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Archive for April, 2011

There are hundreds of Web Hosting companies providing thousands of web hosting plans making it difficult to choose the plan with the right features. Have you ever thought of what features that you want in a hosting plan or are you the one who choose their plans based on price. Well even if you choose your hosting plan based on money terms, look out for the following top five features.

These are the must have features in any web hosting plan, without them you might hit a dead end, ah sometimes. So if you are serious about your online business or even your blog, then you wouldn’t compromise on not having these web hosting features.

Now lets dig deep and find the “Top 5 Must Have Web Hosting Plan Features” that you should have in your next hosting plan :

Unlimited Disk Space: When possible, always choose the Web Hosting plan with unlimited disk storage or space. This will be useful when you need to add more content to your website or want to add social features such as photo gallery or videos online.

Unlimited Transfers: choosing unlimited monthly transfers or bandwidth in your Web Hosting plan will ensure that you have enough capacity to attract large volumes of users and very useful when you target larger audience.

Server Uptime: it is imperative that your visitors must be able to see your website at all time. So having a Web Hosting plan with guaranteed uptime is the lifeline of your website. Hosting plan with anything below 99.9% (0.1% is act of god) should never be chosen.

24 Hrs Support: service and quick support at all times gives your business peace of mind. When choosing a Web Hosting plan choose one with 24 hrs support be it phone, email or even live chat support. This will help you fix things when it doesn’t go your way.

Avoid Long Term Contract: web hosting plan should be flexible and affordable. The plan should not commit your business to long periods. You should be able to upgrade or change your hosting company when it suits you. Contracts less than 1 or 2 years are appropriate lengths. One should be aware that monthly plans are bit expensive.

You should also consider your own business needs and financial circumstances when considering the above features. Always choose a hosting plan that suits your need.

Choosing the right web server for your business can be a daunting task and even when you have a server in place there are times when the service provided is just not working for you. If you are looking for a cost effective yet comprehensive server solution then why not consider a Virtual Private Server (or VPS).

It is an ideal solution for those looking to host a virtual server with the security and privacy of a separate physical computer server. Each VPS can use it’s own operating system and has the possibility of independent rebooting. Virtual Private Server’s are particularly effective set-ups for web designers, resellers, short-term developments or multiple single site installations. If you’re looking to find out exactly how a VPS could help your business then read on.

Flexibility

A Virtual Private Server is ideal for your business if server flexibility is important. You will have the opportunity to choose the operating system environment that is right for your needs, whether they be Linux or Windows based. You are able to install whatever software is required meaning you can have all the tools and applications your business needs in one secure virtual location.

Control

Most VPS systems include user friendly interface Plesk for easy to understand server controls and navigation. Plesk allows for full control of your VPS from one control panel and login destination with the provision of multiple log-in user types including: administrator, reseller, client, domain owner and mail user. Plesk controlled VPS’s also allow full customisation of the user interface which is great for company branding. Domains, websites, tools and mail accounts are also accessible and easy to manage.

Enhanced Security

One of the greatest advantages of a Virtual Private Server is the enhanced security. As each VPS is isolated from another there is a minimised likelihood of hackers or other customers being able to access your files and applications. The separation of server accounts also reduces the risk of malicious attacks (such as DoS attacks) targeted at other users. Plus, the usual server firewalls and security implementations should be included with any legitimate VPS supplier.

Support and Resources

When purchasing from any good hosting provider a VPS will come along with continues support and resources too. Whether that be in the form of telephone support or comprehensive user guides and information. Support should be provided for both hardware and software use meaning that any VPS issues you experience at any point will be sorted promptly.

The following are the tips one must keep in mind while choosing a new web host: -

1) One must make sure that the new web host plan offers the storage capabilities to handle all of the current website storage requirements. If the size of the website is 50MB, then one must check for the plan that offers at least that much space or more. In case one is not able to make estimates about the space required then he/she must ask his/her current host. Also this information can be found on control panel.

2) One must also check how does his/her current web host determine the amount of storage used for? It is necessary to check what one’s current and new host includes in the plan’s storage amount also one should check are one’s emails and log files counted towards his/her total storage, or the web files only?

3) Its necessary to know what operating system does one’s current hosting plan use? Windows or Unix? Mostly it makes no difference but in some cases it can make the difference between a working website and a broken website. In case one’s site is currently on a Windows server and the website uses ASP scripting, then its difficult to make things work well on a Unix server, as ASP is a Windows based programming language. So one should check immediately whether his/her hosting plan is on a Unix or Windows server.

4) Also its important to check if one’s your site currently use FrontPage? Before switching to new host one should check if the new host supports FrontPage and the prevailing version.

5) Another important issue to take care is the amount of bandwidth offered by the new host. One should check if the new hosting plan offers the same amount of bandwidth that the current host offers. This should be checked in advance to avoid unexpected high bills afterwards.

6) Make sure if the new web hosting plan gives the same amount of email accounts, auto responders and mail forwards that the current host provides.

7) Its necessary to check if one’s site uses a shopping cart that the current hosting plan provides? It is essential to have a suitable shopping cart replacement in case one desires to move the cart to the new host. So one must check that as well.

If one is using any scripts on his/her website, its important to check if one’s new hosting plan supports all of one’s scripts. One must make sure in advance if there is any need to make any modifications to scripts to get them working on the new server.

9) Don’t forget to set up the existing email accounts on the new server before transferring domain name to the new server.

10) In case user is just a beginner and even don’t know how to upload files, its necessary to check with the provider if he can do that with no extra charges. There are some hosts who offer such facility free of cost yet some don’t offer this facility because of liability issues.

It’s necessary to double check if the site looks and functions properly on the new server after completing the uploading process. Preview facility is provided in the form of preview link to see how the site looks and some hosts provide this facility before the domain name is transferred over. In case this preview facility is not available with the host, still there is a method to preview the site. One can modify his/her host’s file to preview the site. The host file tells the computer where to go to look for sites that are listed in that file and this works with any version of Windows. Here the file location can change but the file name remains the same. Below is the way to modify the host’s file:

The file HOSTS should be in the c: windowssystem32driversetc One can find a file named HOSTS.SAM (as in SAMPLE). That is OK; one can modify the HOSTS.SAM file as well and do a SAVE AS HOSTS.

In both the cases one should double click on the HOSTS file to open it. Thereafter one will be prompted by Windows to select an Application (Program) to use to VIEW the file.

Now scroll the list and select Notepad and then one should click on the OK button. The NOTEPAD program will now open, displaying the file HOSTS.

So, in order to tell computer that www.yourwebsite.com is at the address (replaced with the real IP) 12.345.678.90 one should add the following entry to the bottom of the hosts file:

12.345.678.90 www.yourdomain.com (As in the example).

Now one should click on FILE, slide down and click on SAVE AS. Then in the Save As one should type field, select ALL FILES. After completing that click on save. One warning will come which should be ignored i.e. the file already exists but that’s ok, then just one has to click YES.

Now one should close Notepad, by clicking on FILE, slide down to EXIT, and click.

Now when one will open the web browser, or try to ping the site, the system will go to the IP address one typed in the HOSTS file.

One should not forget to undo this when testing is finished else the computer will always want to go to that IP address whenever one want to go to that site.

After being satisfied with the site looks and functions, one can go to his/her registrar (where the domain name is registered) and modify the nameservers associated with one’s domain name to his/her new web host’s nameservers. In case one does not know his/her new host’s name servers, should confirm with them. However most hosts have that information listed somewhere on their website or in the email one first get after signing up for an account.

After the completion of domain nameserver modification it will take around 24-48 hours and the site will be displayed on the new server.

One must check his/her domain name and should see if the nameservers added are listed. If yes, the website transfer is complete to new web host. And after the confirmation is received one can cancel the old web hosting account.

One of the most important decisions one should make while deciding to put on his/her business on the web is which web hosting provider to use. The web hosting company that hosts one’s personal page may not offer the best plan for one’s business needs. The following are the several things one should take care while selecting a web host for one’s professional web pages.

Windows or *nix Web Hosting

When a web hosting provider is talking about an operating system, he/she means the operating system that his/her server uses. There is no need for Windows hosting if one is using a Windows operating system on his/her machine. Windows hosting is not required if one is building his/her pages in Front Page. The main reason for opting Windows web server hosting is that it enables to take advantage of .asp and .net programming capabilities, which can be extremely powerful. If one is not sure, then he/she should check with the person who will be designing his/her pages and ask for their recommendation.

Choice of Web Hosting Services

One must look for a web hosting provider that offers all the services that one needs in order to build the web site of his/her choice. The following are the services that make a good deal even better are:

Reduced price or free domain registration

When one is building a company web site, having his/her own domain name is very important to present a professional image. there are several web hosting providers that registers one’s domain name for free, and take care of all the details of renewing and updating information so that one need not to worry about it.

Secure server transactions on their server

If one is planning to accept payments or exchange personal information over the Internet, access to a secure server is most essential. One must look for a web hosting package that includes SSL in its basic price.

PHP and mySQL support

If one chooses a UNIX server, PHP and database support can provide powerful tools for running applications and forums, content management systems and more. Most business and e-commerce plans include them.

Design Services at reduced prices

There are several web hosting providers offering professional web design services to their customers at a discount rate. Thus one should avail these discounts. The main advantage of a professional looking web site is that it inspires confidence in one’s customers.

Web-mail services and POP Email Boxes

One must also look for a business web hosting plan that offers the maximum POP email boxes so as to enable one to assign email addresses to all his/her employees and departments. The advantage of a web-mail interface is that it allows users to access their mail from any computer.

Thus one can find a web hosting provider that offers all the features that one wants and that too at an affordable price. The only thing required is one should do his/her home work properly i.e. he/she should compare all the hosts before selecting the most important one.

Learning how to start a website isn’t easy, and a lot depends on the website hosting design packages you are interested in. Most people believe that the best way to start a website is to look for a host offering a free site. You won’t build a successful online business using a free website: there is no such thing, unless it is provided to you in order to market a specific product.

If you are trying to sell your own products or services, then you will not find a website anywhere for free – you will be able to build something looking like a website, but it won’t be a website because it won’t be connected to the internet. That costs money, and you also have to pay for your domain name.

So let’s lose the idea that you can get a website free and then use it to build a successful online home business selling your own products or even affiliate products. You can’t. If you disagree with me, then leave now because you are going to be one of the 99% that fail to make any money online no matter how hard you try. You must have the right mindset to succeed and you must also be realistic and live in the real world.

If you want to learn how to start a website, then be prepared to pay. No matter what you read online, you won’t make money on the internet for free. It will cost you and one of the tricks of internet marketing is to keep that cost to a minimum when you can least afford it and pay more once your business is successful.

Website hosting design varies across a wide choice of hosting services, and you can pick and choose the type of service you want. However, no matter which you choose a website will cost you money, and a fully featured site fitted with everything you will need to be successful online will cost you in the region of 00+. If you are clever you won’t have to pay that, but let’s look at what is involved in that money. I am not going to detail the cost of every item, just list them, and if you can get that lot for under 00 you are doing well.

Let’s assume you have a product to sell (your own or somebody else’s) or a service to offer, and want to build a website to market your business and make money from it. That’s why you are in business, after all, to make money, so you will have to make more than you spend. Only around 1 out every 100 who start actually succeed in making money. They might make but spend doing it, so they aren’t making money. Here’s what you will need:

A web host: somebody that offers you the web space to sore your files and a means of connecting to the World Wide Web. The web is not the internet. The internet is like the telephone lines and the web comprises all the telephones you can connect to. Your host allows you to make these connections, and will charge you a monthly or annual fee. Which of the following is included depends upon the website hosting design package you choose.

A domain name: you will need a name for your site. You hire that on an annual basis from a domain name provider. You can’t just do it yourself because in order that you can use it, your domain name has to be registered with the world-wide Domain name Service (DNS).

Website design software: you can try the free software available or the expensive applications such as Dreamweaver. You get what you pay for, and something in between will be best if you want a professional-looking site. That includes an HTML editor. It’s possible to start a website using free software, but it will look like free software was used.

An Email service: a free service will be no good because won’t buy from you. You will need a pop email service with unlimited email addresses for the various parts of your business (service, sales, support, etc). A good website hosting design option will include these.

A product showroom: you have to be able to describe your products and set prices for them. Your customers want to see what you have to offer, particularly if you are selling multi products.

A payment processor: PayPal or Clickbank might do if your product fits their rules. However many people won’t touch PayPal and you need another form of processor that takes debit and credit cards. You should also offer old fashioned checks. These processors can be expensive to set up with a monthly fee.

Traffic generation: you have to get traffic to your website, so you will need good keywords. For that, you will likely need a good keyword research tool. There are free tools available, but for the kind of deep keyword research that can provide results, you might want something better.

Traffic analysis: you definitely need traffic analysis software. Without knowing what your popular web pages are and on what pages your visitors most frequently exit, you will find it difficult to make improvements to your website. You must also get some idea of how many visitors you have and how long each stays on each page.

SEO: without good search engine optimization you will find it almost impossible to get your web pages listed. That will be a big disadvantage.

Search Engine Analysis: you need software to tell where and one which search engines your web pages are listed.

Autoresponders: you need software to answer your emails, send invoices and receipts, accept payments and deliver electronic products such as software and ebooks. They can send weekly courses, regular newsletters and even run your blog for you. They can also be expensive.

A Blog: this is a must, and will offer a great deal of help in advertising your website and products and driving traffic to any page on your site of your choosing.

WEB2 Social Networking Interfaces: you will be more successful if you interface your website with the social networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Craigslist. You need software for that and the knowledge to use it.

You will be really lucky to start a website with all that for under a grand: twice that sum more likely. Yet that is what you will ultimately have to get. If you don’t then you might be one of those 99%. If you still think you can make it with a free website (that doesn’t offer these extras free) then you are welcome to try, but when you fail you will have lost too much time and wasted too much money.

Lucky for you, it is possible to find website hosting design options that will offer all of the above on a monthly or yearly basis for a lot less than ,000. You have to decide how serious you are going to be in building a successful website. If you really want to know how to start a website that works, then read through that list again.

Dedicated servers are the safest and most reliable source of web hosting.They are ideal for home, professional or business users to manage their internet presence from a central location on a stable platform. The new dedicated server range is also ideal for enthusiasts, hobbyists and for use as game servers ensuring everyone benefits from great performance at an affordable price. Dedicated servers allow quick delivery of web pages, which increases the probability of keeping web site visitors on a site that may convert them to paying customers. Furthermore, quick loading pages enhance the company’s image and may encourage existing customers to refer your web-based services to others. Dedicated servers let the customer install and modify any software or function of the server, ideal for businesses with customized hosting needs.Dedicated servers are useful for companies and individuals that run very-high-traffic Web sites or applications that need the bandwidth, versatility, and consistent performance of a dedicated box. Dedicated servers are most often housed in data centers, similar to colocation facilities, providing redundant power sources and HVAC systems. In contrast to collocation, the server hardware is owned by the provider and in some cases they will provide support for your operating system or applications.

Virtual dedicated servers offer many of the capabilities and features of dedicated servers, including admin (root) access and dedicated IP addresses, but at a much lower price. However, as a virtual dedicated server is, indeed, virtually dedicated, the customer in fact shares the server space with a small number of other customers. Virtual private (servers) are very cheap dedicated server, the charges are per month so now the organizations have large number of choices to choose. Virtual dedicated servers come with an easy-to-use control panel that offers a highly powerful tool box that allows you easy access to powerful features. Virtual private servers bridge the gap between shared web hosting services and dedicated hosting services , giving independence from other customers of the VPS service in software terms but at less cost than a physical dedicated server. As a VPS runs its own copy of its operating system , customers have superuser -level access to that operating system instance, and can install almost any software that runs on the OS.

We understand that it is not easy to just go and find the best host service out there. There are literally thousands of hosting companies on the market today. We have taken the time and put the effort into finding the best dedicated server hosting. We are careful to recommend only the most reputable web hosting companies. Visit http://www.affordableweb-hosting.com/dedicatedservers.htm