Choosing a Web Hosting Company: Five Things You Shouldn’t Let Pass You By

by

You know first-hand that managing a business is not easy. Fortunately there are ways to help while still keeping your business up and running—one of the biggest being web hosting. The way web hosting works is this: A web host stores all the pages of your company website onto one machine so that you have the space to store all of the videos and pictures you have displayed on your website. In other words, virtual hosting allows companies to put all of their data on a server that isn’t in the office building. According to Gary Eisenstein, author of In-House vs. Outsourcing Web Hosting, those who choose web hosting services can expect a 25 to 85 percent cost savings over in-house solutions. The chart below explains why web hosting is more attractive than an in-house server to business owners:

 

Web Hosting

 

In-House Hosting
 

  • Web hosts often have backup servers and service representatives in case something goes wrong
  

  • Only one single connection. If this connection goes down, your office email goes with it

 
 

  • You will not need an IT specialist in your office to work with the server. Web hosting takes care of this for you, adding extra security

 

  

  • IT staff will likely have access to everyone’s email, so you have to be able to trust them

 
 

  • Most sites automatically upgrade for you with no work on the part of the owner or manager

 

  

  • Needs constant upgrading

 
  • Services usually only cost about $4.00 to $12.00 per month
  

  • Equipment alone for a small to medium-sized business is about $10,000, not to mention hiring an IT specialist

 

[Read more…]

10 Rules for Finding Good Domain Hosting

by

I purchased my first domain in the year 1998, almost ten years to the day. I set up my site with a small but now-defunct hosting service called 9NetAve. Though I had been creating Web sites for three years up to that point, it was a major step forward and new territory for me.

Since then, I have worked with over 2 dozen hosts (not counting copyright issues) and have set up a variety of sites and blogs for me, my friends and my clients. Most of my experiences have been good though I have, on a few occasions, been severely burned.

But for anyone looking to host their own blog, perhaps to move up from a free hosting solution, finding a good host can be a daunting decision. Many simply go with the first name that comes to mind and hope for the best while others make their decision purely on price and take a serious gamble with their site.

For those seeking hosting for the first time or looking to move to a new service, I am offering my ten rules of finding a good host. [Read more…]