How to Pick the Right Web Host

In order for a Web site to be made available online, it is necessary to obtain two main things: A domain name and Web hosting. Web hosting, in the simplest of terms, is the rental of space and other resources on a web server. A Web site (and all of its files) are housed on a remote server (the Web host), which then allows this Web site (and its files) to be available to the general public.

There are a lot of Web hosting companies out there, and specific hosting plans vary widely in price and features. Most Web hosting companies provide a wide range of services, from budget hosting to business hosting to dedicated hosting. These factors make it difficult to sort through the abundance of information and find the most suitable Web host and plan.

So, how does one find the "right" Web host? Start with the basics: What do you definitely need in a Web host? If you are not exactly sure, start with a short list and add to it later. Begin with a couple of general questions:

· How much disk space do you need? Most Web hosting plans limit how much space you will have to store files, graphics, etc. on their server. A Web site planning to have a large amount of pages and/or planning to use a lot of images (or other large files) will need a greater amount of disk space.

· How much data transfer do you need? Most hosting plans limit how much data transfer you are allotted each month. Data = images, text, audio files, video files and everything else that a server transfers to a user's web browser. Approximately 40,000 page views = 1 GB of data transfer. Web sites that get a lot of visitors need larger amounts of data transfer. Also, graphics-heavy sites will need more data transfer than more basic sites.

· How many email accounts do you need? Add up one for each employee and one for each function (sales, support, webmaster, etc.) and make sure to purchase a Web hosting plan that allows at least that many email accounts. Also, do you want full POP3 access, Web-based email or both?

Compare the plans and prices of a couple of different Web hosts and then move on to the next question: What don't you need in a Web host? Often times, a person or business will overpay for Web hosting simply because the hosting plan they chose had a number of unneeded (and perhaps costly) features.

· E-commerce capabilities. Are you planning on creating and/or maintaining an online store? If not, you may not need e-commerce features, such as shopping cart software, SSL support or a merchant account.

· Database, script and extension support. Some hosts may throw a long list of features at you, such as Frontpage, MS Access, MySQL, MS SQL, Perl support, PHP support, ASP support and SSI support. Make sure you are not paying extra for any of these that you don't need.

This leads to the question of operating systems. Do you want a UNIX hosting plan or a Windows hosting plan?

· Unix Web hosting. Unix is the most commonly used operating system among Web servers. It is known to be a flexible, reliable and stable operating system.

· Windows Web hosting. Windows hosting plans give you the ability to utilize many forms of dynamic content and specialized databases. Windows hosting plans are often used for sites utilizing Frontpage, ASP, MS Access databases, MS SQL Servers and other Microsoft applications.

Other factors to take into consideration:

· How long the specific hosting company has been around.

· How costly it would be to add features if needed at a later date.

· How reliable the specific hosting company is known to be.

Just as you are never quite sure about the reliability of the car you just bought, purchasing a Web hosting plan is much the same. All that you can really do is make the most informed opinion as possible - spend time to research what you need (and don't need) and the options available to you out there.

Cover all of your bases and you will feel confident with the choice you make. In the end, it will become clear whether or not you made the right choice. The more you research the options now, the better the chances are that you will make a wise decision.

:: Compare Web Hosts Now

^ Back to top

INTERNET FAQs

INTERNET GLOSSARY

POP3 Email Account - Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3)...
Anonymous FTP - Anonymous File Transfer Protocol. Allows the...
Virtual Private Servers - Shared hosting servers in which each...
SQL - Structured Query Language. A database query...
More Internet Definitions