2.26.2012

How to Choose a Hosting Provider

By Anatoly McNabb


How do you choose a hosting provider when there are thousands of hosting companies available online? It's like going through the yellow pages trying to find burger restaurants. There are lots of them. Hopefully these tips will steer you in the right direction. Important factors in selecting a web hosting company include the percentage of server uptime. 98 to 99% uptime is the dream standard for server uptime, 65% is unacceptable. The higher the downtime of a server, the lower the potential for traffic at your web site. Another consideration is how much space is provided for the files that will make up your web site. How much bandwidth is in your package? Monthly bandwidth is the amount of data transfer allowed for visitors to view and use your web site.

With today's evolving trends in web hosting services, it's imperative that you get just as much server space and bandwidth as possible. This can allow for required updates and increased traffic to your web site since it gets to be more popular.

It's equally important when buying business web hosting that CGI access is given; along with features like MySQL, Real Audio, Real Video, and Cold Fusion (which some companies sell as an add-on component). An important feature necessary for doing ecommerce is SSL, or Secure Socket Layer. This encrypts all order and credit card info till it reaches you. An SSL certificate can be bought from most web hosting providers. Displaying it on your ecommerce web site verifies that your website transactions are safe and secure.

We've talked about this before in other articles. You may need a domain name that reflects the nature of your business. For instance, a sports business might have a URL that is www.coloradosports.com. To get your very own unique domain name, you have to first check the availability of the name with a domain name search, provided by domain registrars such as Network Solutions.

There are many service providers to choose from. If you do your homework, you'll find some good deals that will fit your budget.




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