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samedi 12 novembre 2016

Choosing an E-commerce Hosting Provider

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Getting Ready to Launch Your e-commerce Website

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If you’re planning to put up a website for your products or services, one of the first things you have to consider is finding the best e-commerce hosting provider. Electronic commerce or e-commerce is the term used for businesses or services transactions conducted online. e-commerce web hosting, then, is a form of web hosting service that manages your e-commerce website.

Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? However, managing an e-commerce website entails more than just putting up the site and making sure it stays up – and running. First, you have to be familiar with the fundamentals of e-commerce websites.

Essential and Vital Features/Tools for a Successful E-commerce Website

An e-commerce website will not succeed if the product management system is not supported and reliable. Features must be attractive to potential customers. More importantly, an e-commerce website must be user-friendly to enhance the customers’ on-site experience and encourage them to keep coming back for (more) future purchases. Here’s a simplified and quick guide on the basic features and tools for setting up a successful online shop.

Choose and register a domain name. Your href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/web-hosting-beginner-guide/">domain name is your identity on the net; it identifies you on the web. This is what people type on their browser to go to your site. Be sure your domain is duly and legally registered with a legitimate domain registrar.

Find an excellent e-commerce web host. It is best to gauge your web hosting needs against your own level of expertise. href="http://the-best-web-hosting-service.com/blog/2009/09/bigcommerce-com-review-bigcommerce-review/" target="_blank">BigCommerce is a good option, because they are drag and drop. If you have very little technical knowledge, you may want to opt for an e-commerce web host that can provide all your requirements in a reasonably priced package. (Check below for the specific section of this article for a more extensive discussion of this aspect; and also, read Jerry’s href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/hosting-reviews/">unbiased hosting reviews for more shopping options.)

Come up with a superb website design. You have various options for designing your e-commerce website. If you decide to use the full service of an e-commerce hosting provider, web design is most likely included in the package. However, you can also opt to hire a website designer or you may decide to design your own site yourself. Hiring a website designer can be costly; likewise, doing it on your own may also end up more expensive. But the upside to this is you can have your e-commerce website according to your specifications, making your site look distinct and unique from among the many sites. You can customize it accordingly, to encompass all the features you want to include on your site.

Make online transactions work. You need two basic things to effectively carry out a successful inline financial transaction. You need a merchant account that allows you to accept and process customer payments through credit cards. You can obtain this account either through your e-commerce host provider or by applying at a local bank. For the latter, you need to provide proof that your business is a duly registered one. The other requirement for your online transactions is the payment gateway; a system that automatically processes, verifies and accepts or declines on your behalf, all payment transactions between you (or your bank) and the customer. This system is performed through secure Internet connections that meet all industry regulations and standards, including Peripheral Component Interconnect or PCI.

Provide a shopping cart. This is primarily a software that serves as the interface on your website and its networks, which enables shoppers to choose the items they want to purchase; review their selections; and make changes (either add or remove items) before they make the final purchase. It would be quite difficult for consumers to purchase anything from your online store if you do not have a shopping cart. Most e-commerce hosting providers offer customizable shopping carts for your website.

Ensure e-commerce website security. The importance of online security to safeguard the consumers’ information can never be over-emphasized. It is absolutely crucial for a safe and secure online transaction of any kind. For several years now, the only authentic and genuine standard for a secure e-commerce transaction is the Secure Sockets Layer or simply SSL, which you as an e-commerce website owner can obtain from a Certificate Authority (CA). An SSL certificate is on a secure server that identifies your website during transactions; it encrypts your customers’ information.

Excellent customer care service is crucial. Problems are inevitable and customer service plays a huge role in satisfying the customers’ need to resolve issues when they transact business over the Internet.

How to Identify (and Choose) a Good e-Commerce Hosting Provider

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If you’re a small business owner, finding the right e-commerce host provider may sound like a huge task. Looking for a good provider goes beyond merely comparing storage space and prices. You should start by having a clear assessment of what your website needs, thus have a clear idea of the type of services you require.

In a capsule, a good e-commerce hosting should provide fundamental tools, functional features and expedient services to assist entrepreneurs and businesses to efficiently and effectively run an e-commerce business. Here are specific factors to consider when looking for a good e-commerce hosting provider.

Shared or Dedicated?

This is the first and all-important decision you have to make before you even begin looking. As the name implies and to put it simply, shared hosting means your website shares resources with several other websites. All the websites in this type of hosting are running or are being hosted by one (and the same) physical server. A dedicated hosting, on the other hand, has a single server that exists exclusively for your e-commerce site. All other things considered, the determining criteria for your choice are: the quality of hosting performance; how much control you have (which includes security issues); and the price.

Server Features vis-à-vis the Services You Require

When choosing an e-commerce web host provider, look for features that offer full-service e-commerce packages. Among the features and services you may want to look for are the following:

Look for an e-commerce web hosting provider that offers options of operating system (OS) to ensure that any and applications or scripts you run are fully supported.
A good e-commerce provider should enable you to set up, create and handle email or new accounts in a prompt manner.
Make sure that the e-commerce hosting provider also furnishes tools for shopping cart services, which of course includes credit card or PayPal payment transactions and other similar services. Check that the web host can provide the required SSL encryption which complies with PCI standards and regulations. Bear in mind that you have the option to remove the payment and ordering process from the package and assign it to a third party provider to handle the data capture and data storage.

Bandwidth and Disk/Storage Space Options

Adequate storage space and fully customizable products and categories should be provided. Go ahead and have a lot of foresight; be farsighted and optimistic. Your business is likely to expand in the long run. It is essential that you are able to store a wide range of pages and products on your website to; this will save you the inconvenience of purchasing additional space – or worse, moving your site to another server.
Check the restrictions and bandwidth limits. Most providers set a limit for the maximum amount of traffic your e-commerce website can handle. Traffic and visitors to your site are expected to spike as your business expands; bandwidth may become an issue if you don’t get your facts right at the onset. Look for a provider that will not just turn off access to your site; but will assist to upgrade you to the next level plan if you go over the prearranged band.
Find out the geographical location of the web server. It is crucial to know where the web servers are located to make sure there is no slow down in loading time and accessing your site.

Beyond the Basics: Other Features and Perks

Another factor that you should identify is the downloadable products. Although, not really important to some retail websites; this can be essential and practical if you are planning to distribute promotional items and giveaways along with your products for sale.
During peak seasons, it also a must that your web host is equipped to provide you with coupon codes. This is needed because it gives you the ability to be competitive during peak holiday events.

Choosing the right e-commerce web hosting provider can be a bit tricky; but if you have enough information and adequate working knowledge, you can eventually make a well-informed decision. Remember, you want to invest and get professional plans and services for your e-commerce website. Don’t settle for a company that only has experience in personal website hosting.

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Everything You Need To Know About Choosing A Domain Name

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You have a great business opportunity, and you want to share your ideas with the world. Before you can create the website that you’ll use to do this, however, you need to choose a suitable domain name. A domain name (also called a host name) is the same as the website’s URL. It’s the section that comes after “www.” and is usually followed by “.com”, “.org”, “.net” or another extension.

The domain you choose could have a huge impact on the success of your website, as this is what visitors will need to remember in order to find your business online. If you’re in a hurry to start building the actual site, it can be tempting to purchase the first domain your think of from the first seller you find, however by doing this you won’t necessarily get the best domain for your website, nor will you pay the best price.

This article covers several important factors you should consider when choosing and purchasing a domain name for your new website. Follow these steps, and you’ll have a successful, SEO-friendly domain up and running in no time. In case you need more technical info (and the ‘how it works’ logic) about web domain, you can also check out Jerry’s recent article href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/blog/featured-articles/all-you-need-to-know-about-domain-names/">The Technical Details Behind Domain Names.

Choosing Your Domain Name

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Choosing the actual words and phrases that form your domain name is probably the hardest part of the process. It requires creativity, marketing savvy, and the ability to look at your website from the point of view of a visitor.

Let’s start with the hostname. This should contain keywords that are relevant to your business and, ideally, your business name. If the name of your business isn’t available as a domain, try selecting a domain that communicates what your business does. For example, if you run a business called “Carpets4Home” in Los Angeles and the domain “Carpets4Home.com” isn’t available, you could purchase “bestLAcarpets.com” instead. This demonstrates what you’re selling, and has SEO potential when you’re writing your web copy.

The Shorter The Better

As a general rule, the shorter your host name is, the better. The more people are likely to remember it, the more likely they are to remember and return to your website. For the same reason, you should also choose a name with an obvious spelling. If the exact name you want isn’t available, think carefully before substituting letters or words, for example choosing “skool” instead of “school” or “catz” instead of “cats”.

No Numbers For Letters

Another domain no-no is replacing letters with numbers (except when you use numbers as part of your business name), for example writing “4” instead of “for”, or “2” instead of “two”. Even if a potential customer or client remembers your domain name, they are more likely to use the correct spelling of the word, and could end up on someone else’s web page.

SEO blog rel="nofollow" href="http://www.seomoz.org/blog/how-to-choose-the-right-domain-name" target="_blank">Seomoz suggests additional tips that can help you minimize the risk of losing web visitors, like excluding hyphens, and avoiding using the number 0, as it looks very similar to the letter O.

Copyright Issues

When selecting a domain name for your new website, it’s important to check you’re not infringing on another website’s copyright. This is illegal and, if you use a copyrighted website name, you could find yourself in trouble, and lose your carefully nurtured brand, further down the line. You can usually tell whether another website has copyrighted the same site or brand name with a quick Google search. If you want to look into the matter more thoroughly, visit rel="nofollow" href="http://www.copyright.gov/" target="_blank">The United States Copyright Office and search their directories.

The .com’s Bias

Once you’ve selected a hostname, you need to decide which extension to choose. Many web developers are divided over this issue. Some are adamant that you should choose a domain with a “.com” extension at all costs, while others say that the extension doesn’t matter as long as you have a good hostname.

The arguments for choosing a domain with a .com extension include that it adds more credibility to your website. Additionally, people are more likely to assume the extension is “.com”, and could end up visiting a competitor’s website if you have the same domain name but a different extension. The arguments against only choosing domain names that have a “.com” extension include that you’re limited in your selection, and could end up compromising on your domain name in a way that won’t be helpful for your branding or SEO.

Christopher Heng, founder of rel="nofollow" href="http://www.thesitewizard.com/archive/domainname.shtml" target="_blank">thesitewizard.com, advises website owners that it’s a good idea to promote the website using the full domain name if you’re using an extension that isn’t “.com” to minimize the chance that web users will end up on a competitor’s website.

Purchasing A Domain

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Once you’ve chosen a suitable domain name for your business, the next step is to compare pricing from different domain sellers. The average price for a domain hovers around per year, however if your domain is only available through an auction, this could be a lot more.

If someone else currently owns the domain you want, you can try purchasing it through auction, or by making an offer to the owner. There is no guarantee that either of these methods will get you the domain you want, and they could end up costing you a lot more than registering a normal domain would, but if you have your heart set on it then it’s worth trying.

Research domain registrars. You might have initially found your ideal domain through a specific seller, but the same domain could also be available through other services at a lower price.

As well as purchasing the core domain you intend to use for your website, you should also try to purchase variations on your domain name, recommends rel="nofollow" href="http://www.problogger.net/archives/2009/05/28/should-you-secure-com-and-net-for-your-domain/" target="_blank">ProBlogger author Darren Rowse. This means that if your new website is happycat.com, you should also consider purchasing the same domain with different extensions (“.net”, “.org”, “.co.uk”), and the plural, happycats.com. Then, you can redirect all these domains back to your original website, increasing the likelihood that potential customers will find you.

Domain Resources

If you’re stuck for a domain name and need some inspiration, or you’re not sure where to purchase your domain of choice, here are a list of websites that can help.

rel="nofollow" href="http://ajaxwhois.com/" target="_blank">Ajaxhois 2.0 is a useful service that enables you to check whether a domain name is free or not. You can also look at any available statistics for the web address to see how many people visit that URL.

href="http://www.domainnamesoup.com/" target="_blank">Domain Name Soup, rel="nofollow" href="http://www.namestation.com/?utm_expid=604578-0" target="_blank">Namestation and rel="nofollow" href="http://www.domainfellow.com/" target="_blank">Domain Fellow are a free domain name generators that can help you through creative blocks. They are particularly useful if you don’t know what you want to call your website or business yet, or are stuck for which keywords you want to include in your domain name.

href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/go/godaddy" target="_blank">GoDaddy and rel="nofollow" href="http://www.register.com/" target="_blank">Register.com, for example, are domain registrar companies that also offer web hosting services. You can select and buy your domain through these websites without signing up to a hosting package, however if hosting is something you also need, some people find it easier to purchase a domain name and hosting from the same provider.

Even if you’re in a hurry, comparing the prices and terms of different domain registrars will help you get the best long-term deal on your domain name, so you can focus on building your website and moving your business up to the next level.

Page 21 – Web Hosting Secret Revealed

5 Factors In Choosing A Cloud Storage Provider

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In online companies, or even businesses with online components, one of the hottest topics in the past year or so has been cloud storage. The reason for this is fairly simple: businesses thrive on efficiency and reliability, and these are precisely the benefits that established cloud storage systems offer. The specific utilities of a cloud storage system are numerous – uploading work data and files to a cloud decreases dependency on individual computers and mobile devices, backs up work more effectively, and allows far more efficient collaboration by groups. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily simple to work cloud storage capability into href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/web-hosting-knowledge/a-brief-on-cloud-hosting/">an existing online business or website.

The tricky part comes in choosing which cloud storage system to choose. From mainstream services such as Dropbox, to file sharing security systems like Sharefile that also offer cloud storage, there are plenty of different options out there – each with different services, capabilities, and of course, pricing options. So, how can you accurately assess which of these many systems is best for your business or web hosting platform?

Partially, this will depend on your own specific needs and preferences, and how they align with the various existing options. But in more general terms, here are 5 factors you will want to consider when evaluating and comparing cloud system options.

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1. Security

There are title="Cloud Hosting Security Problem" href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/featured-articles/what-might-go-wrong-with-cloud-hosting/">various security concerns involved when choosing a cloud service provider. The first is to ensure that the system you choose conducts its own business in a secure environment. Generally, cloud storage systems provide you with off-site data storage facilities, and it is your responsibility as a customer to check that the hardware, and even location of your cloud system is secure. This could mean everything from encryption and access to data, to the physical stability of the system’s infrastructure (for protection against natural disasters, storms, etc. that could harm the hardware storing your data).

Additionally, your security concerns when selecting a cloud storage system should include understanding what exactly your cloud provider is responsible for. Different cloud storage systems include different services (Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, etc.), and they are only responsible for your work’s security in relation to the services they specifically provide. For example, if you take advantage of a cloud system’s infrastructure but use your own software, you remain responsible for security as it relates to software.

2. Attention To Mobile Devices

The very nature of cloud storage tends to imply heavier involvement of mobile devices. Naturally, when you enable website employees, business employees, etc. to access and share work on a cloud network, mobile devices will be used more frequently, and will often be used for access to and transfer of significant files. Therefore, it is also important to pay attention to mobile devices when considering some of the security concerns mentioned previously.

In some cases, and with some cloud storage systems, it will remain your own responsibility to secure mobile devices for people involved with your website or company. However, there are cloud storage systems that offer security coverage which extends to mobile devices. This is certainly worth looking into as you compare systems, if mobile device security is of specific concern.

3. Service Provider Background

As is the case when aligning your business or website with any exterior service, it is also necessary to research the background of the cloud storage system you wind up choosing. Looking into factors such as customer service history, risk management procedures, security capabilities, etc. can help to give you a broad overview of a cloud storage system, which in turn will help you to choose the right provider for your needs as accurately as possible. This information tends to be publicly available for cloud service providers, and it is simply a manner of asking the right questions and conducting thorough research when it comes to your background checks on potential partners.

4. Business Growth Potential

When selecting a cloud storage system, it is important to consider the ways in which your business or website may grow, and your needs may change. Of course, to some extent you can address changes and growth when the time comes – however, certain elements of your cloud storage system may come into play with regard to growth. For example, some larger companies and websites prefer to keep their data storage hardware on site, rather than in a remote cloud location, but still connected to the cloud network. If there is potential that this situation may describe your eventual needs due to growth, expansion, or other changes, you may want to be sure that the provider you choose is capable of adjusting to meet your needs. Adjustments within a partnership tend to be far simpler than shifting to a different provider down the road.

5. Costs

For most people looking into partnering with a cloud service provider, cost is the main factor that will ultimately differentiate providers. However, it is very important to recognize that comparing different cloud storage systems is about more than simply looking at a base price. As mentioned previously, different providers offer different services, and it may be that you ultimately choose to take advantage of only some of these services. Rather than looking at base costs for various providers, try to gain a clear picture of what the services you actually intend to take advantage of will cost from each different provider. This will help you to gain the most accurate understanding of what you’ll be paying for each different option.

Page 21 – Web Hosting Secret Revealed

Choosing Between Cloud and VPS Hosting

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We have published a much better guide on VPS hosting recently. Topics like how VPS hosting works, when is the right time to switch, how to choose, and the right price to pay were discussed in detail. To learn more, read: href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/vps-hosting-guide/">Finding the best VPS Hosting.

The Basics Between VPS and Cloud Hosting

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Determining whether href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/blog/web-hosting-guides/a-brief-on-cloud-hosting/">cloud hosting or href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/blog/featured-articles/ultimate-guide-for-vps-hosting/">virtual private server (VPS) hosting suits your needs depends largely on what type of services you need, how quickly you expect your business to grow and the amount of resources you need to run your website. While there are some similarities between a cloud based server and a VPS, ultimately, each type of server presents various strengths and weaknesses that makes choosing the correct server largely a matter of whether you need a quickly scalable resource or the ability to completely control your server environment for security purposes. Since an IT administrator doesn’t control how cloud servers are set up and connected, this provides less control over advanced firewall and security configurations.

Scalability and Flexibility

VPS servers offer quick scaling to take advantage of additional resources, provided the hosted machine has the resources available. If the resources exist, the VPS server has the ability to upgrade memory, disk space and processor speed instantly. If the requested resources are not available, the entire website must move to a new computer. This could result in server downtime of several hours while the transfer completes. While both types of servers allow you to control the applications installed, a VPS gives you additional flexibility to control each aspect of memory, processor usage and how your disk space is used.

Cloud servers provide the functionality to quickly scale to a virtually unlimited degree. If the server needs additional resources, there is no downtime. The server can be instantly upgraded to access additional bandwidth, memory and processor speed as necessary. Cloud hosting companies charge based on the amount of time the server stays online. For companies that need a high level of service during specific periods of time, a cloud server can significantly reduce costs. Companies that provide courses, IT professionals that need servers for testing purposes, and organizations that need to quickly disable servers on a moments notice find cloud servers adequately fit their needs.

Security, Optimization and Control

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VPS servers are similar to dedicated servers since the user can completely control all the resources of the server. Cloud services may store data across any number of redundant servers. It also isn’t possible to know where any single piece of data will be stored at any given time. This means that security is largely out of the control of the user. VPS servers allow the configuration of firewalls, antivirus programs and data is centralized within a specific partition of a hard drive. This provides greater control over the information available on the server. If you want complete control of your server, then a VPS provides the better option. Although, you still won’t be able to configure any settings that are shared among all users on the machine. Only a dedicated server provides complete, unhampered control of system resources. However, if security and control are not the primary concerns, then a cloud server provides a highly scalable solution that appeals to companies with quickly changing needs.

Data Protection

Most cloud services utilize 5 or more disks to store your information. VPS servers only store information on two hard disks. If both disks go down on a VPS server, then your information will be lost unless you have a backup. The chances of 5 or more disks going down is virtually impossible. If you don’t make regular backups, choosing a cloud server decreases the likelihood of a total data disaster. The advantage to a VPS server is that you can more easily configure backup programs in the form of a chron job to make routine backups without worrying about using extra system resources. Cloud servers on the other hand provide as much space as necessary, making it possible to store several versions of backups on the host server without having to worry about running out of space.

High Availability

Redundancy refers to a process that saves information across more than one disk. With a cloud server, there is full redundancy, so if one disk goes down the information almost instantaneously goes to a new server. The new host server restarts immediately, effectively eliminating the time that a website might be down. With a VPS, if the host server goes down, then all VPS accounts on the same server also goes down. Even if you have a backup, it can take several hours for the hosting service to get your accounts back online. For websites that need to be available without fail, the safest option is a cloud server. However, if your website can stand to be down for a few hours every couple of years, then a VPS might provide the better option if you need more control of your server.

Performance

While VPS servers slice up a machine to ensure that each user gets the resources they paid for, the performance of a VPS server may be affected during times of high use by other users on the same machine. Hard drives can only access information so fast, so if every partitioned account serves data at the same time, the server may serve pages and run applications more slowly. The possibility of a time out is also increased when using a VPS server. Since cloud servers don’t store data in a single physical machine, the possibility for slow response times are greatly reduced since the cloud server has the potential to scale immediately during times of peak use.

VPS servers restrict your total resources to what you pay for. However, many machines are overstocked causing the actual resources given to a user to be somewhat constrained. With a cloud server, you actually get what you pay for with the benefit of being able to increase usage as needed. If your server requires more CPU cycles and there are some available, the server can burst to allow full utilization of the resources. Cloud servers are never oversold. The very nature of a cloud server provides virtually unlimited resources to provide you with the best web hosting service possible. Even dedicated servers don’t provide the same level of resources that a cloud server does. For businesses and individuals that need large amounts of resources, or have unpredictable traffic and usage spikes, a cloud server provides the best option.

Billing Options

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For companies that need to control costs and know exactly href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/ultimate-cheap-web-hosting-guide/">how much they will spend each month on hosting services, a VPS provides the better option. VPS accounts charge a set monthly fee based on how many resources the user purchases. Cloud server charges may surprise the user since the user gets charged bases on how many minutes or in some cases, seconds, the server stays online. The disadvantage of a VPS is that the server may exceed the purchased resources, where a cloud server does not. When traffic is predictable, a VPS server helps to ensure the same monthly fee. The advantage of a cloud servers billing system involves the potential to accommodate for unpredictable traffic and resource usage. However, since the cloud server only charges for resources that are actually used, the overall cost of a cloud server is often less expensive than a VPS hosting the same level of service.

Website Rankings

In 2010, Google made an announcement that href="http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2010/04/using-site-speed-in-web-search-ranking.html" target="_blank">the speed of a website would directly influence the website ranking. Since website ranking can make or break a business, this is a concern that all website owners should concern themselves with. If you can’t afford to purchase a dedicated server, the cloud server approach is generally preferable to VPS plans. However, not all applications run on a server will see an increase in speed when switching to cloud hosting. Some specific applications, such as content management systems and learning management systems require specific resources to run most effectively. This sometimes requires manual configuration of components such as memory, processor speed and how the servers disks are utilized. Most often, a VPS server provides better customization for these types of applications. However, for a website that simply servers web pages, or uses applications with moderate system requirements, the cloud server may run faster.

Making The Right Choice

In the end, the consumer has to make a choice based on budget, needs, server performance requirements and whether they need complete control of their security. Cloud servers are ideal for companies that don’t mind many of the security and backup processes to be controlled by their web host (read more about this on href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/featured-articles/15-reasons-to-fear-cloud-computing/">15 Reasons To Fear Cloud Computing). For data firms, highly sensitive information and companies with their own security divisions, a VPS server provides the better option.

While cloud servers are secure, a VPS has the capability of completing shutting down specific types of connections through a firewall. Cloud servers only provide general security settings that are controlled by the hosting provider. Care must be taken when choosing a web hosting service to serve your web pages. One of the best ways to do this is to href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/web-tools/5-handy-tools-to-measure-server-uptime/">monitor your website for some time to determine how many system resources are actually needed.

If your website consistently serves pages quickly and never comes close to overcoming the system resources, a VPS may be right for you. If your server continually exceeds the system resources, experiences time outs or has other performance issues, a cloud server might provide the better option. style="line-height: 1.5em;">For more about choosing the right web host, read style="line-height: 1.5em;" href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/choose-the-right-web-hosting/">Is this web host right for mestyle="line-height: 1.5em;">.

Page 23 – Web Hosting Secret Revealed

Choosing a Hosting Plan: The Differences Between Unix and Windows Server Options

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id="floatright">class="alignright" title="Unix Vs Linux Vs Windows" src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/images/2008/0927-9.jpg" alt="Unix/Windows/Linux Hosting Platform" width="240" height="318" />

Most prospective web hosting customers are familiar with the technology “wars” which have ensued over the past few decades. First, there was the rel="nofollow" href="http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/news/2003/01/57280?currentPage=all" target="_blank">war between Macintosh and Windows operating systems on desktop computers; following that, there was a war between web browsers on those computers; and, some time after that, a war ensued between mobile device manufacturers for supremacy in the smartphone industry. In fact, that war rages on as Microsoft, Google, Apple, BlackBerry, and Nokia all vie for the title of the world’s foremost smartphone provider.

In the background, however, a smaller-scale war has been raging for almost the entire length of the web hosting industry’s existence. This is the war between hosting products based on the closed Microsoft Windows Server system and those based on open-source rel="nofollow" href="http://www.unix.org/" target="_blank">Unix and rel="nofollow" href="http://www.linux.org/" target="_blank">Linux alternatives. There are a number of reasons that the war should be no war at all, as these products compete for different types of consumers and offer different advantages that benefit different types of developers. Yet, most people see it as a mere “preference,” and they’re so unfamiliar with the differences between these two options that they frequently pick the one which is least appropriate for their type of business.

There are several key differences between Windows and Unix web hosting plans, and those differences directly correlate with who should use each technology — and why. Knowing these differences will make the web hosting shopping process considerably easier, and it will reveal a key truth: There is no war between web hosting technologies, as they’re simply not in competition with each other most of the time.

Windows Hosting: Business Customers Have Special Considerations When Shopping For Hosting

There’s no secret about the fact that almost every business in the world uses some form of Microsoft operating environment. Whether it’s the company’s mainstream consumer Windows operating system, or the more advanced Windows Server systems, it’s hard to escape the reach of Microsoft among corporate and enterprise clients. For these people, there is a natural way to href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/compare-best-five-hosting/" target="_blank">shop for web hosting. That includes choosing products based on Microsoft Windows technologies and communicating over remotely-hosted Microsoft Exchange email servers. It’s a no-brainer because it’s simply so easy to setup and configure.

When an enterprise client is looking for hosting, they’re searching for a product which can seamlessly integrate with their existing setup. The key to this process is to save time and money by investing in something which is essentially “plug and play.” Once the hosting plan is purchased and data is transferred, a few easy settings should be able to be configured and the product will be available to entire base of employees within any one company or enterprise setup. That solution is Microsoft.

First and foremost, the company offers the number one database product among major enterprise customers in the form of rel="nofollow" href="http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/en/us/default.aspx" target="_blank">Microsoft SQL. When combined with the rel="nofollow" href="http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/" target="_blank">Microsoft Access application which ships as part of the Microsoft Office suite of productivity applications, this data can be easily synced among desktop computers and between those computers and the remote web hosting server itself. This is an especially big consideration, as it would take a great deal of time to make the same functions operate between a Microsoft-designed database and an open source alternative based on a remote server.

In addition to Windows servers’ support of Microsoft’s popular database protocols, these servers also support deep integration with the Microsoft desktop in the form of a remote file server. Most enterprises, before they switched to a Windows web hosting server, simply had their own in-house computer which remotely hosted files for their employees. Moving these files to the cloud is now imperative, as it allows universal access on mobile devices, home computers, and corporate machines.

Microsoft allows these servers to be setup by simply plugging in a few settings via the standard Windows control panel interface. The server is then able to be seen as a native component of the operating system by every Windows computer on the company’s network. That process would take far longer to configure and deploy when choosing an open source alternative.

The most popular method of communicating among major business and enterprises is a combination of the Microsoft Exchange email server software and Microsoft SharePoint collaboration technologies. As these two technologies have evolved, they’ve made it possible for on-the-go communication that syncs between remote and mobile denies as well as company computers and servers.

There are certainly open source alternatives to these technologies, but they’re far less-developed and they take a great deal of time to integrate into the traditional Microsoft environment. Because almost every office uses Microsoft Outlook for its email services, it simply makes sense to choose a Windows host that can immediately plug into that software. On top of it, the web-based interface for these applications closely mirrors the desktop counterpart. That means there’s a very little, if any, learning curve when choosing a Windows server for an enterprise environment.

Simply put, a Windows server is best-suited for business and enterprise customers who are committed to the Microsoft “ecosystem.” That system involves the Microsoft Office suite of applications, easy configuration and integration with Windows, the world’s most popular desktop operating system, and easy deployment and syncing to mobile devices and home computers using technologies like Exchange and SharePoint. While these servers can also be used by individual web hosting clients and those who just prefer Microsoft technologies, it’s highly unlikely that they’d be any better served by a Windows server than one based on Unix. In fact, the Unix method of hosting may be better for their very different needs and requirements.

Unix/Linux Hosting: For the Development And Amateur Hosting Community, A Unix Server Is A No-Brainer

Unlike the “closed” system presented by Microsoft applications and server components, a Unix-based server is constructed entirely with open source software which is updated and maintained by an active community of third-party developers and programming experts. This has a number of great side effects that directly benefit those customers who choose an open source server over one which runs the Microsoft Windows Server operating system.

First and foremost, servers based on rel="nofollow" href="http://www.unix.org/online.html" target="_blank">Unix technologies are exceedingly affordable, especially when compared to the high prices attached to almost every Windows hosting plan and web server online. It’s quite true that most Windows hosting clients pay as much as ten percent more per month for the privilege of using the world’s most popular operating system on their server, while Unix clients enjoy the href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/ultimate-cheap-web-hosting-guide/" target="_blank">lowest hosting prices available online. Open source software often comes with a very small licensing fee, or no fee at all, and this savings is passed on directly to consumers.

The second benefit of choosing an open source Unix server is that the software included with this server is more actively developed and rapidly updated. That’s because the community of developers is always submitting changes to the code, adding new features, and working on new ways of performing old tasks in more innovative and efficient styles. Microsoft is more likely to adapt these innovations several months or years later, after they have been “proven.” Its customers are rarely on the leading edge of technological advancements which benefit the web hosting industry. For web application developers and others, this is a great advantage that allows them to be ahead of the Windows “curve.” Because being ahead in technology means being ahead in profits, there’s simply no reason not to choose a Unix web hosting solution.

It’s worth noting that servers based on open source Unix technologies do not sacrifice functionality for price. These servers are a bit more difficult to integrate into today’s standard Windows or Mac OS X operating systems, but their technologies are still appropriately robust and meet the demands of both developer and enterprise clients alike. In place of Microsoft’s popular database technologies, most Unix servers ship with an adept combination of MySQL databases and phpMyAdmin administration tools that make it easy to manage data from a wide range of popular content management and interactive applications.

These servers ship with a number of email server options, which is something that Windows simply doesn’t offer. With a Unix server, the hosting client can choose the email server technology and webmail interface which works best for them, rather than merely being told which option they will use and how they will deploy that solution. Unix is all about choice and, for most people, that’s a key reason to select it over a comparable Windows hosting plan.

There’s another reason to select these open source servers, as well: In a number of key tests, Unix servers have been shown to be more capable of running many simultaneous applications and processes than their Windows Server counterparts. That might not be important to an enterprise customer who only runs Exchange and database applications, but the wider development community does value being able to multi-task in demanding and advanced ways. Those customers would be poorly served by the more crash-prone, resource-intensive Windows Server suite of tools.

Security Concerns: Not Really a Concern in the Current Era

There was one a time when Microsoft was dogged by continual security threats that challenged the integrity of both its enterprise and consumer-grade desktop operating systems and productivity tools. While the company is still the victim of more security threats and loopholes than either Unix or Mac OS X operating systems, the company’s server product is among the most secure it has ever produced. In fact, major web security firms have done extensive tests on both Windows and Unix environments; they’ve found that they’re relatively equal in the number of vulnerabilities, and the strength of their defenses, even when pursued by the web’s most notorious hacking and intrusion methods.

This is one area where it’s refreshing to see that there is little if any difference between the two major technologies that compete for web hosting clients. For far too long, choosing a Microsoft Windows server was considered technologically-smart, but not a good choice for corporate or enterprise security. The change of pace is a welcome one.

Choosing the Right Technology for Your Needs

title="Unix Vs Linux Vs Windows Hosting Platform" src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/images/2012/0926-1.jpg" alt="Unix/Windows/Linux Hosting Platform" width="750" />

The differences between Windows servers and those based on the open source Unix suite of applications are pretty stark. Microsoft is almost custom-designed for businesses which need a “plug and play” solution for their remote data storage and syncing needs. The company markets itself as the sensible choice for any office which primarily uses the Windows operating system, with good reason. When it comes to integrating Windows technologies, Microsoft Office applications, and remote web servers, there is simply no better option than a hosting package that runs the Microsoft Windows Server operating system. Anything else would take advanced knowledge, extensive configuration, and lots of tutorials and customer support to master.

Unix, on the other hand, presents a high-technology alternative to Windows hosting which is perfect for web developers of all levels. It combines leading-edge technology with lower licensing fees and monthly costs and lends itself to the development, novice, and budget-minded hosting community which is growing by leaps and bounds on an almost daily basis. While its technologies might not be as familiar as those found on a Windows server, they are at least as capable of performing the same tasks and, in many cases, they can actually perform those tasks in a faster and more efficient way.

Always keep in mind that choosing a web hosting technology should be subject to extensive research and planning for all scenarios. Almost every business will choose a Windows solution, but individual consumers need to keep both their needs and their budget in mind when picking either a closed system or an open source alternative. The need for lower hosting prices must be balanced with the desire for easy of use, with budget and usability winning above all else.

With careful attention to detail and knowledge of where each href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/choose-the-right-web-hosting/" target="_blank">web hosting option succeeds and fails, choosing between Windows and Unix need not be a war of ideals. Instead, it can be a victory for the consumer and their unique hosting needs.

Page 23 – Web Hosting Secret Revealed

7 Factors You Should Consider When Choosing A Web Host

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class="border" alt="Hosting Shopping Advice" src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/images/2010/0407-1.jpg" width="750" />

Choosing web hosting can be daunting, especially if you’re new to running a website and don’t know much about hosting, or what kind of hosting you need. Selecting the wrong kind of hosting can be an expensive mistake – not only could you end up spending a lot of money on hosting features you don’t need, but you could also end up losing site visitors due to lack of uptime or website features.

I’ve compiled seven important factors you should consider when choosing hosting, so that you can make an informed decision and find the hosting solution that’s right for your website.

Purpose

class="alignright" alt="Dot Com" src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/images/2008/0520-1.jpg" width="350" height="233" />
Whether you’re choosing hosting for an existing website, or looking to start from scratch, what you intend to use the site for will influence your hosting choice. For example, do you plan to make money from your website, or is it something you’re setting up for fun? If the website is personal, free hosting will usually serve your needs. Free hosting is usually supported by advertising, so if you’re running a business you should consider paid hosting. Most paid hosting companies also offer services that are specifically designed for people who are using their site for business.

Small businesses might want to consider domain hosting, colocation, or standard paid hosting. With domain hosting, you only pay for the domain name for your website, and can host it anywhere you like. This might be suitable if your business has a low budget and you already have, or are planning to create, a site using WordPress, Tumblr or similar. Colocation entails sharing server space and bandwidth with another organization. It’s similar to having your own IT department, and it gives you greater control over your web hosting. With colocation, you can usually get higher bandwidth speeds for a lower price than if you hosted the server yourself.

The most common hosting option for websites is standard paid shared hosting. Hosting is usually charged monthly or annually, and you pay for a certain amount of space. Paid hosting comes with a wealth of choices and options so you need to think carefully about which services will be helpful before committing to a certain package.

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Dig deeper, check out Jerry’s title="How to choose the right web host" href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/choose-the-right-web-hosting/">15 Things To Go Thru Before Buying A Web Host.

Price

Web hosting packages differ wildly in price, ranging from a few to thousands of dollars per month.

If you’re just setting up your website or business, it might be tempting to choose the cheapest package to reduce the number of start-up costs you have. These packages might sound appealing, however you might not necessarily want to go for the href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/ultimate-cheap-web-hosting-guide/">cheapest type of hosting, as you could find yourself paying in other ways further down the line. Even if your package is only a few dollars per month, changing hosts can be expensive. It is possible to find good deals on hosting packages, but you need to know where to look.

Usability

As well as features like bandwidth and storage, you should look at the usability of the service. This will affect you if you are new to hosting and don’t have much coding or technical knowledge, or if you’d like more freedom to customize your website and hosting options.

The first usability feature to look for is whether the hosting provider has cPanel, Plesk, ispCP or ISPConfig. These programs allow you to set up and customize your website and hosting if you’re unfamiliar with the FTP (file transfer protocol), and is a must if you’re new to website hosting. Equally, if you plan to upload files from your computer to the website, such as header images and logos, you will need to ensure the hosting site provides FTP access.

Additional Services

Additional services might add extra to your monthly bill, but they’re worth it – especially if you are hosting a website for business purposes. Additional services your hosting company should offer include email services, for example the ability to href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/blog/featured-articles/email-hosting-guide/">create an email address that is yourname@yourdomianname, which will make your business look more professional. If you plan to run any kind of e-commerce site, you should also check whether the hosting company offers a secure server using https:// so that customers can carry out transactions on your website. Although these services might cost more in the short-term, leaving customers’ details unsecured could damage your reputation and income over time.

The other important service to look for in a hosting company is whether they provide website statistics. These are important if you are trying to make a profit, so a good host should be able to provide details and statistics of how many people have visited your website within a certain time frame.

Customer Service

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No matter how good your web skills, or how reliable the hosting company, there will inevitably come a time when something will go wrong, or you’ll need to ask a question. When that time comes, you want to make sure you have a dedicated customer service team waiting to answer your queries. If no such team exists, you could be left without a functioning website until you manage to fix the issue yourself – or even move to another host.

When looking at a hosting company’s customer service, factors you should look out for include where they are based (if they are in a different country, contacting them could be problematic), whether they have a live chat customer service, and how you can contact them. Although you might never need to use your hosting company’s customer service department, you don’t want to discover that it’s non-existent during a website emergency.

Various Types Of Hosting

The choice betweenhref="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/blog/web-hosting-guides/shared-vps-dedicated-cloud-hosting/"> shared, VPS, reseller, and dedicated hosting depends on the size of your website.

Small and medium-sized websites can function on shared hosting, which means you share the hosting space with other websites. If your site has more than 10,000 visitors per day or over 10GB of files, you should consider dedicated hosting. With this type of hosting, you are the only web site on the server, and therefore have more storage and bandwidth.

When choosing between shared and dedicated hosting, remember that video and audio files take up more space than text. Whatever type of hosting you choose, you should ensure that the plan you select offers 20% more space than you currently need. This allows for your website to grow without you having to change hosting plans and face any associated costs.

Reputation

The last factor to consider, and potentially one of the most important, is the hosting company’s reputation. Websites should have testimonials or statistics that can demonstrate customer satisfaction, and it’s also helpful to look at hosting forums to see what people are saying.

As well as href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/hosting-reviews/">feedback and review from other customers, look for the company’s uptime statistics. An uptime percentage shows how often a company’s hosted sites were live over a certain period of time, and the higher the percentage, the better. If your hosting company has issues, visitors won’t be able to access your site and this will eventually damage your reputation; if visitors can’t access your website, they’re less likely to return. Therefore, it’s important to choose a hosting company with uptime percentages that are as close to 100% as possible.

Page 24 – Web Hosting Secret Revealed

10 Tips for Choosing the Right Domain Name

alt="10 Tips for Choosing the Right Domain Name" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/0611-21-500x300_c.jpg" />

style="text-align: left;" align="center">class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-7972" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/domain-boom-750x428.png" alt="Domain boom infographic" width="750" height="428" srcset="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/domain-boom-750x428.png 750w, http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/domain-boom-300x171.png 300w, http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/domain-boom.png 880w" sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" />

style="text-align: left;" align="center">style="line-height: 1.5em;">On the Web, your href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/blog/featured-articles/all-you-need-to-know-about-domain-names/">domain name is your identity. It’s how people find you, the name clients pass to others. Needless to say, nothing is more important. Give your businesses a step in the right direction for picking the perfect domain name – here are 10 rules to follow to ensure that you pick the right domain name.

1. Unique

Your domain name is a huge part of your organization’s identity – so make sure that it is as unique as your organization.

Don’t pick something that is easily confused with a competitor’s site or could lead to a different company all together; make it unique. Try to avoid pluralization (ie; greatshoe.com vs. greatshoes.com) because your actual name is already taken – this will only lead to lost traffic for you and a potential higher bounce rate due to people landing on your site accidentally.

2. Easy to remember

Short and sweet is the name of the game here.

The more letters and words that make up your domain, the higher the odds that someone will get it wrong or forget it. Also, make your domain name relevant to your business so that it is easy to remember. In the article href="http://grasshopper.com/resources/jump-starting-and-growing-your-business/naming/" target="_blank">How to Name Your Business, here’s what folks from Grasshopper said about having your name relevant to your biz:

Names like Kaggle are fun, and distinct, but … wait … what does Kaggle do again? If your company does something unique, then you might want to stick with a conventional name. Otherwise, you might confuse people.
When people hear or see Garment Valet, they get the hunch that someone’s about to do their laundry. The name Unbounce is another great example, as the company helps reduce bounce rates for landing pages (effectively unbouncing them).

3. Use a domain tool

There are a slew of domain name tools available for free on the Web. These tools can help to break writers block and suggest some quality potential domain names for your review.

For example href="http://www.dotomator.com/" target="_blank">Dot-o-mator has two offerings – an advanced Web 2.0 generator and its basic generator that creates names based off of prefixes and suffixes either from user-generated lists or various pre-built lists. href="http://www.domaingroovy.com/">DomainGroovy.com creates a list of potential domain names from user-input keywords and also offers on-site domain purchases.

There are href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/blog/web-hosting-guides/tips-tools-on-selecting-the-right-domain-name/">countless domain tools out there – and all for free.

4. Avoid copyright infringement

Don’t use a trademarked or copyrighted phrase for your domain name: just don’t. Before you register your domain, run it through the free checkers available at style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: medium;" href="http://www.copyright.gov/records/">http://www.copyright.gov/records/ and href="http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/">http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/ to ensure you’re in the clear – it’s well worth the extra few minutes.

5. Keyword relevant

In the past, having at least one of your keywords in your domain name was paramount, however, due to the Google EMD update, this is an outdated rule. The href="http://searchengineland.com/low-quality-exact-match-domains-are-googles-next-target-134889" target="_blank">Google EMD update – short for Exact Match Domain – is a filter that Google launched in 2012 to ensure that sites were not receiving elevated search result rankings simply because their domain name included a relevant keyword. That having been said, it is still a good idea to theme your domain name around a relevant keyword, as it will give first time visitors an immediate idea as to exactly what you offer.

6. Write it out and read it repeatedly before purchasing

One of the great things about a domain name is that it’s yours forever (as long as you keep up the payments, anyways). One of the bad things about a domain name is that you can’t change it after you purchase it. That said, if your business is named Dickson Web, carefully consider your domain name before purchasing – style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: medium;">www.dicksonweb.com is likely to attract a whole other kind of audience.

Avoid a PR catastrophe by writing your potential domain name out and reading it repeatedly before making the purchase. Do one better and run it by a few good friends or family members before committing.

7. Avoid punctuation and numbers

Punctuation is confusing – simply put. Most reputable URLs are plain text and putting in a hyphen is only going to increase your chances of losing traffic to other sites; after all people are used to typing plain text in the URL bar. Also, avoid numbers whenever possible – though there may be an understandable exception to the rule if your business name includes a number.

8. Buy other similar domains and use it as redirects

When you consider the investment you have already made in your organization, the href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/blog/blogging-tips/how-to-launch-a-blog-for-under-100/"> a year a domain name costs is nothing. Protect your brand and capture all potentially misdirected traffic by also purchasing the domains that are similar to your actual domain name.

9. Be wary of the domain extension

There are .com, .net, .org, .biz, and a slew of other domain extensions. While .net may save you a few bucks, at the end of the day is it really worth the savings? While there are some cases that a .biz may have merit – and certainly .org has its purposes – most of the time, a .com is going to be your best bet. Don’t fall into purchasing an off extension simply because your domain is already taken as a .com – instead, rethink your domain name unless there is a more prevalent reason for choosing an alternate extension.

10. Be direct

Obviously, there are certain phrases or words that are bound to draw people in… but unless they’re your target audience, all the traffic in the world won’t make a difference. Make sure that your domain name is to the point and direct about who you are and/ or what it is that you provide.

Infographic credit: href="http://www.cira.ca/factbook/2013/the-global-net.html" target="_blank">CIRCA

Page 16 – Web Hosting Secret Revealed

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a Website Host

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If you’re like most entrepreneurs, your website makes up at least part of your income and when there are website hosting issues, it can impact your bottom line. There is nothing worse than a website hosting company that goes down without warning or explanation, takes forever to rectify problems, fails to secure your site or overcharges for extras.

Dixie Vogel wrote on href="http://goodkarmahost.com/topics/advice/the-biggest-mistake-in-choosing-a-web-host-how-to-avoid-it/" target="_blank">Good Karma Host blog:

You’re buying the service. The quality of service will make or break your hosting experience. Buying service is an entirely different purchase than buying a commodity.

Vogel is correct. With “unlimited” hosting plans, the cost of similar services is negligible these days. However, how these services are ran can make or break your website.

5 Web Hosting Shoppers Mistakes to Avoid

1. Not Checking Hosting Reviews

You’ve landed on the website for a hosting company and their packages sound like a dream – almost too good to be true. This should serve as your first red flag, but even if the deals seem to line up with what other hosting companies have to offer, you should always check reviews.

href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/hosting-reviews/">WHSR offers honest web host reviews. Unlike some of the other reviews you’ll find around the Internet, they are written by technical writers who have first-hand experience with that particular hosting company. You have to be really cautious about where you get your reviews, because some hosting companies fill the Internet with fake positive reviews. It can be difficult to know what is real and what is an advertisement from the company itself.

When checking reviews, watch for red flag items like:

Complaints about customer service
Complaints about down time
Recent complaints that seem to be in a cluster (this can signal a server overload caused by growth pains)
Complaints about viruses and other security problems

The best terms to use when searching are “complaints against XYZ hosting company” and “blog post review of XYZ hosting company”. More than likely, you’ll quickly spot those reviews that are written by the company or that are a paid review and be able to weed those out from the rest of the reviews.

2. Not Looking at Restrictions

Some web hosting companies are tricky. They will post that you get “unlimited” whatever in big, bold letters, but when you dig a bit deeper, you’ll find out what “unlimited” really means.

In his article href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/blog/web-hosting-guides/is-unlimited-hosting-a-good-deal/">Is Unlimited Hosting a Good Deal, Jerry Low says:

In reality, unlimited hosting is, always, limited.
Think about the limitation in our physical world – it is simply impossible to have unlimited semiconductor to build unlimited RAM and CPU; it is impossible to offer unlimited bandwidth when we have limited cables transmitting data around the globe.

In the very fine print, you may find information on how much bandwidth and space you can actually use before the web hosting company will throttle you. This is important information to have, because if your site already uses something close to these limits, you could find yourself suddenly without a host or your site could be shut down for an unspecified amount of time.

Other restrictions to watch out for:

No multiple POP accounts (href="http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Few-Mistakes-to-Avoid-When-Choosing-Cheapest-Web-Hosting&id=7527058" target="_blank">Marv Dryer)
No SSH
You can’t add statistics
No installation of your own software (some security limitations are understandable, but most Open Source software should be on the okay to install list)

Restrictions may not be listed on the sign-up page. Ask questions to be sure you can operate your site the way you want. If you use a shopping cart, is this allowed? Will you be able to use SSH?

3. Choosing Free Space or a Host that Offers Free Space

If you’re just starting out, it might be tempting to utilize some of the servers that offer a small amount of free space. However, the old saying that you get what you pay for really is true. If you go with free space, then you need to understand that there are many other people going for the same free space. As we mentioned earlier, the capacity of servers is indeed limited.

href="http://www.greek-servers.com/top-five-mistakes-to-avoid-when-choosing-a-web-hosting-provider/" target="_blank">Greek Servers said:

…this kind of web hosting includes serious restrictions in a detriment for your company. Your site is going to be utilized by the actual web host to show advertisements. And also the visitors that you have proved helpful difficult in order to immediate aimed at your website is going to be siphoned away without any earnings for you. This isn’t that which you want.

On a shared hosting plan you may be competing for resources with other websites paying for the same service, but with a free hosting plan, you are now competing with anyone who wishes to sign up, free of charge.

Even if you are going for a paid plan, if the server offers free space, ask some pertinent questions.

Do the free websites and paid websites share the same servers?
What happens if a free website is using too many resources? What about a paid website? Is there an option to upgrade before being shut down?
Are there ads placed on only the free sites? Paid hosting should never have ads as these pull away from your own website traffic.

4. Going with a New Company

style="color: #292929; line-height: 1.5em;">Some of the “best” worst offers you’ll ever find come from brand new hosting companies. They are excited about their new company and anxious to sign up customers, so they offer all kinds of perks, freebies, software, exciting deals and great prices to get you to choose them. Unfortunately, their inexperience in the industry often catches up with them. Many of us have been there. That new host is great for a few months. Customer service is stellar, load times great, no down time, etc.

Then, they hit the wall. They reach that magic number X customer that is one too many for their resources to handle. The servers crash, the users are taking advantage of all those features they offered and they can’t seem to get a grip on the situation. Yes, they are growing pains, but do you really want your website to fall victim to your website hosting company’s growing pains or would you rather choose a company that has already been through growing pains several times and has a plan in place for how to handle the next growth spurt?

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As a rule of thumb, I would avoid any company that hasn’t been in business at least 5-8 years. As Internet marketer Hermas Haynes said in an article on href="http://www.foxonlinelearning.com/180.htm" target="_blank">Fox Online Learning:

Choose a host that has been in business at least a few years, and who offers features that can be upgraded as your Web site expands. Your company image hinges on the reliability and service of your Web host.

5 – Not Testing Customer Service

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Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? I once signed up for a hosting company that offered 24/7 support via telephone, e-mail or live chat, or so they said. My websites went down and after three days I still couldn’t get a response. Since then, I always test their customer service to the best of my ability.

If their customer support can’t take the time to answer your questions before you sign up, what do you think it will be like after you sign up? After all, when you are simply “thinking” about signing up, they have something to gain by giving you good support. So, my first step is to come up with a list of specific questions that pertain to the needs I have for my website, but that are not answered in the information available on their pages.

I divide these questions up and try all available customer service options. If they offer e-mail support, I e-mail a few questions. If they offer telephone support, I phone and ask a few others. Live chat? You know I’m testing that as well.

However, this isn’t really enough to tell me for certain that current customers are getting good customer support, so I also:

Stalk the support message boards to see how long it takes for people to get a respond and if that response is cordial and helpful or sharp and sometimes downright rude.
Check out the “current clients” page and e-mail a few of them to ask for their opinion on the hosting company. You won’t hear back from all of them, so choose five or six to e-mail.
Check the BBB and RipOffReport.com for complaints.

In addition, that telephone contact is important to makes sure customer service is something that you will be able to understand clearly. As Brenda Panin on href="http://www.blufftontoday.com/blog-post/brenda-panin/2013-08-26/top-web-hosting-mistakes-should-be-avoided#.Umyf0_nihjg" target="_blank">Bluffton Today said on her blog:

If their agents sound like they can’t even understand basic English and are unskilled in dealing with any technical inquiries, avoid this host. They will just cause you big headaches if something goes wrong down the road.

If all of these things check out, then you can feel more comfortable that customer service is a priority with the company.style="line-height: 1.5em;">

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Trust Your Instincts

Everything may check out perfectly based on your list of needs, reading reviews and testing customer service.

However, if you have a niggling feeling that it seems too good to be true or something isn’t adding up, it might be best to trust your instincts. Sometimes the subconscious picks up on something minor. With so many excellent and href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/hosting-review/ipage/">inexpensive providers out there, there is no need to take a risk. Even small things, like a server not keeping backed up copies of your website or only allowed for a lump sum annual payment that ties you in for 12 months are important when it comes to which host you trust your website with.

Page 17 – Web Hosting Secret Revealed