if you’re very successful, you could make hundreds or thousands every month.
Creating Hosting Plans
Before you start thinking about how much you’re going to make, you may want to put together some appealing packages that will attract and convince customers that your web hosting company provides the best deals around. Although you may not be able to prove this, you need to find a unique angle that will give your customers this impression. For example, you could offer unlimited bandwidth and other server resources. Even though these resources may not be unlimited, this will attract a large number of customers, and most of them will not use even a portion of their allocated server resources, leaving the rest for the more demanding customers. If you can balance the situation correctly, you can accommodate everyone’s needs.
Conclusion
Many business owners find reseller hosting to be the only kind of hosting that makes sense to them. After all, isn’t it more beneficial to have complete rights over your server resources?
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Choosing a Web Hosting
With thousands of website hosts out there, it can often be hard to choose the one that will work best for you. With a little bit of work, however, you can pick out the perfect host.
Focus on Your Needs
What is your website going to do? Do you need a lot of storage space and bandwidth? Or can you get by with just a little? Do you need email addresses @yourdomain.com? Or are you going to use a Yahoo! Mail account (or similar)? What about databases, and spam filters, and website builders?
Develop a list of all the features your site will use - this list will be your key to finding a website host that fits you. On this list, you also might want to include those things that you think your site will need in the not-too-distant future. While it's not as hard as it used to be, switching web hosts can still be pretty complicated.
What Kind of User Are You?
Next, you'll want to determine what kind of user you are. Are you new to the Internet? If so, 24/7 phone support may be best for you. If you're a power user, however, you can probably do just fine with a host that offers only email or ticket support. The more you know, the less you'll have to be in touch with your hosting company. Just make sure that there is indeed a way to get in touch with your hosting company if you need to. If you can't find any contact information on the host's site, this is a red flag and you should probably stay away.
You'll also want to make sure that you will receive a response from your host in a timely fashion - having to wait two or three days just to get an email back is ridiculous. Make sure that your host offers a response-time guarantee somewhere on its site, before you sign up with them. If you can't find it listed on their site, contact them and see how long it takes for them to respond. The ideal response time is a few hours - the absolute maximum amount of time it should take is a day.
Your Budget
How much can you afford to spend for your hosting account? As it is with buying anything else, you get what you pay for. That $1.95-a-month host may offer a really great value, but will they be there for you when you need them? Many of the ultra-low-priced website hosts are not turning a profit, and have not been in business very long - and probably won't be for much longer. To check and see how long your host has been around, enter their domain name here: www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jhtml. The Registration Date field shows when the domain name was registered, so you can tell how long they've been around.
That's not to say that every low-priced host lacks. HostGator and Site5 both have many happy clients and offer prices around the $6.95-a-month price point. And you can find good website hosts that offer service for $3.95-a-month or $4.95-a-month. But I don't recommend going any lower than that. Judging by posts on online communities such as WebHostingTalk, going with a cheap host just does not pay.
Reliability
Another important thing to find out is the uptime of any of the hosts you're looking at. Many hosts have an uptime guarantee that is usually around 99.9%. One thing you need to be aware of, however, is that this uptime guarantee does not apply to attacks such as Distributed Denial-of-Service attacks, or to acts of God. What these uptime guarantees do cover are things like hardware failure and server operating system crashes. If you can't find specific uptime information on a host's website, call them or email them and see if they'll share this information with you - if they do not, move on to someone else.
Where to Look for a Host
Now that we've covered the basic points of what to look for in a web host, it's time to talk about where you go to find the perfect host for you. There are many sites available for this, such as WebHostDir.com, TheHostingNews.com , etc. You can also conduct a Google search for 'website host' or 'website host directory'. In addition, visit a forum such as WebHostingTalk to see what other folks are saying about different website hosts. Many users come to WebHostingTalk to post both positive and negative reviews of their hosts.
Conclusion
The main thing is to pick a web host that you are comfortable with and that works well for you. You'll know when you've found the one that's right for you - it will meet your website requirements, you'll feel comfortable with its support, you'll know you can afford it, you will have confirmed its reliability, and you'll know that its other clients are satisfied as well.
Focus on Your Needs
What is your website going to do? Do you need a lot of storage space and bandwidth? Or can you get by with just a little? Do you need email addresses @yourdomain.com? Or are you going to use a Yahoo! Mail account (or similar)? What about databases, and spam filters, and website builders?
Develop a list of all the features your site will use - this list will be your key to finding a website host that fits you. On this list, you also might want to include those things that you think your site will need in the not-too-distant future. While it's not as hard as it used to be, switching web hosts can still be pretty complicated.
What Kind of User Are You?
Next, you'll want to determine what kind of user you are. Are you new to the Internet? If so, 24/7 phone support may be best for you. If you're a power user, however, you can probably do just fine with a host that offers only email or ticket support. The more you know, the less you'll have to be in touch with your hosting company. Just make sure that there is indeed a way to get in touch with your hosting company if you need to. If you can't find any contact information on the host's site, this is a red flag and you should probably stay away.
You'll also want to make sure that you will receive a response from your host in a timely fashion - having to wait two or three days just to get an email back is ridiculous. Make sure that your host offers a response-time guarantee somewhere on its site, before you sign up with them. If you can't find it listed on their site, contact them and see how long it takes for them to respond. The ideal response time is a few hours - the absolute maximum amount of time it should take is a day.
Your Budget
How much can you afford to spend for your hosting account? As it is with buying anything else, you get what you pay for. That $1.95-a-month host may offer a really great value, but will they be there for you when you need them? Many of the ultra-low-priced website hosts are not turning a profit, and have not been in business very long - and probably won't be for much longer. To check and see how long your host has been around, enter their domain name here: www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jhtml. The Registration Date field shows when the domain name was registered, so you can tell how long they've been around.
That's not to say that every low-priced host lacks. HostGator and Site5 both have many happy clients and offer prices around the $6.95-a-month price point. And you can find good website hosts that offer service for $3.95-a-month or $4.95-a-month. But I don't recommend going any lower than that. Judging by posts on online communities such as WebHostingTalk, going with a cheap host just does not pay.
Reliability
Another important thing to find out is the uptime of any of the hosts you're looking at. Many hosts have an uptime guarantee that is usually around 99.9%. One thing you need to be aware of, however, is that this uptime guarantee does not apply to attacks such as Distributed Denial-of-Service attacks, or to acts of God. What these uptime guarantees do cover are things like hardware failure and server operating system crashes. If you can't find specific uptime information on a host's website, call them or email them and see if they'll share this information with you - if they do not, move on to someone else.
Where to Look for a Host
Now that we've covered the basic points of what to look for in a web host, it's time to talk about where you go to find the perfect host for you. There are many sites available for this, such as WebHostDir.com, TheHostingNews.com , etc. You can also conduct a Google search for 'website host' or 'website host directory'. In addition, visit a forum such as WebHostingTalk to see what other folks are saying about different website hosts. Many users come to WebHostingTalk to post both positive and negative reviews of their hosts.
Conclusion
The main thing is to pick a web host that you are comfortable with and that works well for you. You'll know when you've found the one that's right for you - it will meet your website requirements, you'll feel comfortable with its support, you'll know you can afford it, you will have confirmed its reliability, and you'll know that its other clients are satisfied as well.
Web Hosting Overseas
No matter where you are located, businesses seem to clamor to host your website. The top hosting positions among these companies are not only hard to award, but hard to define as well. There are simply too many needs to be met for too many different websites to conclusively have ideal criteria for a hosting website. All top hosting contenders do meet standard requirements for standard hosting services, and overseas companies often will meet these needs for a lower price than US or Europe based competitors, but should hosting be outsourced overseas?
Why the Difference in Price
Foreign web hosting offers the same packages as top hosting companies for considerably less cost in most cases. While some overseas companies may simply be offering low rates as a sales ploy, other offer rates that adequately reflect the cost of living in that country. Overhead costs can be tremendously lower in countries such as India or Pakistan , which means the web hosting services can be offered for less.
This makes it difficult to determine the best route for selecting top hosting companies based solely on price. Low prices can be tempting, but there is always the question of quality. Do the budget services offer the same level of service? Like all things, that answer simply depends on the company. Overall, webmasters should not write off or immediately sign up for foreign hosting companies simply based on rates. There are many other determining factors to consider.
Location, Location, Location
Much like real estate, location matters. The closer your server is to your clients, the faster those clients will be able to access your website. Even in a virtual existence, the physical distance between servers and end users can make a difference. Most internet marketers target United States and European citizens, so by hosting halfway around the globe, website response time for target demographics may be adversely affected.
Customer Service
Many foreign companies are highly trained in customer service and are highly respectful of customers and other individuals. Customer, in this case meaning webmasters, care is a top priority for most of these companies as they realize they must work a bit harder than top hosting companies in the United States to garner the same level of respect and reputation.
Having stated that, hosting in countries with different customs as well as time zones can also be frustrating for webmasters. The same problems that complicate any sort of outsourcing affect web hosting as well. Communication gaps, misunderstandings, and difficulty finding a common time to work together, despite the claims of 24/7 service, can all plague individuals outsourcing hosting. These problems, of course, are not a guaranteed byproduct of overseas hosting, but rather should be determined on an individual basis.
Copyright notice: This original article is the property of Web Hosting Geeks (http://webhostinggeeks.com). Web Hosting Geeks provides independent customer and webmaster reviews of top 10 web hosting providers. Top web hosting reviews, best web hosting awards, web host rating, web hosting articles and more.
Why the Difference in Price
Foreign web hosting offers the same packages as top hosting companies for considerably less cost in most cases. While some overseas companies may simply be offering low rates as a sales ploy, other offer rates that adequately reflect the cost of living in that country. Overhead costs can be tremendously lower in countries such as India or Pakistan , which means the web hosting services can be offered for less.
This makes it difficult to determine the best route for selecting top hosting companies based solely on price. Low prices can be tempting, but there is always the question of quality. Do the budget services offer the same level of service? Like all things, that answer simply depends on the company. Overall, webmasters should not write off or immediately sign up for foreign hosting companies simply based on rates. There are many other determining factors to consider.
Location, Location, Location
Much like real estate, location matters. The closer your server is to your clients, the faster those clients will be able to access your website. Even in a virtual existence, the physical distance between servers and end users can make a difference. Most internet marketers target United States and European citizens, so by hosting halfway around the globe, website response time for target demographics may be adversely affected.
Customer Service
Many foreign companies are highly trained in customer service and are highly respectful of customers and other individuals. Customer, in this case meaning webmasters, care is a top priority for most of these companies as they realize they must work a bit harder than top hosting companies in the United States to garner the same level of respect and reputation.
Having stated that, hosting in countries with different customs as well as time zones can also be frustrating for webmasters. The same problems that complicate any sort of outsourcing affect web hosting as well. Communication gaps, misunderstandings, and difficulty finding a common time to work together, despite the claims of 24/7 service, can all plague individuals outsourcing hosting. These problems, of course, are not a guaranteed byproduct of overseas hosting, but rather should be determined on an individual basis.
Copyright notice: This original article is the property of Web Hosting Geeks (http://webhostinggeeks.com). Web Hosting Geeks provides independent customer and webmaster reviews of top 10 web hosting providers. Top web hosting reviews, best web hosting awards, web host rating, web hosting articles and more.
Choosing a New Web Hosting Plan
Now that you are ready to build a new website or blog, your next step is to find yourself a web hosting company that suits the needs of your project. When you start searching for a new web hosting provider you should review all aspects of their web hosting plans carefully. Here are a few of the most important things to consider when selecting a web hosting plan:
Pricing: Web hosting does not need to be very expensive thanks to an extremely competitive industry. Although pricing should not always be the main concern when choosing a web hosting plan, there are some affordable hosting options available for just a few dollars per month and these can be a good entry point for a new site.
Scalability: Once your web site begins to gain popularity you may need to consider upgrading your hosting plan to a more powerful one. This is why it's a good idea to choose a web host who offers an upgrade path form basic hosting all the way up to VPS or even dedicated plans. your host should be able to upgrade your hosting plan quickly and without any down-time.
Reliability: The reliability of your new web hostin plan is extremely important since this may effect the availability of your website due to potential server down-time. If the web host you select is always down or the connections are slow then it can impact your business and profits. Review the up-timegoogle_protectAndRun("ads_core.google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad);percentage record the web host has listed on their website. You may also find that some web hosts provide you with an up-time tracker so you can monitor the up-time of their servers.
Customer service and support: You should ensure that the web hosting provider you decide to go with is easily accessible via email, live chat or telephone, preferably 24 hours a day. Some web hosts will advertise this on their site, but unfortunatly some will not always honor it. Before committing to any web host, it's a good idea to send a test email or two to their support staff to ensure they respond quickly and helpfully to your inquiry. Another good test is to call them outside normal business hours to see if someone is available to answer your query. This can give you a good indication of what service level you can expect should you decide to host with the company.
Hosting plan features: When selecting a new web host, always review the features they offer on their site thoroughly. You should not assume that the web host provides all the features you are looking for. Go through their features list in detail and if there is a particular feature you require, and it’s not listed, then send a support query to see if this feature can be made available.
In summary the key to selecting a web hosting company is to always do the necessary research so you will making an informed decision, and ensure the company offers all of the features you need at the right price.
Pricing: Web hosting does not need to be very expensive thanks to an extremely competitive industry. Although pricing should not always be the main concern when choosing a web hosting plan, there are some affordable hosting options available for just a few dollars per month and these can be a good entry point for a new site.
Scalability: Once your web site begins to gain popularity you may need to consider upgrading your hosting plan to a more powerful one. This is why it's a good idea to choose a web host who offers an upgrade path form basic hosting all the way up to VPS or even dedicated plans. your host should be able to upgrade your hosting plan quickly and without any down-time.
Reliability: The reliability of your new web hostin plan is extremely important since this may effect the availability of your website due to potential server down-time. If the web host you select is always down or the connections are slow then it can impact your business and profits. Review the up-timegoogle_protectAndRun("ads_core.google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad);percentage record the web host has listed on their website. You may also find that some web hosts provide you with an up-time tracker so you can monitor the up-time of their servers.
Customer service and support: You should ensure that the web hosting provider you decide to go with is easily accessible via email, live chat or telephone, preferably 24 hours a day. Some web hosts will advertise this on their site, but unfortunatly some will not always honor it. Before committing to any web host, it's a good idea to send a test email or two to their support staff to ensure they respond quickly and helpfully to your inquiry. Another good test is to call them outside normal business hours to see if someone is available to answer your query. This can give you a good indication of what service level you can expect should you decide to host with the company.
Hosting plan features: When selecting a new web host, always review the features they offer on their site thoroughly. You should not assume that the web host provides all the features you are looking for. Go through their features list in detail and if there is a particular feature you require, and it’s not listed, then send a support query to see if this feature can be made available.
In summary the key to selecting a web hosting company is to always do the necessary research so you will making an informed decision, and ensure the company offers all of the features you need at the right price.
Introduction to FTP
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol and is a standard application protocol that uses the Internet’s TCP/IP protocol to transfer files from one computer to another.
FTP is a very common process today. FTP is commonly used to transfer web pages from the creator’s computer to the server where the web site is situated. Also FTP is used to download programs and files to your computer from a server.
How do I use FTP?
To use FTP you will need to install FTP software on your computer. There are many freely available FTP programs on the Internet such as, FTP explorer (http://www.ftpx.com) and Smart FTP (http://www.smartftp.com).
How do I connect with FTP?
Follow the steps below to connect to a server, to upload files using FTP Explorer:
Open FTP Explorer.
Click on the connect button on the toolbar or select connect from the Tools menu.
In the Profile Name text, enter a name to give your FTP connection.
In the Host Address text box enter the address of the server you are connecting to (this can either be the DNS entry or the IP Address).
Enter the Port number that the server accepts FTP connections on (the default port for FTP is 21).
Tick the Use PASV option, if your computer is behind a firewall, which does not allow external FTP connections.
Tick the Use Firewall option if your computer is located behind a firewall.
Either enter a user name for the FTP login or tick the Anonymous option (the anonymous option will only work if the server is set up to allow anonymous FTP connections – if this is selected go to step 10).
Enter the user’s password in the Password text box.
In the Initial path text box, enter the path on the server, where you want your connection to start at – this is optional.
In the Attempts text box enter the number of times to try the FTP connection if fails, you will need to have at least 1 in this text box.
In the Download path you can specify the path on your computer where to save the files downloaded from the server – this is optional, you can specify this later if you like.
To establish the connection with the server click on the Connect button.
How do I upload files using FTP?
Once you have established your connection with the server the next step is to upload your files to the server. The following describes how to do this:
Go to the path on the server where you want to upload your files to.
In the Tools menu click on the Upload button.
Select the file or files that you want to upload (to select more than one file hold down the CTRL key).
NOTE: You can also upload files by dragging and dropping them to the directory/folder on the server.
Click on the Open button. Your file will now be uploaded to the server. (You will see this uploading process in the dialog box.)
How do I download files using FTP?
You can also use FTP to download files to your computer from a server. The following describes how to download a file.
Make sure you are connected to the server.
Go to the file that you want to download.
Right click on the file and select Download To..
Select the path on your computer where you want the file to be saved to.
The file will now be downloaded to your computer. (You will see this downloading process happening in the dialog box.)
How do I end my connection?
You can end the connection by simply clicking on the Disconnect button on the tool bar or by clicking on Disconnect from the Tools menu.
FTP is a very common process today. FTP is commonly used to transfer web pages from the creator’s computer to the server where the web site is situated. Also FTP is used to download programs and files to your computer from a server.
How do I use FTP?
To use FTP you will need to install FTP software on your computer. There are many freely available FTP programs on the Internet such as, FTP explorer (http://www.ftpx.com) and Smart FTP (http://www.smartftp.com).
How do I connect with FTP?
Follow the steps below to connect to a server, to upload files using FTP Explorer:
Open FTP Explorer.
Click on the connect button on the toolbar or select connect from the Tools menu.
In the Profile Name text, enter a name to give your FTP connection.
In the Host Address text box enter the address of the server you are connecting to (this can either be the DNS entry or the IP Address).
Enter the Port number that the server accepts FTP connections on (the default port for FTP is 21).
Tick the Use PASV option, if your computer is behind a firewall, which does not allow external FTP connections.
Tick the Use Firewall option if your computer is located behind a firewall.
Either enter a user name for the FTP login or tick the Anonymous option (the anonymous option will only work if the server is set up to allow anonymous FTP connections – if this is selected go to step 10).
Enter the user’s password in the Password text box.
In the Initial path text box, enter the path on the server, where you want your connection to start at – this is optional.
In the Attempts text box enter the number of times to try the FTP connection if fails, you will need to have at least 1 in this text box.
In the Download path you can specify the path on your computer where to save the files downloaded from the server – this is optional, you can specify this later if you like.
To establish the connection with the server click on the Connect button.
How do I upload files using FTP?
Once you have established your connection with the server the next step is to upload your files to the server. The following describes how to do this:
Go to the path on the server where you want to upload your files to.
In the Tools menu click on the Upload button.
Select the file or files that you want to upload (to select more than one file hold down the CTRL key).
NOTE: You can also upload files by dragging and dropping them to the directory/folder on the server.
Click on the Open button. Your file will now be uploaded to the server. (You will see this uploading process in the dialog box.)
How do I download files using FTP?
You can also use FTP to download files to your computer from a server. The following describes how to download a file.
Make sure you are connected to the server.
Go to the file that you want to download.
Right click on the file and select Download To..
Select the path on your computer where you want the file to be saved to.
The file will now be downloaded to your computer. (You will see this downloading process happening in the dialog box.)
How do I end my connection?
You can end the connection by simply clicking on the Disconnect button on the tool bar or by clicking on Disconnect from the Tools menu.
Why need web hosting
To make your website available to the internet community, the website files need to be hosted on a web server. A web server is a powerful computer, which can accomodate thousands of requests for your website pages. A web server has to be connected to the internet all day and night so that users can access it anytime. A web hosting provider is a company that sells space on these web servers to website owners like you. They provide a full-time, high-bandwidth connection to the internet, so that visitors can access your site easily.
Reasons for not hosting a website on your home computer:
1. Server and server software (web server, mail server, firewall, virus protection etc.) can be expensive.
2. The server needs a 24/7 high speed connection to the internet, which is relatively costly.
3. Setting up all the configurations including mail server, FTP server and DNS server can be complicated.
4. Server maintenance requires 24 hour support, special skills and knowledge.
Now-a-days web hosting is very cheap (usually starting from under $5/month) due to intense competition in the web hosting industry. There are free web hosting companies also, however, they are not recommended for professional or company websites. The free web hosts will recover their costs by showing ads on your website, and provides less flexibility in terms of having your own domain names and email addresses.
How the internet works?
Internet or world wide web (www) is a network of computers that are connected to each other. The companies that provide this network are known as the Internet Service Providers (ISP). The computers, that host websites, share their web files (web pages, images, flash etc.) so that anyone can access them from anywhere in the world when connected to the internet. This file sharing is achieved by a software know as the web server software. The most common web server software are Apache and Windows IIS (Internet Information Server).
Users access the websites on the internet by sending requests to the internet. The software used to make these requests is known as a web client. Most commonly used web client is a web browser such as Internet Explorer, Netscape or Opera.
Reasons for not hosting a website on your home computer:
1. Server and server software (web server, mail server, firewall, virus protection etc.) can be expensive.
2. The server needs a 24/7 high speed connection to the internet, which is relatively costly.
3. Setting up all the configurations including mail server, FTP server and DNS server can be complicated.
4. Server maintenance requires 24 hour support, special skills and knowledge.
Now-a-days web hosting is very cheap (usually starting from under $5/month) due to intense competition in the web hosting industry. There are free web hosting companies also, however, they are not recommended for professional or company websites. The free web hosts will recover their costs by showing ads on your website, and provides less flexibility in terms of having your own domain names and email addresses.
How the internet works?
Internet or world wide web (www) is a network of computers that are connected to each other. The companies that provide this network are known as the Internet Service Providers (ISP). The computers, that host websites, share their web files (web pages, images, flash etc.) so that anyone can access them from anywhere in the world when connected to the internet. This file sharing is achieved by a software know as the web server software. The most common web server software are Apache and Windows IIS (Internet Information Server).
Users access the websites on the internet by sending requests to the internet. The software used to make these requests is known as a web client. Most commonly used web client is a web browser such as Internet Explorer, Netscape or Opera.
Web Hosting Introduction-2
Just about anybody can create a presence on the Internet. Building a web site can be as simple as using a word processor, but once you have the site you need a way to publish it on the World Wide Web. This is where web-hosting companies come in.
A web host rents you disk space and provides all the services necessary for others to see your web site on the Internet. Barring technical problems, a web host operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so that anybody in the world can access your web site at any time.
There are literally thousands of web hosts to choose from so choosing an appropriate host can be a difficult task. The prices range from free to hundreds of dollars a year. Hosting companies can offer a multitude of services that can be confusing to a newcomer. This series of articles will help you to sort out all the information available and give you the confidence to make the proper decision about choosing a web host.
Free or Paid?
There are plenty of hosting companies that provide free hosting, so why bother paying for it? The old adage ‘You get what you pay for’ is just as valid in the electronic age as it was 100 years ago. In web hosting, when you pay nothing you sometimes end up with nothing.
Most free web hosts offer limited services. Even though they are not charging you to host your website, they still need to make money. They often do this by placing advertising on your site. You probably won’t have any control over what kind of ads show up – it’s a matter of take it or leave it.
In addition, free hosts may restrict the content you place on your site. You may not be allowed to sell things or have certain content such as videos or music. Finally, your web site could simply disappear overnight. New companies that offer free hosting pop up almost everyday, but they also vanish with astonishing regularity. When your hosting company vanishes, your web site goes with it.
If you are serious about having a web site you need to use a reliable web host. Prices range considerably – some companies offer rates as low as $2 a month while others charge $60 or more. Be careful, though. High rates don’t always translate as high service. Some of the lower priced hosts offer reliable, stable environments that allow your website to be accessed day in day out for years.
Generally speaking the more you pay the more you get. Higher rates should bring you more storage space, more bandwidth to handle Internet traffic, and more services such as databases, email accounts, mass mailers, and the ability to add custom scripts. Higher rates can also mean better technical service if you have problems with your website.
What is a Web Server?
Whichever hosting company you choose, it helps to understand some of the technical details about their service. Every host has dedicated computers called servers which connect to the Internet and ’serve’ pages when they are requested. That is, whenever anyone wants to see a certain web page by clicking on a link the request is sent to the particular server where that web page is stored. The server responds by sending HTML data across the Internet. A web server must have fast connections to be able to serve pages quickly. For the greatest speed and reliability try to find a host that has multiple high-speed connections as well as reliable back up power supplies in case of power outages.
A web host rents you disk space and provides all the services necessary for others to see your web site on the Internet. Barring technical problems, a web host operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so that anybody in the world can access your web site at any time.
There are literally thousands of web hosts to choose from so choosing an appropriate host can be a difficult task. The prices range from free to hundreds of dollars a year. Hosting companies can offer a multitude of services that can be confusing to a newcomer. This series of articles will help you to sort out all the information available and give you the confidence to make the proper decision about choosing a web host.
Free or Paid?
There are plenty of hosting companies that provide free hosting, so why bother paying for it? The old adage ‘You get what you pay for’ is just as valid in the electronic age as it was 100 years ago. In web hosting, when you pay nothing you sometimes end up with nothing.
Most free web hosts offer limited services. Even though they are not charging you to host your website, they still need to make money. They often do this by placing advertising on your site. You probably won’t have any control over what kind of ads show up – it’s a matter of take it or leave it.
In addition, free hosts may restrict the content you place on your site. You may not be allowed to sell things or have certain content such as videos or music. Finally, your web site could simply disappear overnight. New companies that offer free hosting pop up almost everyday, but they also vanish with astonishing regularity. When your hosting company vanishes, your web site goes with it.
If you are serious about having a web site you need to use a reliable web host. Prices range considerably – some companies offer rates as low as $2 a month while others charge $60 or more. Be careful, though. High rates don’t always translate as high service. Some of the lower priced hosts offer reliable, stable environments that allow your website to be accessed day in day out for years.
Generally speaking the more you pay the more you get. Higher rates should bring you more storage space, more bandwidth to handle Internet traffic, and more services such as databases, email accounts, mass mailers, and the ability to add custom scripts. Higher rates can also mean better technical service if you have problems with your website.
What is a Web Server?
Whichever hosting company you choose, it helps to understand some of the technical details about their service. Every host has dedicated computers called servers which connect to the Internet and ’serve’ pages when they are requested. That is, whenever anyone wants to see a certain web page by clicking on a link the request is sent to the particular server where that web page is stored. The server responds by sending HTML data across the Internet. A web server must have fast connections to be able to serve pages quickly. For the greatest speed and reliability try to find a host that has multiple high-speed connections as well as reliable back up power supplies in case of power outages.
Web Hosting Introduction
What is the World Wide Web?
* The Web is a network of computers all over the world.
* All the computers in the Web can communicate with each other.
* All the computers use a communication protocol called HTTP.
How does the WWW work?
Web information is stored in documents called web pages.
Web pages are files stored on computers called web servers.
Computers reading the web pages are called web clients.
Web clients view the pages with a program called a web browser.
Popular browsers are Internet Explorer and Firefox.
How does a Browser Fetch a Web Page?
A browser fetches a page from a web server by a request.
A request is a standard HTTP request containing a page address.
An address may look like this: http://www.example.com/default.htm.
How does a Browser Display a Web Page?
All web pages contain instructions for display.
The browser displays the page by reading these instructions.
The most common display instructions are called HTML tags.
HTML tags look like this "
This is a paragraph.
"
If you want to learn more about HTML, please visit our HTML tutorial.
What is a Web Server?
The collection of all your web pages is called your web site.
To let others view your web pages, you must publish your web site.
To publish your work, you must copy your site to a web server.
Your own PC can act as a web server if it is connected to a network.
Most common is to use an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
What is an Internet Service Provider?
ISP stands for Internet Service Provider.
An ISP provides Internet Services.
A common Internet service is web hosting.
Web hosting means storing your web site on a public server.
Web hosting normally includes email services.
Web hosting often includes domain name registration.
* The Web is a network of computers all over the world.
* All the computers in the Web can communicate with each other.
* All the computers use a communication protocol called HTTP.
How does the WWW work?
Web information is stored in documents called web pages.
Web pages are files stored on computers called web servers.
Computers reading the web pages are called web clients.
Web clients view the pages with a program called a web browser.
Popular browsers are Internet Explorer and Firefox.
How does a Browser Fetch a Web Page?
A browser fetches a page from a web server by a request.
A request is a standard HTTP request containing a page address.
An address may look like this: http://www.example.com/default.htm.
How does a Browser Display a Web Page?
All web pages contain instructions for display.
The browser displays the page by reading these instructions.
The most common display instructions are called HTML tags.
HTML tags look like this "
This is a paragraph.
"
If you want to learn more about HTML, please visit our HTML tutorial.
What is a Web Server?
The collection of all your web pages is called your web site.
To let others view your web pages, you must publish your web site.
To publish your work, you must copy your site to a web server.
Your own PC can act as a web server if it is connected to a network.
Most common is to use an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
What is an Internet Service Provider?
ISP stands for Internet Service Provider.
An ISP provides Internet Services.
A common Internet service is web hosting.
Web hosting means storing your web site on a public server.
Web hosting normally includes email services.
Web hosting often includes domain name registration.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)