Choosing A Web Provider

To begin with, it is good to know what you are looking for in a web provider..

Do you need hosting for just one blog? Or for your Favorite Charity's Yearly
Fund Raising Gala? Or just one website, to showcase the new restaurant or
coaching business you plan to open? Or instead, do you fancy a virtual
empire of dozens or even hundreds of websites? And shattering your
previous income ceiling (or glass ceiling?) in the process?

If you want to build that virtual empire, for sure you need to be
concerned with bandwidth, unlimited domains and
subdomains, possible domain parking,etc.

But if you just need a simple website or two, and/or a blog or two,
your web provider requirements become a lot simpler.

And you may even decide to use a free web hosting service for
your blog or site.

But when we are serious about our website and business, we
at some point should be hosting with a for pay host, for many
reasons. Free web hosts usually want to put some form of
advertising somewhere on our websites.

And if not, they are extremely prone to disappearing overnight,
since they have fewer sources of income to keep their doors open.

If free web hosting is not for you, you will want to choose a for-pay
webhosting service.

What follows here, is a very short course in choosing the best
web provider for you and your web business, if you are like the
vast majority of new internet business owners with standard
needs and requirements.

Should you want even more information, or if you will have an
intricate or complicated mega-site in mind, more web host
decision help is readily available for free on the internet, by
entering into any search engine:
"what to look for in a web hosting company" + FTP, PHP, Perl,
SSI, .htaccess, telnet, SSH, MySQL, or crontabs, per your
specific needs, for example...

As for the vast majority of new website business owners, the
following minimal website hosting requirements should get
their internet business off to a good, stable, and realistic start.

1. Up time. Here we should look for at least 99.5% or higher. And the
web host should provide some kind of refund (eg prorated refund or
discount) should they fail to keep their promise. You can try to verify
their uptime claims beforehand if you can, by reading past or present
customer comments about them.

And by checking their up time with:

www.besthostratings.com

(The web host service I now recommend, Arvixe webhosting has an amazing
uptime track record.)

http://www.arvixe.com

2. Bandwidth. Here, we should go for 3-5 GB, which should be sufficient
unless you are an Ebay, or a Frank Kern, Armand Morin, John Delavera,
Marlon Sanders, etc; these are Internet Marketing gurus with gigantic
internet presences,and a gazillion visitors a day.

You should be aware of web hosting services touting "unlimited bandwidth".
Because should you be guilty of excessive bandwidth use, you may well
be given the bad news that was buried deep in the web hosting company's
terms of service statements.

Which you too often will first discover upon receiving an exorbitant "bandwidth
exceeded" bill for having "exceeded" the "unlimited bandwidth". So always look
for details on how much bandwidth usage your web hosting site actually allows.
Often you will discover that they actually define "unlimited" as actually limited
in one way or another..

BTW most new sites that are not gigantic software archives or the like,
usually use less than 3 GB of bandwidth per month. But as your traffic
starts to build over time. And as you become more well-known. And
gradually, more widely linked, your bandwidth will surely grow. So
be sure you know their policy on any overages

3 Disk Space. Our needs for this may vary, depending on how many
pictures we use on our web pages. And whether we need sound files,
video clips, etc. But if you are like me and most other folks. And not
yet an Amazon, or Internet Marketing Guru, you should be okay with
5K.

Most web sites need less than 10 MB of web space, so even if you find a web
hosting provider that tempts you with 500 MB (or even "unlimited space"),
be aware that you are unlikely to use that much space. So don't let the
500 MB of space be too big a consideration when comparing hosts
with each other.

4. Multiple Domain Hosting. We should be able to have more than one
domain up and running at our chosen web host.. If you are thinking
of reselling web space, or using multiple domains or subdomains in your
account, make sure they provide for this. Along with any extra fee(s)
they will charge for this, if any. And finally, determine if any such
charges are a one-off, or an ongoing monthly charge.

5. Technical Support. Nothing less than 24/7 should suffice here. The
last thing we ever need is to be hung out to dry at the worst possible
moment, with no one available to help us out of the downtime
quagmire. So don't accept a web hosting provider which doesn't
have adequate support on weekends or public holidays.

And just because a webhost claims to have 24/7 support does not
make it so. Test them out. Email them, call them, or check
availability of online chat for example, early Sunday morning.
Or late Friday night. Make a note of their response times.

Besides their speed upon answering, check on their technical competence.
Do we really want to sign up for a host that is run by a bunch of sales
people, who only know how to sell sell sell, and not fix our problems?
And last but not least find out if they have actual experienced systems
administrators on staff.

When we call in for technical support, it can be more than frustrating to
be stuck talking with a non-technical "customer service" representative
pulled off the sales desk, when we really need to talk to a systems
administrator who can fix our doggone website problems!

So determine the structure of their support department.
And how quickly you can communicate with a
systems administrator should you need one.

IMHO You should look for technical support
the caliber of what you find at Arvixe.

http://www.arvixe.com

(Continued in Part Two)...

Terry Coulter
Copyright 2010 by Terry Coulter

Whew. As if considerations one through 5 were not enougn....you should
also consider:

6. .Email Addresses. If we have our own sites, we'll probably need some at
our own domains, like sales@domainours.com, etc. Does the host provide
this with our package? Do they allow us a catch-all email account allowing
ANY email address at our domain to be routed to us?

Can we set an email address that instantly replies to the sender with a
preset message, aka an autoresponder? Is it possible to retrieve our
domain's mail with our email software? And can it be automatically
forwarded to our current email address?

7. Control Panel.. Sometimes called a cPanel, which allows us to manage
certain aspects of our web account our self. Usually, and at minimum,
our website host should allow us to do mundane things like add, delete,
and manage our email addresses, and change passwords for our account.

I would balk at using a host where I have to go through their technical support
each time I want to change a password. Or add or delete an email account.
Would you really want to wait around for their technical support to make
the changes for you? Also, I would suggest going with a host offering
Fantastico, which allows you to upload word press blogs on to your
domain.

8. Operating System. I would suggest Unix. Unix systems that run the Apache
server can allow you to configure a lot of things that you usually need on
your site (error pages, dynamic PHP, blocking email harvesters, IP
address blocking, etc). Without needing to ask your web host to
implement them. And knowledge about configuring Apache
servers is also very widely available.

Good lens on the difference between linux and windows hosting:

http://www.squidoo.com/web-hosting-info

9. .Price. Generally, the monthly plans offer the best value. Because even
if a yearly option seems more economical, if we want to change hosts for
any reason in mid-year, we will probably be stuck paying for web hosting
with them, that we never used. Or at least, pay monthly with a new web
hosting service until we feel more assured of their reliability and honesty.

Price should never be your only priority. "You get what you pay for" can often
apply with disastrous results to web hosting. Why risk getting a host that
provides you an on again, off again connection to the Internet? With a
host running at maximum capacity, with major uptime issues? And scant
else in terms of support?

We need a rock solid platform for our e-commerce web hosting, so like my
father wisely told me, "It's not what it costs, it's what it is worth!"

On the other side of the coin, in web hosting, high price alone does not
always translate automatically into quality hosting and support. So once
again, due diligence can make the difference between ongoing struggles
with your web host providers. And a smoothly operating web business.

Speaking of price, also make sure you are clear about any extra charges.
Demand that the web hosts you are considering provide you with a tally
outlining the free support they offer, along with what can cost extra.
And last but not least, the things they refuse to support at all.

Many webhosts today disguise their substandard level of "free support" behind vague
claims alleging high-quality support. So we need to ask them for specifics before
awarding them our business! And realistically, is it possible to get first-class support
paying only $4.95 a month? At that price, which company can afford to hire
enough great help and administrative support to cater to every user?

10. Security. Protecting our site's data from unwanted intruders is another
important consideration when seeking a webhosting service. The hosting
company's security protocols should be examined. Protection from
everyday denial of service attacks, along with protection from the
various hacks and cracks that will be attempted on your server,
is critically essential.

The web page hosting company should be responsible for upgrading and
maintaining necessary security measures.

11. "Blackholed IP's" Some web hosts could care less about who is hosting
on their networks as long as the clients pay their bills. These hosts will allow
porn sites, spammers, and servers that generate security problems on
their network for the sake of a buck.

Check with the best web host services you are considering to see whether their
networks are blackholed. Also, for a link to a third-party source that keeps
track of blackholed networks and compiles lists of them, go to:
www.spamhaus.org/sbl/isp.lasso

12. Stability. Bigness does not necessarily mean a web host is stable and
secure. Even some of the biggest webhost services have filed for bankruptcy
protection. Or were saved by being sold off to another company, in
some instances causing rocky transitions in service for their clients.

To give yourself some protection here, try to find out:

How long has the Web host been doing business?
Is current ownership the same as always?
Are they profitable? With positive cash flow,
from revenue generated from their operations?

(Continued In Part Three)...

Terry Coulter

Copyright 2010 Terry Coulter

Since a great, reliable web provider is one of necessary pillars of an internet
business, it stands to reason we should do a little bit of due diligence, to see
if the web host you are considering always lives up to all of their promises.

Therefore, it is a good idea to use Google, and/or any other favorite search
engine, to see what others are saying about the web hosting service. And
their level and quality of technical and sales support.

In all, there are at least four sources available to check out web hosting reviews:

1. The first is reviews on webhosting review sites. Some of them paid, and
some of them not, directly at least. Although even if not directly paid by the
web host company to pen a glowing review of the web host, they may be
indirectly receiving value in the form of affiliate commissions, earned by
driving traffic, with some resulting sales, to the web host's web site.
So such reviews should be taken with a grain or two of salt.

Another consideration is if there are negatives in the reviews on the
website review sites. If you see a pattern, it may be that, for example,
a once great hosting company has started to deteriorate in
technical and customer service quality..

2. Comments by posters in internet marketing forums and blogs.
Which you can find by searching in the search engines, and then
looking for threads in the forums about the web hosting services.

3. Comments by past and present customers posted on the web hosting
review sites.

With both forum posters and customer reviews, consider also the dates of the
comments. Sometimes you will see a shift from mostly positive, to more and
more negatives about a certain web host as one or more wheels come off.

4. From the web host company itself, if you are lucky. See if you can find
out what former or current clients are saying about them. Can your Web Host
candidate provide you with success stories from clients with similar needs
or configurations to yours? Will it give you references from clients who can
tell you about their experience using that webhosting service?

Overall, note any major or continuing red flags in the reviews. And customer
comments, about the web hosting companies you are investigating. But
just be sure to also consider any rebuttals by a web host company about
any alleged neglect, or lack of help or response.

And secondly, ask yourself if the mentioned complaints all seem valid to you.
Sometimes a person will take it upon themselves to destroy a company
that has angered them. And plaster the internet with false allegations. Even
when they themselves as the customer were actually at some point at least
partially responsible for what happened in their complaint.

For example, did THEY refuse to respond to the company's attempt to
communicate with them to solve their problem, as is claimed by a
company representative rebutting the unhappy customer's complaint?

Likewise, do the positive posts seem real? Or do most seem like a company
flack posting basically the same positive comments over and over on the
review sites, to build a false sense of security in the reader? This has
been known to happen from time to time with a few companies.

Last but not least, sadly... some glowing reviews may come from people working
for the web host itself. Under the guise of multiple satisfied customers. Likewise,
negative reviews of a particular webhosting service can sometimes come from
the keyboards of unscrupulous competitors of the unfairly maligned web host.

In the end, when it comes to customer service satisfaction, you should go
with your overall feeling you get, from all of the comments and reviews
you find in your investigations of your web host candidates.

And in the absence of any definite feeling about it, you can compare
the feedback you gathered about the internet hosting you are considering.
Sometimes you will see a pattern that helps you decide one way or
another. Like the pattern I saw with Arvixe, who seemed to have
only positive reviews, along with dozens and dozens of positive
comments from seemingly very satisfied customers, every
place that I checked.

You can also consider the feedback in the context of your needs..
For example, if you are a Word Press tech wizard, who can solve
anything Word Press that comes your way, in your sleep, then
the level of tech support may not be that important to you,

Or, if price is a consideration, given two equally appealing web hosting
candidates, based on your research, you might decide to go with the
host offering the best discounts. Or best sign-up promotion at the time.

Many end up settling for a trade-off between price. The technical features
and benefits they need. And the apparent reliability they are willing to
live with.

In any case, we should choose wisely. Because the wrong web host decision
can lead to a disaster. And potentially major disruptions should we have to
change later. Who needs our websites crashing on the very Tuesday
or Thursday, that our biggest promotion of the year is rolling out?

Imagine what would happen if we were unable to reach anyone to fix
our problem? Or if the web host kept telling us the problem was
on our end, not theirs? If it was not the actual case? Not a pretty

nternet disaster picture.

Another take on avoiding the pitfalls in choosing a web host is at:

http://www.squidoo.com/WebHostingBasics


The time you spend, doing a bit of due diligence, can turn out to be
some of the best time you have ever spent. Having a first-class
web hosting service in your corner, and hosting your business,
can be priceless.

In closing, I hope you have found this short course in selecting a
web provider to be helpful.

In case you are wondering my own choices for best webhosting services, among those I have investigated, IMHO my top two choices are: Arvixe, my top choice, and HostGator, my second choice.

Terry Coulter

P.S. To find out more about Arvixe,
or sign up for hosting there, go to:
http://www.arvixe.com

Or visit here to read my review of Arvixe.

And to find out more about Host Gator, my second rated recommendation, visit:

http://www.hostgator.com

P.P.S. Necessary Disclaimer: My recommendations were made as of the time I wrote this lens. The recommended webhost's performance or service can start to deteriorate at any time. And just so you know, I will receive compensation from the recommended hosts, should you sign up with them through the links on this page. Just so you know.

Copyright 2010 Terry Coulter, all rights reserved.

Thanks again for dropping by. Please don't hesitate to
let me know if I can help you in any way.
And good luck in all of your marketing
endeavors, on and off the Internet.

You are welcome to follow me on Facebook or Twitter, if you like.
And also on Twitter under ProductReports.

http://www.facebook.com/TerryCoulter

http://www.twitter.com/TerryCoulter

To your never ending success,

Terry Coulter

BTW...The material in the TEXT MODULES on this Squidoo lens is
ORIGINAL CONTENT that is...as you might guess...
Copyright 2010 by Terry Coulter