Choosing A Web Host
Choosing a web host for your website is the most important decision for a website owner. But how do you know which web host is good and which is not? Here is a list of ten points you will need to consider when choosing a web hosting company.- Linux vs. Windows - Linux and Windows are the most common web servers. Apart from some FTP commands and programs that are a little different between Linux and Windows hosts, there really isn't much difference between these two platforms from the perspective of a person deciding on which hosting platform to choose.
- Security - Unfortunately, this issue has turned into yet another Windows vs. Linux debate. Many view the Windows platform as more vulnerable than Linux. This is probably due to the obvious fact that Windows is more widely used, therefore more attacked.
- Shared or dedicated? - Third, you will need to consider whether to go for a shared or dedicated web hosting plan. This will be determined by the size of your site. You will need to establish your actual needs before going for the top of the range package.
- Price - This directly depends on the disk space available on the package you choose. 5 MB is sufficient for most business Web sites. But remember to look to the future: as your company grows, your hosting needs will certainly change too.
- 24 hour support - Almost all web hosts advertise a 24-hour support but I found this is not always the case. So before going for a particular company, test them. Call their support number at 2am!
- Publishing tool - If you intend using Microsoft proprietary technologies such as ASP, FrontPage, Access, the .NET environment, Windows Streaming Media, MSSQL, you will need a Windows web host in order to run them.
- Contract period - The rule of thumb here is: don't get locked in a long term contract before trying out your web host's quality of service. Go for web hosts that offer trial periods (like a month). If you are happy during that period, extend the contract.
- And emails? - You will need a number of aliases to allocate to each of your employees. Check how many aliases you are allocated with your host package.
- Till death to us part - How free are you to change web hosts? Does your domain name belong to you or to your web host? Check your domains' "who-is" and make sure it is listed as yours.
- The extras - Enquire about extra features such as mailing list management programs, and automatic response features for e-mail messages. And one last thing: check for references. Ask for a few of your web host's clients details and contact them!
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