What to Look for in an Online Host
How do you get your perfectly created website from your computer to the world of the online visitor? You need to have a host. A host is connected to the internet allowing visitors from all the world to see your site. After you've purchased a domain name, the next item on your shopping list is a place to put it – the host.
WARNING – when choosing a host be SURE that if you use a bundled plan which includes the domain name YOU CONTROL THE NAME.
Many times you'll see a hosting plan that includes site templates, all sorts of tools and it also will "get" your domain name. When the host purchases the domain name the may list themselves as the domain name owner.
If you try to move the name to another host, all your work will be lost.
Hosting is sold using just two things – how much space you will have on their server hard drives and how much “bandwidth” your traffic will take. Bandwidth is measured by what is downloaded to the visitor's browser from your site. All the text, all the images, any sound or video files take up bandwidth. The host buys this bandwidth in bulk and then resells it to you at a profit.
If you have a 30 minute video that will be downloaded by your visitors, this will take a lot more bandwidth and server space than three all text sales letters.
There are many hosting plans for small starter sites that run less than $10 a month. Buying a small hosting plan while you're developing your site and getting your feet wet is a good idea. Hosts will let you "upgrade" as your traffic grows or as your site becomes larger.
I don't recommend a free site. Free is not free. You will be limited in what you can do on a free site and free hosts make their money by adding banners and advertising that will pay them, rather than you. If you want to make money from your site, free hosting is not the best way to go.
Most hosts offer huge numbers of email accounts. This is not really a selling point – you don't need a zillion email accounts, 5 is more than adequate for most people starting out.
Be sure you have the ability to use a data base. If you are using a program such as Joomla! or Xoops to handle your site, you need to be able to use a MySQL database. Most hosts include at least one in even their lowest cost packages.
Also look into how your host allows you to put files on their server. There has to be a way to get the pages you've done on your hard drive to the server so they can be seen on the net. Most hosts have an FTP program or a file uploading program to accomplish this. If they don't you'll need to buy your own program to communicate with your host.
Look for extras that you may need – vouchers for AdWords and MSN Ads for example. Check out the server interface – Cpanel is often offered and makes doing maintenance work and adding new programs easy for you - the end user. Some hosts even offer image galleries – images that are licensed for use on the net at no additional charge to you.
Look at the statistics that will come with your site. Your marketing will depend on what your statistics say. How many visitors are you getting each day? What are the days of the week most of your visitors come to your site? What countries do they come from? What other sites have referred them to you? What pages do they hit on your site? What pages do they ignore?
Do some comparison shopping and pick the host who has the features and pricing that will match your needs, as well as the ability to grow with you as your online business grows.
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