 Comparing Apples to Apples...
|
WEB4ONE DESIGNS, LTD. NEWS/BLOG
|
|
The Web4One Designs, Ltd. news feed is currently inactive
|
|
ARTICLE ARCHIVE
|
|
|
|
By: R. Davis
When selecting a web hosting provider it is a good idea to ask yourself a few very important questions that can save you from potential problems down the road. In order to get the most out of this article I think it is a good idea to define website hosting and explain the difference between "website hosting" and "website design". "Website hosting" is a service provided by a web hosting organization that allows an individual or organization to display their web site on the World Wide Web (Internet). The web hosting company provides space on a web server they own or lease in order to provide this service to the client. "Website design" is the actual creation of the website for the individual or business. Good web design services will include graphic design, page layouts, site content creation, and search engine optimization (SEO) services.
Now that we have defined website hosting and explained the difference between web hosting and web design let's proceed to some of the important questions you should be asking when selecting a web hosting company. Usually, most people that hire a web design company will use the same company to do their website hosting. Using the same company is a good idea because the company that designed the site is not going to create a site that they can not host (at least I hope not!). Problems seem to occur with website hosting when sites are designed by the individual or organization themselves and they do not have the resources to do their own hosting. Although this article can in no way cover every single part of website hosting, or cover every particular scenario that may evolve when researching a hosting company, it will provide a good background for an individual or business doing their due diligence when selecting a website hosting provider. Since the following questions are all very important they are not listed in any particular order:
What programming language is my site created in?
This may possibly be the most important question that needs to be asked when selecting your website hosting provider. If your site is designed using a programming language such as PHP, Perl, or Python you will need to have your site hosted on a Linux server or it will not be displayed. Similarly, if your site is created using a programming language such as classic ASP, or the .NET platform it must be hosted on a Windows server or it won’t be displayed. It is easy to see why it is important to know what language was used to create your site when selecting your web hosting service!
Does my site use a database? If so, what type of database does it connect to?
This is very similar to our first question. Although advances in technology have made this less of an issue than in the past it is still something that needs to be verified when you make your selection. If your website connects to a SQL database you will want it to be hosted on a Windows server.
Does the web hosting service provide me access to my files?
Most web hosting services will provide FTP access to your web site. This enables you to update the pages of your web site and/or upload new pictures to your site. Since most companies provide this service it might be a non-issue but be careful of sites that allow you to build-your-own because they might not provide this service.
Is my site an E-Commerce site? If so, is a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Certificate provided?
If you are planning on selling a product or service through your site you will want to make sure that you have a SSL certificate. This provides the security you need to make sure your visitors monetary transactions and personal information is safe and secure. Some web hosting companies will have plans that include a SSL certificate and some may charge extra for this service.
How much traffic am I expecting on my site? Does my hosting plan cover my bandwidth needs?
If you are expecting a lot of traffic to your website you will need to make sure that your website hosting plan provides enough bandwidth to handle it. A good analogy to use to understand bandwidth and traffic is to think of highways and cars. Bandwidth is the number of lanes on the highway and traffic is the number of cars on the highway. If you are the only car on a highway, you can travel very quickly. If you are stuck in the middle of rush hour, you may travel very slowly since all of the lanes are being used up. Almost all hosting plans have bandwidth requirements measured in moths, so you will need to estimate the amount of bandwidth that will be required by your site on a monthly basis.
How reliable is the web hosting company?
Plainly put, if your site is not up people will not be able to see it or use it. This is crucial if you have an e-commerce site where any downtime of your website will directly relate to potential lost revenue. In my opinion if the web hosting provider can not guarantee a 99% uptime you should look somewhere else.
Which hosting plan is the best one for me?
Since most website hosting providers offer multiple types of hosting plans be sure that you pick the one that is most cost-effective for you. If a less expensive plan fits all of your needs by all means use that one. But make sure that it does fit all of your needs before agreeing to it! The old adage that, “you get what you pay for” still holds true when it comes to website hosting plans!
|
