Affordable Web Hosting
By Web Hosting on Oct 22, 2007 in Web Hosting
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Affordable Web Hosting
Be it a dynamic or a simple website, individuals and companies are constantly on the lookout for a reliable, dependable and affordable web hosting company. Affordability in particular, remains high on the agenda. While, there are a wide range of packages with various price ranges, it is very important to ascertain the requirements of your website which would in turn depend on its purpose. Most of the web hosting companies out there, are vying against each other to secure a higher rung in the industry in a bid to get more customers to sign up. It is very important to finally zero down on a company which is been around for a while. The web master needs to determine what exactly to look for in an affordable web hosting package especially in terms of what their server would need to provide.
As an example, if you plan to host a web-based community forum, you’ll probably need a web host that provides PHP and an SQL database. If, on the other hand, you’re planning on running Active Server Pages, or .NET applications, you’ll need a server running Windows rather than a UNIX or Linux code base. Similarly it is important to outline the budget in advance and delve into the future prospects of the potential of the website. Lapping up on knowledge and the technicalities involved, will prove to be an asset in the long run.
The following things need to be kept in mind when shopping for and affordable web hosting plan for personal or business use.
- It is advisable not to get lured into the ultra cheap hosting package, as this may come embedded with a few hidden costs. A la carte prices can make a web hosting plan seem like an incredibly good deal, but be sure to know exactly what you need and what you’ll be paying for it. Alternatively, it is recommended to make sure in advance that the monthly pricing package is inclusive of the setup fees, upgrade fee and additional monthly fees for things like scripting support, a mySQL database and php support. An affordable plan is usually wallet friendly if it is an all inclusive package and eliminates the risk of the hidden costs.
- Research, study and analyze. It is important to read the fine print in its entirety; which includes all the details and the entries in the comparison chart. This way the web master will be able to determine what features and add-ons he/she is being charged for. There may be a few features that may not be required or there may be features that are not included within a particular package. Going through the comparison chart, will give the webmaster a better idea of what package suits him best. If something is not clear or not clearly listed, it is advisable to email the company to ask what they charge for particular services and if there’s a setup fee. This would also give you a better impression of the kind of support and help requests response of the company.
- Sometimes the claims of offering unlimited may not always be unlimited. Delve into the details to determine what exactly defines unlimited. Many web hosting providers use ‘typical usage patterns’ to define what unlimited means. If your website exceeds the normal parameters of being popular, you could end up getting charged extra for bandwidth even if it says ‘unlimited’.
- Ecommerce enabled features are a must have especially for the more dynamic web sites. Therefore it is vital to determine in advance what exactly is included in the affordable Ecommerce ready website. Does it include access to their secure server, or will you have to purchase your own license? Is there a good deal on bill-collecting services and credit card access? Exercising a fair amount of judgment and outlining a budget will help you make the right investment with the right company, thereby furthering the growth of the website.
The basic premise remains the same when shopping for an affordable web hosting company. The mantra remains “shop and save on website hosting”. With dramatic drops in pricing, website hosting can actually can present the least costly component of operating a website.
Total storage
If the webmaster is operating a small website with just a couple of pictures per page, 5-10 MB of disc space or less should be enough. However, is the website is more dynamic and contains dozens of pictures and pages then a hosting plan, offering 10-25 MB of space should be chosen. Determining in advance about the required storage would help you choose the package that is affordable without compromising on the functionality.
Data transfer / Bandwidth
Bandwidth represents the total amount of traffic the website host allows you to receive. It is a known fact that successful websites attract a large amount of visitors and this is directly proportional to the Bandwidth. If the webmaster is planning to do business online, then he needs to make sure that he gets a bare minimum of one GB [Gigabyte] of data transfer per month. If the website is still in its nascent stage and just needs a web presence it is advisable to going for minimum Bandwidth.
E-mail aliases
Most hosting companies allow you to set up e-mail addresses that are connected to your domain, such as robin@webhosting.com. This is then forwarded to the webmasters e-mail account. This feature forms an integral part of any online business. Therefore, a reliable and professional web hosting company should you to set up at least five e-mail aliases. An affordable package should constitute these kinds of utilizable functions and features to give the customer his money’s worth.
Website tools
If you’re looking for more than just static web pages then a few more tools should be made available. The two most important tools are CG I and website statistics. These tools essentially allow the user to run scripts and monitor visitor behavior.
Tech Support
Ideally, 24 hour technical and customer support should be provided. If you’re a serious online business entrepreneur and wish to maintain as well as enhance the credibility and functionality of your website, it is highly recommended to choose a web host who truly value their customers. Value for money is what webmasters should look for when picking an affordable Hosting package.
The other significant feature with is common amongst paid hosting accounts is FTP access. FTP programs allow the users to upload files and edit or delete content on the server. This process is much quicker and easier than using a web based interface. An even better feature is the ability to create your own FTP accounts. This feature however may vary with different hosting companies. Some hosts will let you act like a mini hosting company, where FTP accounts that you create takes them to a special users folder specifically for their files; keeping them from your main files. Other hosts will allow you to create FTP accounts that you can define exactly which folders they have access to, and exactly what they can (and can’t) do with them.
While finding an affordable web hosting company may not be a difficult task; compromising on quality and utilizable features would not exactly constitute affordability. To further alleviate doubts and confusion, answers to the following questions will be of great help:
- How often do you back up files?
A professional and quality web any hosting company should back up files every night. It is advisable to keep an up to date copy of your website on your computer.
- What sort of equipment and software is used to ensure that the web site is up?
Most Hosting Companies use a combination of equipment and software to enhance server functionality. It is important that the server is hooked up to a UPS. Also most Hosting Companies have software and equipment that monitors the servers and restarts them if they quit serving pages. In the event that this process fails, the company must have a way to restart the server manually.
- How many domains am I allowed to host per account?
If the webmaster plans to host several sites, it is a good idea to ask for a volume discount.
- Billing policies
Find out about their billing policies and the process of resolving billing issues.
- Do they provide log files or statistics?
A quality web hosting service would provide logs for your account or online statistics. It is equally important to ascertain that the logs contain information from search engines on the words and phrases used, how long the visitor stayed at the site, entry page, number of page visits, broken links and errors, and exit page.
- What do the monthly charges include?
Get a complete list of features and functions that your account would be entitled to. It is also important to make sure that the hosting company offers an upgrade if needed.
- Customer service and technical support
This is by far the most important aspect that needs to be considered when choosing a professional when hosting company. 24/7 support is what every Professional and reliable hosting company would offer and this of course is inclusive of the monthly charges.In the light of the above, we can easily infer that while affordability is not hard to find; a company that offers quality services coupled with affordable hosting packages is what webmasters should look for. Unless the website requires just a very basic hosting package or if the webmaster is operating on a shoestring budget, only then should they opt for an ultra cheap hosting. Affordability on the other hand constitutes getting the best services possible at an affordable price. Web Hosting Companies today offer amazing packages which is both feature rich as well as highly customizable. Choosing a host which offers the most is every webmasters dream. It is better to go in for a hosting company that has been round for a while and has garnered a fair amount of positive reviews as well as a higher rating. No one would want to shell out extra cash and not offered optimum services and features. Therefore it is better to pay more and receive the quality that is required than pay less and end up spending valuable time of the often hidden costs involved. It is primarily the service level and equipment that differentiates one host from the other. If however, the website just requires the basic web presence and is not necessarily dynamic in nature then it is okay to start with a cheap Hosting package. If you are an amateur and would just like to get the feel of hosting a web site than it is recommended to go in for a budget or affordable Hosting Plan. A company that offers 99.9 percent of uptime is usually an ideal choice. Whilst many companies claim to offer so, it is better to read reviews and participate in online forums for more information on these companies. The owner of the site should have a specific budget that he can spend on web hosting of his site keeping in mind the features that are necessary on the site. Discount web hosting is very cheap and for the most part very cost efficient. The cheapest discount web hosting plans are going to run you around $5 to $6 a month and at the most a good discount web hosting plan should not cost you more than $10 a month. If it does end up costing you more than $10 a month, you are likely to be in safe hands. Support under Windows plans includes things like support for ASP and MSSQL. Windows and Linux plans can both be found for in the $10 to $15 range per month for their basic plans and an upgrade is always available, if required. Research and knowledge are vital prerequisites and jotting down a plan would further help in choosing an affordable web hosting company.
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