One of the best ways to find a Web Host is to ask other people who they use. If they have had great results from a particular company, chances are that you will also get quality service. At the same time, people who have had bad Web Hosting experiences can tell you who to avoid. Of couse this is not an absolute method for choosing a Web Host since people can have different opinions about the same Host but is is a good way to get more information on potential companies. .
Choosing the right Hosting Provider ultimately depends on your individual needs. As a result, what may constitute the perfect Web Hhost for one person may not serve the needs of another. Before you choose a Web Host, be sure to do some research and make sure the account you choose has the features you will need.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
What account features will you need?
Web Hosting accounts vary widely with regards to the types of features included. Be sure to come up with a list of features that you will want. These may include email accounts, email forwarding, CGI scripts, MS FrontPage support, mailing lists, Web statistics, etc. There are many features available to potential Web Site owners, if you have specific needs, be sure to ask if they are available
Do you need access to ecommerce solutions?
If you are going to be selling products or services over the Internet, chances are that you will need some type of ecommerce solution. By this I am referring to features such as a shopping cart, secure server access and a merchant account if you want to process credit card payment. The shopping cart may only be needed if you plan on having a catalog of products available for sale. This makes shopping much easier on any potential customers. If you plan on accepting credit cards, you will also need a merchant account. This is a basically an account that allows you to process credit card payments from your customers and have the money deposited into your bank account. There are many merchant services available on the Internet, some much better than others. Merchant fees range in price from $25 to $75 per month with setup fees usually in the $100 to $800 range. RodopiPaymentGateway.com seems to be the low cost leader at only $20 per month. Be sure to research companies before making a committment.
Find the Best Web Host for Your Needs:
Due to the numerous types of Web Hosting companies that exist today, choosing the right one can sometimes be a difficult task. This article is intented to make the process a little easier for you.
The first thing you need to decide is what type of Web Site you want. For example, will it be personal or business related? Will you need ecommerce services such as a shopping cart and a merchant account? Do you have any special requirements such as the ability to run CGI scripts? Do you want your own domain name? How much can you afford to pay? The cost of Web Hosting varies widely, from free to thousands of dollars per month. However, you will find that a typical Hosting account ranges from $10 to $50 per month, depending on the features available. These are just some of the questions that you should evaluate before searching for a Web Host
The first thing you need to decide is what type of Web Site you want. For example, will it be personal or business related? Will you need ecommerce services such as a shopping cart and a merchant account? Do you have any special requirements such as the ability to run CGI scripts? Do you want your own domain name? How much can you afford to pay? The cost of Web Hosting varies widely, from free to thousands of dollars per month. However, you will find that a typical Hosting account ranges from $10 to $50 per month, depending on the features available. These are just some of the questions that you should evaluate before searching for a Web Host
Will you need a domain?
If your goal is to build an online business, then it makes sense to get yourself a domain name. The cost is $30 per years and you can register through Register.com. At each of these sites, you will be able to search the Whois database to see if your chosen domain is available. If you find the domain registration procedure intimidating, many Web Hosts will register a domain for you much more cheaply.
How much Web Site traffic to you expect?
One of the most important considerations you should make is how much traffic you expect to receive. For most Web Sites traffic is not an issue but some receive thousands of visitors per day and this puts a heavy strain on the web server. The method that Web Hosts use to determine how much traffic your site receives is called data transfer. This is not exactly the same as traffic but the more traffic you get, the more data transfer you use. Using the above 33K per page example, 2000 MB of data transfer is roughly equivelent to 60,000 page views. Most Web Hosting accounts allow you to use 1000-4000 MB of data transfer or 30,000 to 120,000 page views per month. You should use this as a guide to determine whether or not you will exceed your data transfer limit. Obviously if you are creating a new Web Site it is difficult to determine how much traffic you will receive but if you have an exosting Web Site, you should have a rough estimate
How much disk space will you need?
Although it is sometimes difficult to determine how large your Web Site will be, it is a good idea to have a rough estimate. This will allow you decide what Web Hosting account is right for you. As a rule, you can fit about 30 Web pages into 1 MB of disk space. This includes text and one or two images (at approximately 33K per page). Using this as a guide, you should estimate how large your site will be and choose an appropriate Web Hosting plan. You should also be sure to have enough room for future Web Site growth. Be sure to ask any potential Web Host about their upgrade policies in case you outgrow your current disk space limit
SiteBuilder Features:
- Easy-to-Use Web Interface - 5-Step point-and-click wizard that includes design and layout templates, page structure, sample text, and a powerful WYSIWYG editor for non-technical users.
- 500 Quality Templates - Sitebuilder includes hundreds of high quality design templates divided by categories for more convenient navigation and tutorials on how to create and add custom templates and skins.
- Many Modules - Modules make Sitebuilder even more powerful and flexible; included modules are: Blog, Image Gallery, Guestbook, eShop, Forum, Feeback, Registration, RSS Reader, Voting, Script, Area Map with Google Maps, File Download, and Flash Intro.
- Site Owner Admin Panel - Enables site owners to administer several websites by providing them with capabilities to manage site statistics, create new sites, manage existing ones, configure profile, and manage e-shop orders and more.
SiteStudio Features:
- Simple to use: SiteStudio provides step-by-step, providing simple choices regarding color, style and images. There is no software to buy, and no code to learn. In addition, there is no need to mess around with programs such as FTP or Telnet.
- Content and Design Separation: The content of the website is stored separately from the layout. This way, you can completely change the look and feel of your website in six clicks of the mouse, without ever having to retype any information.
- Complete control over color schemes: SiteStudio includes a number of built-in color combinations that look great with any layout. But if you want to add a little originality to your site, all the colors can be changed, either by using a point-and-click color picker, or, for even more control, by typing in the color as a hex number.
- Layout templates: the layout of the site is controlled by layout templates. These are created in HTML enhanced by a few additional tags for generating images. A number of layouts are included with SiteStudio, and more are added often.
- User-uploaded images: Thanks to the Image Uploader, you will be able to transfer images to your online account without ever having to leave your browser. These images can be incorporated into page content or even page design. Create an online photo album, or insert a personal picture to make it a seamless part of the page logo.
- Variety of pages: SiteStudio can be used to make many different pages. Create an online resume, or build a personal photo album. Everything is done in a simple step-by-step process that is easy to learn and to follow. You can see the list of available templates.
Complete control over the website: With the use of Site Studio's provided settings, you can make unique and attractive web sites. For advanced users, SiteStudio provides a way to change buttons on the site. - Advanced full screen text/HTML Rich Editor: Browser-based text editor for Internet Explorer for Windows users only. It empowers you to work with formatting, styles, tables, bullets and more. The Rich Editor allows you to copy and paste the most complex tables from a web browser or from any Office applications.
Both site builders have almost same wonderful features:
Browser-based solutions for website design and construction. You need not know anything about FTP, HTML, Telnet, HTTP, or imaging software. If you can surf the Internet, you can build your own professional looking website. Your web site will automatically be created with all the required images, including logos, buttons, and sidebars. The images can all be generated in the colors you choose, with the desired text. Even professional quality rollover buttons are as simple as selecting a specific layout.
Make a Site With Online Web Site Builder !
Usually to make own web site you must know many things: HTML, CSS etc.You must have special page building software (sometimes it's very expensive).You must know how to upload your pages to the server...
Free VS Paid Web Hosting
With the growing number of free Web Hosting servives available on the Internet today, you may be asking yourself "Why should I pay for Web Hosting when I can get it for free?". This is actually a very good question and in the this article, I plan on evaluating the benefits of each type of Web Hosting.
Several free Web Hosting services include FBhosting, Xoom, Hypermart, and GeoCities. Most offer varying degrees of flexability when it comes to setting up an account. For instance some give you the ability to have an actual domain name while most require that you have a sub domain under their primary domain, i.e. http://geocities/yourname/... Some also allow you to run your own CGI scripts while others do not. One thing almost all free Web Hosts have in common is that they provide only a limited amount of disk space (usually 5-10 MB), they are very strict when it comes to data transfer and they usually require that you have their ads on your Web Site.
One of the biggest compaints that users of free Web Hosting have is that they must often allow the Web Host to include banners or advertisements on their Web Sites. You've probably come accross a Hypermart or GeoCities Web Site and seen how an advertisement window pops up when you access the site. Many people find this annoying and want the freedom that paid Web Hosting allows.
Another big factor that often causes people to go in search of paid Web Hosting is the desire to have a domain name. Most free Web Hosting companies do not give you this opportunity. If you do have access to your own domain with a free Web Host, chances are that you will have to put up with advertisements on your Web Site.
Most companies that offer free Web Hosting also have strict limitations with regards to running and installing your own CGI scripts. Some will provide pre-installed scripts that you will have access to such as guestbooks, counters, or email form processors. However, if you want to test, install and run your own scripts, you will probably need to find a reliable paid Web Host. If this is a feature that you are interested in, be sure to ask any potential Web Host about their CGI script policies since they vary widely from company to company.
If you have a fairly large Web site or offer lots of graphics, free Web Hosting may present some problems for you. Most free Web Hosting companies have strict disk space limits, usually 5-10 MB or less. While this is plenty for most Web Sites, some may find this is not enough. Before signing up with any Hosting service, be sure to ask ask disk space limits and the policies invloved in increasing the alloted space.
Ultimately, the type of Web Hosting you choose depends on the specific needs of your Web Site. If you have a small personal Web Site and don't mind the ads and limititations that come with most free Web Hosting, then that may be the best choice for you. However, if you have a company or business, then you probably want your own domain name and that usually requires that you find paid Web Hosting.
One of the biggest compaints that users of free Web Hosting have is that they must often allow the Web Host to include banners or advertisements on their Web Sites. You've probably come accross a Hypermart or GeoCities Web Site and seen how an advertisement window pops up when you access the site. Many people find this annoying and want the freedom that paid Web Hosting allows.
Another big factor that often causes people to go in search of paid Web Hosting is the desire to have a domain name. Most free Web Hosting companies do not give you this opportunity. If you do have access to your own domain with a free Web Host, chances are that you will have to put up with advertisements on your Web Site.
Most companies that offer free Web Hosting also have strict limitations with regards to running and installing your own CGI scripts. Some will provide pre-installed scripts that you will have access to such as guestbooks, counters, or email form processors. However, if you want to test, install and run your own scripts, you will probably need to find a reliable paid Web Host. If this is a feature that you are interested in, be sure to ask any potential Web Host about their CGI script policies since they vary widely from company to company.
If you have a fairly large Web site or offer lots of graphics, free Web Hosting may present some problems for you. Most free Web Hosting companies have strict disk space limits, usually 5-10 MB or less. While this is plenty for most Web Sites, some may find this is not enough. Before signing up with any Hosting service, be sure to ask ask disk space limits and the policies invloved in increasing the alloted space.
Ultimately, the type of Web Hosting you choose depends on the specific needs of your Web Site. If you have a small personal Web Site and don't mind the ads and limititations that come with most free Web Hosting, then that may be the best choice for you. However, if you have a company or business, then you probably want your own domain name and that usually requires that you find paid Web Hosting.
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