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In case you are not aware, all web sites are hosted (or need to be hosted) on computers, called web servers. The web server (a computer) where your emails, web site's html files, graphics, etc. reside is also known as the web host.
So, you will need to subscribe to a web hosting plan to store your web files and emails after you have registered a domain name. You may register a domain name and web hosting from different vendors. But it is normally more convenient and may save you a lot of hassle if you go through one company only.
Different web services companies offer various web hosting solutions. Sometimes, the technical terms that IT companies use can be confusing for the layman. The various important things to take note will be the server itself – type, operating system, uptime and its physical location. For the hosting package, storage space, bandwidth, server management software will be the prime concern. You may also need to consider the technical support and services that the web hosting company can provide.
A) Server type, operating system and uptime
Server type and operating system - There are various web servers, the common ones will be Apache and Windows server. Generally, Linux operating system running on Apache server is more stable, and widely used. If you are going to run PHP programming script on the server, then it is likely that you need Linux operating system. If you are using ASP, then you have to choose Windows server instead.
Server Uptime – Uptime is also the time that the server is operational. If you operate a professional business, you will not want your website to be down at all. However, no web hosting company can guarantee you 100% uptime. 99% uptime will be more realistic, and many companies also provide service level agreement (SLA) along with their hosting package.
B) Features of web hosting package
Server management software – We also call it the web hosting control panel. The leading control panel in the market now is Cpanel. Some companies may use other control panels like Plesk, DirectAdmin etc. If you have been an active web publisher, you may want to check up this feature from the hosting company before any subscription.
Web storage space – Majority of sites will use less than 10MB. Normally, an image file (Jpeg) is about 50KB. So, you can actually store 200 such photos in a 10MB space. Html files will even be smaller than image files. Nowadays web hosting plans generally starts from 50MB for the most basic. So, storage is normally more than enough if you are not going to store many large files.
File Transfer Bandwidth – Many web hosts will impose a limit on the amount of traffic your website can use, on monthly basis. This essentially means that if the total amount of files or graphics downloaded by your visitors exceed the amount of allocated space, your website may be disabled and you will be prompted for an upgrade to higher plans. Most of the time, a 3GB bandwidth will be more than sufficient. In fact, 90% of our clients do not use more than 3GB per month.
Additional tools and software – A reliable web hosting company will provide you a bunch of related tools and software. The basic ones are FTP manager, Database software, backup tools etc. Other important tools will be site statistics monitoring tools, pre-installed software etc.
C) Services provided by web hosting company
Technical support – Nowadays, many web hosts will provide 24/7 technical support. These also include email support during weekends and odd hours. Technical competency of the hosting company also counts. There are various web hosting issues that only the experienced companies may resolve for you.
Money back guarantee – This will be very important as most website owners are still new to operating a website. Sometimes, we may end up subscribing a web hosting plan that is not suitable, due to different configuration, operating system and type of server management software that are used etc. You may want to make sure that the hosting package provides at least a 7 days money back guarantee.
To look at various web hosting packages that we offer, you may click here to find out more.
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