Monday, 15 August 2011
In order for your website to go live online it has to be "hosted" on a server owned by a Web Hosting company.
It is often possible to purchase your domain name (web address) and hosting from the same company, for example 123.reg offers this service as do many others. This is probably the easiest way of getting a host, but some people like to shop around for the best deal. If you decide to go down this route it is best to look out for some key issues that will effect the quality of the hosting you receive.
Cost
Don't over prioritise cost in terms of your hosting. "You get what you pay for" is the key here. Make sure you are not losing out in terms of time connected to the internet, or lack of support when you need it. Look out for customer support that you can access via the telephone if you need to.
Support
Closely linked to cost, if you go very cheap (especially if you go overseas) are they going to have experienced systems administrators on their support staff? This can help avoid wasting hours talking to unskilled staff at a call centre with an issue that will take a systems administrator 5 minutes to sort out.
Look for hosts that support applications like wordpress, joomla or drupal if you plan on using these to manage the content of your site. You could find that many cheaper hosts will only give support for initial set up and so if you do get into difficulties there will be no one available with any knowledge of these to help you sort them out.
Check what is and what is not available as free support, if in doubt ring them and ask, otherwise you could find yourself faced with so many hidden charges that you may as well have just gone straight for more expensive hosting in the first place.
Size Really Isn't Everything!
Just because a company is large it is not a guarantee of stability or of good service. If you are buying hosting of any kind, but especially the higher end expensive hosting services, check to see that the company are making a profit, if it has changed hands frequently and check in the online forums to see if people have had issues with them in the past and what those issues are.
Using Cheap Foreign Hosts (Or even UK based ones!)
Be aware that many of these hosts may be charging peanuts for hosting but many may not be that discerning about the type of sites they allow on their servers. Porn and spamming sites will eventually be blackholed, essentially blocking the transit of electronic information from their sites to others. If you happen to be on the same server you could end up having security issues or problems with electronic communication via your website. It is not unknown for blocked IP addresses to be recycled to new clients which will immediately cause issues for your site.
Use Word of Mouth Recommendations
If you are planning an e-commerce site, go and talk to someone else who has an online shop and ask about their experience with the hosts. People will not usually hold back if their is a problem! Or ask a web designer, even if they are not doing your site themselves, they are often happy to give opinion as to the best hosting service for your needs. The benefit of this is that they have often worked with different hosts over a period of time so can give you some useful background on more than one company.
Finally, remember that the service provided may change over time, so when your hosting comes up for renewal take some time out to look at other hosts and see if it may be ime to make a change.
It is often possible to purchase your domain name (web address) and hosting from the same company, for example 123.reg offers this service as do many others. This is probably the easiest way of getting a host, but some people like to shop around for the best deal. If you decide to go down this route it is best to look out for some key issues that will effect the quality of the hosting you receive.
Cost
Don't over prioritise cost in terms of your hosting. "You get what you pay for" is the key here. Make sure you are not losing out in terms of time connected to the internet, or lack of support when you need it. Look out for customer support that you can access via the telephone if you need to.
Support
Closely linked to cost, if you go very cheap (especially if you go overseas) are they going to have experienced systems administrators on their support staff? This can help avoid wasting hours talking to unskilled staff at a call centre with an issue that will take a systems administrator 5 minutes to sort out.
Look for hosts that support applications like wordpress, joomla or drupal if you plan on using these to manage the content of your site. You could find that many cheaper hosts will only give support for initial set up and so if you do get into difficulties there will be no one available with any knowledge of these to help you sort them out.
Check what is and what is not available as free support, if in doubt ring them and ask, otherwise you could find yourself faced with so many hidden charges that you may as well have just gone straight for more expensive hosting in the first place.
Size Really Isn't Everything!
Just because a company is large it is not a guarantee of stability or of good service. If you are buying hosting of any kind, but especially the higher end expensive hosting services, check to see that the company are making a profit, if it has changed hands frequently and check in the online forums to see if people have had issues with them in the past and what those issues are.
Using Cheap Foreign Hosts (Or even UK based ones!)
Be aware that many of these hosts may be charging peanuts for hosting but many may not be that discerning about the type of sites they allow on their servers. Porn and spamming sites will eventually be blackholed, essentially blocking the transit of electronic information from their sites to others. If you happen to be on the same server you could end up having security issues or problems with electronic communication via your website. It is not unknown for blocked IP addresses to be recycled to new clients which will immediately cause issues for your site.
Use Word of Mouth Recommendations
If you are planning an e-commerce site, go and talk to someone else who has an online shop and ask about their experience with the hosts. People will not usually hold back if their is a problem! Or ask a web designer, even if they are not doing your site themselves, they are often happy to give opinion as to the best hosting service for your needs. The benefit of this is that they have often worked with different hosts over a period of time so can give you some useful background on more than one company.
Finally, remember that the service provided may change over time, so when your hosting comes up for renewal take some time out to look at other hosts and see if it may be ime to make a change.
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About Me
- Mara Cortesi
- Live and work in Somerset. Just about to embark on a back to nursing practice course.
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