A Website Host or Website Hosting Provider is simply a computer, or group of computers, or groups of computer groups, connected to the Internet which allows you to put your files, typically webpages, on them in special folders so they can be viewed over the Internet. They map your domain name (your website address, like www.yourwebsite.com) to the location where your files are stored on their computers so they can be viewed over the internet by anyone entering your domain name or clicking a link to it. Granted their are many complicated protocals and transmissions that occur, but in short, they are simply servers connected to the Interent where you can store your files so that they can be viewed over the Internet.

1. Reliability and Speed

Not only should the web host be reliable and fast, Uptime (the time when your website is up and working) should be guaranteed. Uptime should be as near 100% as possible, granted no web host provider will guarantee
100% uptime, at least not a realistic provider that offers a refund, prorated rate, or discount based on
downtime, which is another thing to look for. Look for a minimum uptime guarantee of 99.5% with a discounted
rate if your website falls below that threshold.

2. Data Transfer (Traffic/Bandwidth)

Data transfer (referred to as "traffic" or "bandwidth") is the amount of bytes transferred from your site to
visitors when they browse your site. Beware of "Unlimited Bandwidth" as there all always limits (sometimes
buried in fine print) and charges or penalties for exceeding those limits. An average new website will use an
estimated 3 GB (gigabytes) of Bandwidth per month, but that will increase as the site evolves and handles
more traffic, so become familiar with the web host's bandwidth overage policy.

3. Disk Space

Disk Space is the amount of storage space you have on your web host's server, your computer hard drive has a
limited amount of disk space, well so does the space you rent on the web. For the same reasons as above,
beware the "Unlimited Disk Space", ploy, because it is limited and usually far overstated. They may offer you
500 MB (megabytes) of Disk Space, but in actuality, most websites are under 10 MB, so don't put too much
weight in your decision based on this, but be mindful it is a factor.

4. Technical support

Settle for nothing less than 24/7/365 tech support, that means the web hosting provider offers support, 24
hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. You would be surprised how many issues can arise over week-
ends, holidays, or in the middle of the night, and there is nothing worse than waiting until Monday morning
between 8:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M EST (Eastern Standard Time) to get it resolved. This should go without saying
but ensure your web host is competent to handle support for your website as well.

5. Control of your Website

FTP, PHP, Perl CGI-BIN access, SSI, .htaccess, telnet, SSH, cronjobs, SSL, MySQL, Shopping Cart, etc are
functions that you would want control over whether you know what they mean, how to use them, or not. It's
better to have control and not need it, than to need control and not have it.
If you are paying for a site, you really should make sure you have all of these. Some web hosts do not allow
you to install PHP or CGI scripts without their approval. This is not too great since it means that you have
to wait for host to grant permission before you can implement a feature on your site.

Here's a brief explanation of the above terms - ".htaccess" is needed if you are wanting to customize your
error pages (pages that display when, say, a user requests for a non-existent page on your site), to protect
your site in various ways, and if you need to redirect pages from let's say an old URL to a newly updated
URL. Telnet or SSH access is useful for certain things, including testing CGI scripts, maintaining databases,
etc. Cron jobs may be needed for programs that you need to be run periodically (such as once a day). MySQL
provides a database backend to your website for online stores, forums, and blogs. Check to see if these tools
are provided and for any restrictions placed on them.

6. email accounts

If you have your own domain name you will probably want email at that domain, like me@mydomain.com. Look into the number of email accounts you can have and if they have such services as auto responders, mail forwarding, and pop3.

7. Control Panel

Now that you know you can use all of the great features above, is there a way to easily access and manage
them. This would be the control panel provided by your web host. A control panel should have at the minimum the ability to manage any of the aspects listed above along with managing email accounts and any passwords.

8. Server Operating System

Most webhost use Linux, it has proven to be reliable, fast, and stable. You would only have to have Windows hosting if you absolutely have to use ASP (Active Server Pages) Web applications or other programs specifically designed by Microsoft.

9. Price / Contract

Is the service affordable? Is there any long term contract or service agreement. Many web hosts will advertise lower prices if you are willing to commit to a contract or pay for months in advance. It is important to be clear on the monthly price, the terms of payment, i.e. monthly, yearly, etc, and if you are in a contract or if you can join another host at any time.

10. Multiple Domain Hosting

For those who are thinking of selling web space or having multiple domains or subdomains hosted on your account, you should look to see if they provide this, and the amount extra that they charge for this (whether it is a one-time or monthly charge, etc). If you want to sell web space be sure to check for reseller accounts.

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Hostgator is by far the best web hosting provider that I have tried for several reasons, I'll just list three biggies

1. Uptime - Hosgator guaranteed 99.9% uptime. I personally have never had a site down in the 4 years that I have been hosting with Hostgator!


2. Software - Hostgator has the best web development tools. Hostgator uses cPanel with Fantasico which allows for push button website creation for Wordpress, Forums, Sales Pages, and a list way to long to mention here.


3. Support - 24 / 7 / 365 Support from webhosting experts ready to answer any question you might have.
   

They are simply the best

iPower also offers 24/7/365 live support and software to manage you website(Business Pro). What iPower does better than anyone else on the web is beat every other web host by price when it comes to domain renewals and transfers. Their support is superb at handling transfers and the yearly rate is currently only $6.50. If you have multiple websites I am sure you can see how a few dollar savings can add up. Register with iPower and simply change your nameservers to whichever host you use. Their support can help with that too.

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