December 29, 2009
Posted by: admin : Category:
Blog Hosting
It’s difficult to chose right web hosting service for your web site at the time when there are numerous of web hosting providers all assuring for identical web hosting packages. So its necessary to take care of 3 aspects before starting a web hosting search which are given below. Features required for web hosting Technical requirements for a web site is the most important point to be taken into consideration which includes-
a) Hardware requirements and platform for server
According to your need such as if you want to set up a website that uses programming environments such as Active Server Pages (ASP), Visual Basic scripts, Cold Fusion or Microsoft Access or Microsoft SQL database, then a need for a web hosting service will arise that supports Windows platform such as Windows NT or Windows 2000 servers.
Similarly as for programming languages such as Perl, CGI, SSI, PHP or mySQL database, then any web hosting plans that support Unix/Linux platform can be helpful. After having these types of requirements in mind one can decide for the best web hosting plan.
b) Disk space & Bandwidth requirement
Next technical requirement to be taken care of is disk space and bandwidth requirement, however disk space requirement may not be a big deal if you want to publish website with very less contents. Generally 200 MB to 500MB disk space will be quite enough as hosting requirements. Further for hosting a website with enormous amount of graphic pictures, mp3 or video files, a web hosting providing huge disk space example 500 to 1000 MB will be crucial. In the same manner site traffic estimation can be held responsible for bandwidth requirement .A website that attracts high traffic will tend to consume monthly bandwidth allowance very fast, then in that case one web hosting service that offers huge bandwidth with 40GB to 100 GB per month is needed.
Web hosting service that provides sufficient amount of disk space and bandwidth can be opted as per website requirement and that consideration will help not only to reduce costs but also tend to proper disk management.
c) Some other hosting features
Apart from above there are many other hosting features that are to taken into consideration such as Is web hosting provider supports video clips on the website? Is there any plan for setting a virtual store online? Is the host providing e-commerce facilities without charging more and top of all finding number of email accounts provided, number of FTP accounts, web statistic software etc.
Trustworthiness and scalability
If the web-hosting provider is offering reliable server uptime and fast Internet connection then it can be considered as a good host. For selecting an appropriate provider one must look for a web hosting service that guarantee 99% server uptime with high speed internet using at least OC3 (Optical Carrier) lines (155 Megabits per second) or above instead of T1 or T3 lines. A trustworthy hosting provider invests hugely on high performance servers, high speed multiple backbones providers with fail-over redundancy, backup power generators and firewall software protection in place so as to ensure they fulfill the uptime guarantee specified in the terms of service.
In the same manner selection would depend upon the hosting service that can ensure hardware facilities that are designed for scalability, so that they can also expand with user’s business. For example if requirement emerges for increasing disk space, bandwidth or number of mySQL databases, there should not emerge any problem and that all can be upgraded easily.
Customer service and support
Last but not the least excellent customer service and support is also important while selecting appropriate host provider. A web hosting provider must provide 24 hours a day, 7 days a week technical support with highly experienced technicians, so as to ensure timely resolution of any problem. Checking must be made by sending inquiry emails to the web-hosting provider so as to check the responsiveness of the customer support. Generally if a response comes within 24 hours can be considered as indication of acceptance but if no response comes then it is taken as a poor customer service. In world of competition, a web hosting provider must be also equipped with multiple support like Toll-free phone support, 24/7 email support, live chat, FAQ etc.
Apart of above important factors some other minor factors must also brew taken care of while selecting an appropriate web hosting provider like since how long that provider is in business and quantity of customers they hold as these shows the credibility and stability of the company. Cost of web hosting is an important factor also but due to growing competition now their charges have come to as low as US$10 per month and so this major factor needs to be ignored. Thus besides of all most important is that the website hosting requirements are met, website is always accessible with good speed, there is scalability in provider to grow and expand the website and that it also offers best customer support.
December 28, 2009
Posted by: admin : Category:
Reseller Hosting
Reseller hosting is the business of providing web hosting services owned by another web hosting company to end customers. Reseller hosts provide website design and management services as well as hosting services to users. Generally, a reseller will buy a product or service from another company, repackage it by adding something extra and resell it to other companies under its brand name. This means that the reseller acts as a middle-man, creates brand-image, finds customers and hosts their sites on the servers owned by the original hosting company. Naturally, this also means larger sales and profits for the original web host.
Entrepreneurs can make a decent living through reseller hosting, as it is a great business opportunity for people who want to create a stand-alone business venture. It also opens up allied opportunities for those with parallel businesses who can combine web hosting with their other services. Let’s take a closer look at the advantages.
Branding Opportunity: The best part of the reseller hosting business is that one is able to create one’s own brand even though it is another company that provides the web hosting service. For example, as per the reseller hosting program the reseller company need not get involved in the technical aspects, but can certainly market the service under its name at prices of its choosing.
Competitive Edge: The reseller has the opportunity to offer other services which can be used in conjunction with web hosting accounts. These include merchant accounts, SSL Certificates, search engine optimization and domain name registration. That’s almost money for nothing.
Cost Optimization: Reseller hosting does away with the need to maintain expensive in-house hardware such as different types of servers, backup generators and other network equipment and connections required to host Internet web sites.
Market Expansion: A reseller can cash in on the ever increasing numbers of businesses and individuals who are migrating to the web. That’s almost unlimited scope.
Now that you know the benefits, we’re sure you wanna pick up this lucrative business option! But the business of reseller hosting is not without its red flags.
? You need a large site and the ability to market through
various channels to justify the initial costs associated with reseller
packages.
? You need to be cost competitive as compared to other resellers
with similar services.
? Ensure that you have adequate bandwidth for the number and type of sites you need to support to understand the different levels of storage and bandwidth offered.
? Make sure you secure Service Level Agreements for technical
support and hardware repair from the web hosting provider.
Although you don’t need to maintain very sophisticated hardware, you will still need some. Take care when you make that purchase.
? Check for the brand name of the hardware. Does it enjoy a reputation for reliability and after sales technical support?
? Check for the speed of the CPUs in the servers as this will directly correlate with the load speeds of customer websites.
? Ensure the hardware can offer backup options, such as drive mirroring. This will help keep a synchronized copy of all data for easy backups.
Bearing these points in mind will certainly improve your chances of success at reseller hosting.
December 28, 2009
Posted by: admin : Category:
Dedicated Servers
These days lots of people are coming on internet and internet activities has increased manifolds as compared to what it was 5 years ago. Keeping this in mind lots of new websites are coming each day covering different niches and thus making that particular niche more competitive to gain good ranking in search engines. This battle continues and seems to be on its apex but some web gurus are of the view that internet traffic will multiply even further in coming years. For those people who are looking to start their website I have discussed an important step of web hosting selection in this of my article to clear many unknown terminologies of hosting for novices.
After selecting a domain name which will be your identity on internet you will need a web host to place your website on his server so that it becomes accessible globally through internet. Many web hosting companies are offering their services but in this age of advertisement and cluster of quality web hosting providers, how to decide which web hosting company suits you best. Obviously you will have some parameters set in your mind about your website before you go for web hosting selection but some selection criteria are said to be understood which must be focused by a new comer along with his own parameters for hosting.
Hosting is no doubt known as modern day marriage as you have to make your decision very clearly without compromising on any thing especially the price. Some cheap web hosting companies give incentives of price but webmasters have to pay that price later on in the form of low uptime guarantee and poor customer support. Here are the major factors to look for before finalizing web hosting.
Disk space and bandwidth: First and the foremost thing to look for is disk space and bandwidth allowed to your website. You have to decide this depending on your site type. If you are going for a personal website or small business website then you do not need huge Gigs of space and bandwidth but if you are of to a targeted site where traffic will be coming regularly and in huge number then you must go for larger bandwidth.
Uptime Guarantee: Almost all web hosting companies claim to provide 99.9% uptime guarantee but many of these do not fulfill the claims and later on gives some excuses. It is better advised to go for reliable web hosting in terms of uptime guarantee and it can be checked online with many existing customers or from reviews sites.
Customer Support: Before finalizing any web hosting company, you must read different reviews about that company as many websites are offering web hosting reviews. In addition check with the company by asking them different questions through phone or chat. If you are satisfied with customer support only then go with it other wise select some other web host.
Price: Last and surely less important factor should be price. Believe me or not best web hosting companies never compromise on their price and always ensure quality services to their clients both in terms of uptime guarantee and server security.
Finally, selection of best web hosting company is not difficult if you have plotted your requirements before checking. Still it will be better to read reviews about different web hosting companies from comparison sites.