Every website needs three things: (1) a way to build and maintain the website content, (2) a domain name, and (3) a hosting service. This tutorial will give you a brief overview of these components and help get you up and running with your own website even if you have no previous web-building experience.
1. Build and Maintain Your Website
In order to build a website you will need some website building software, such as: Macromedia Dreamweaver, Adobe GoLive, or Microsoft FrontPage. These programs help you to build a website without needing to know too much HTML (programming code.) Or, if your find a web host with a good site builder you can create your site online with the web host's website building software. Online site builders are usually best for small or personal sites, or websites that need to be built and posted in a hurry. If you would like a complex or custom site invest in some software. (Or pay for a web designer and they'll build a website for you!)
2. Get a Domain Name
Everywhere you look now days, TV, magazines, billboards, you will see a www.something.com. The something.com is a domain name. This is the name by which people will find your website. You have got to register a domain name for you can have a website hosted and sign up for a web host. When you register a domain name you ay a yearly fee for the amount of time you choose to register the domain. (1-10 years) After the registration year(s) are over you may renew the domain or let it expire and the name will go back into the pot of available names.
iPowerWeb will register your domain name free when you sign up for web hosting. But if you prefer to sign up for a domain name before you are ready to host a website go to GoDaddy.com. They have the cheapest prices, including $7.95 for .com names. (Some registrars will charge as much as $35.00 USD for a domain name!)
3. Get a Web Hosting Service
In order for the website you built on your home computer to be available to the entire world via the World Wide Web you need a web hosting service. The web host will allow you to upload your website files to their servers. Which are basically really big computers that will "serve" your files to anyone who requests them by typing in your website name into the web browser. The web host places your files on heavy-duty hardware that is connected 24/7 to the Internet via a very fast connection so your website is available for viewing at any time of day in any part of the world.
There are hundreds of thousands of web hosting services who, for a monthly fee, host your website files and offer other useful web site building and maintenance features. Finding the best priced web host with the right features for your website needs can be a chore with the thousands competing for business. We recommend BlueHost as an affordable ($6.95 per month) and reliable host with all the essentials and good customer service.
Easy as 123
So that's it. Building a website, registering a domain name, and signing up with a web host are the three necessary steps to getting a website online. Obviously there is a lot of hard work involved and it can be difficult for first time webmasters to find the best services, but with our hosting and domain recommendations you will be off to a great start. There has never been a better time to get a website online. Good Luck!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Marketing a Domain
There are various methods of putting your domain name up for sale. Decide whether you would like to sell your domain by owner or share a percentage of the profit by listing a domain name with a third party. For a complete list of ideas for marketing your domain name, read on.
“Domain Name for Sale” marketing methods include:
Keep current and accurate contact information at your registrar so a potential buyer may find you through a domain "Whois Lookup"
Place a domain for sale sign on an existing web site, with your contact information.
Create a “For Sale” page at the domain's URL. This way if someone types the domain name in their browser instead of an error message a page will appear letting the potential buyer know the name is for sale. (You can do this free with registration at GoDaddy)
Or your can list it with a 3rd Party, like AfterNIC. This will give you ultimate exposure to qualified buyers, but you will have to share a bit of the profits.
Please note: to sell a domain name by owner, through a private transaction rather than a trusted third party, is risky business unless you completely trust the buyer.
There will be some wait time as money switches hands and the domain name ownership is transferred. Unless you are selling your domain to your mother or selling it for a very low price, we recommend using an escrow service to take care of the money transaction.
“Domain Name for Sale” marketing methods include:
Keep current and accurate contact information at your registrar so a potential buyer may find you through a domain "Whois Lookup"
Place a domain for sale sign on an existing web site, with your contact information.
Create a “For Sale” page at the domain's URL. This way if someone types the domain name in their browser instead of an error message a page will appear letting the potential buyer know the name is for sale. (You can do this free with registration at GoDaddy)
Or your can list it with a 3rd Party, like AfterNIC. This will give you ultimate exposure to qualified buyers, but you will have to share a bit of the profits.
Please note: to sell a domain name by owner, through a private transaction rather than a trusted third party, is risky business unless you completely trust the buyer.
There will be some wait time as money switches hands and the domain name ownership is transferred. Unless you are selling your domain to your mother or selling it for a very low price, we recommend using an escrow service to take care of the money transaction.
Free Web Hosting - Starting A Business Online With...
In the world of web hosting, there are two options. You can go with free website hosting, or paid website hosting. There are pros and cons to each of these options. In this article we will explore the various advantages and disadvantages of both free and paid hosts. Let's start off by taking a look at free hosting.
Free website hosting is ideal if your budget is small to non-existent. It can be the perfect thing for a personal web site. However, for a business, free hosting is not recommended. Free hosting accounts often do not provide enough storage or bandwidth for most businesses. You may wonder how free providers can afford to offer free hosting. Almost always, they make money by putting advertisements on the free pages. Therefore, you can certainly expect your pages to show ads on them that you did not place there. The worst is when a free host uses popups, which is very aggravating for visitors.
Paid website hosting is the better option for anyone seeking web hosting for a business. Many paid hosts are so cheap that even those with personal or hobby sites can afford to use them. There are a variety of hosts out there that offer different packages at different prices. You can get hosting for as little as $1.99 per month. Of course, if you are buying hosting for a business and you need lots of space and features, you can expect to pay around $20, sometimes more, sometimes less. It honestly depends on the host and the features you're getting. Paid web hosting often includes numerous email accounts and other handy features you don't get with a free account.
Paid hosting definitely comes out as the winner. It simply has more to offer, and can be obtained for very affordable rates these days. Free hosting is great for a starter site, or for someone who is brand new to web development and wants to practice making a site before paying for hosting. Most free providers are also paid hosts, which means you can start off free and upgrade your hosting to a paid plan in the future. Do plenty of comparison shopping to find the host who offers the best features, at the best price.
Free website hosting is ideal if your budget is small to non-existent. It can be the perfect thing for a personal web site. However, for a business, free hosting is not recommended. Free hosting accounts often do not provide enough storage or bandwidth for most businesses. You may wonder how free providers can afford to offer free hosting. Almost always, they make money by putting advertisements on the free pages. Therefore, you can certainly expect your pages to show ads on them that you did not place there. The worst is when a free host uses popups, which is very aggravating for visitors.
Paid website hosting is the better option for anyone seeking web hosting for a business. Many paid hosts are so cheap that even those with personal or hobby sites can afford to use them. There are a variety of hosts out there that offer different packages at different prices. You can get hosting for as little as $1.99 per month. Of course, if you are buying hosting for a business and you need lots of space and features, you can expect to pay around $20, sometimes more, sometimes less. It honestly depends on the host and the features you're getting. Paid web hosting often includes numerous email accounts and other handy features you don't get with a free account.
Paid hosting definitely comes out as the winner. It simply has more to offer, and can be obtained for very affordable rates these days. Free hosting is great for a starter site, or for someone who is brand new to web development and wants to practice making a site before paying for hosting. Most free providers are also paid hosts, which means you can start off free and upgrade your hosting to a paid plan in the future. Do plenty of comparison shopping to find the host who offers the best features, at the best price.
What is VPS Hosting?
VPS stands for Virtual Private Server and isa lower cost alternative to a full dedicated server. Using virtualization software one physical server is split into several virtual servers. This way you could have four VPS servers on one physical server. They split the CPU and memory and each get a share dedicated to just that VPS server.
The main advantage is that since the servers are virtual you have full control while being totally independent from the other virtual servers. Thus the other VPS accounts shouldn't be able to cause problems for your VPS. This is much better then shared or reseller hosting where any person on the server can cause you problems if they overload the CPU or memory.
Advantages of a VPS
Total control of your VPS.
Cheaper than a dedicated server.
Dedicated CPU/Memory so you always have a set amount for you.
Other people on the server can't cause problems for you.
You can usually find a VPS plan from a good host for around $40 to $60 a month. It has a lot better uptime when compared to shared hosting since other people can't cause problems and is way less expensive than a dedicated server. Highly recommended!
The main advantage is that since the servers are virtual you have full control while being totally independent from the other virtual servers. Thus the other VPS accounts shouldn't be able to cause problems for your VPS. This is much better then shared or reseller hosting where any person on the server can cause you problems if they overload the CPU or memory.
Advantages of a VPS
Total control of your VPS.
Cheaper than a dedicated server.
Dedicated CPU/Memory so you always have a set amount for you.
Other people on the server can't cause problems for you.
You can usually find a VPS plan from a good host for around $40 to $60 a month. It has a lot better uptime when compared to shared hosting since other people can't cause problems and is way less expensive than a dedicated server. Highly recommended!
What is a Server or Dedicated Server?
A server or dedicated server in the hosting industry refers tothe actual computer that is running your website. So if you are using shared web hosting you are sharing one server with a lot of other people. If you have your own dedicated server you have a computer that is located at the data center and you are the only one using it. A server is just like your computer at home except it is usually in a smaller case, has a much faster connection to the internet, and doesn't have some of the extras such as a powerful graphics card.
What is a Managed Dedicated Server?
A "managed" dedicated server refers to the level of serviceyou receive. A managed service means that your server will be operated by the company you bought it from. The level of this management depends on the company and they usually charge more for the more responsibilities they cover.
What Does This Management Include and Cost?
This would include things like keeping the operating system up to date, helping you with any problems you have, reconfiguring the software, and other server admin related activities. If you are new to hosting and need help running a server it is far better to get a managed server since the hosting company will take care of everything. Managed servers are more expensive than unmanaged servers for the obvious reason.
What Does This Management Include and Cost?
This would include things like keeping the operating system up to date, helping you with any problems you have, reconfiguring the software, and other server admin related activities. If you are new to hosting and need help running a server it is far better to get a managed server since the hosting company will take care of everything. Managed servers are more expensive than unmanaged servers for the obvious reason.
What is an Unmanaged Dedicated Server?
An unmanaged dedicated servers is a server thatis going to be maintained by you and the hosting company will not help you with it. They are responsible for the physical hardware but everything else is left to you. Unmanaged servers are great for people that have technical expertise but for someone new to configuring Apache it can be a disaster.
So Why Would You Get An Unmanaged Server?
Unmanaged servers are usually much cheaper than managed servers and its possible to hire a company to manage it for you if you are trying to save some money. Getting an unmanaged dedicated server and hiring a company to manage it can sometimes be cheaper than buying a managed server from the same hosting company.
So Why Would You Get An Unmanaged Server?
Unmanaged servers are usually much cheaper than managed servers and its possible to hire a company to manage it for you if you are trying to save some money. Getting an unmanaged dedicated server and hiring a company to manage it can sometimes be cheaper than buying a managed server from the same hosting company.
What Is Semi Dedicated Hosting?
Semi dedicated hosting is better than typical shared hosting but not quite a VPS or a dedicated server.There are usually a small amount of clients on one dedicated server. Some semi dedicated packages are a lot better than others but most range from 4 to 10 people per server. A semi dedicated is a good option if you have a busy site but don't want to splurge on a VPS or dedicated server.
Why Shared Web Hosting Sucks
Because anyone on your shared server can crash your website and cause it problems!Then you have to wait for your hosting company to fix the problem and ban the offending site or give them another shot. Plus this can happen at anytime as any site can get dugg or slashdotted and cause all the people on one server problems.
The Advantage of Shared Web Hosting?
Its cheap and for the vast majority of websites it will be fine. Most sites don't have to be online 24/7 and for under 10 dollars a month hosting has gotten very cheap. Save your money but just remember it will have some problems.
The Solution To Shard Hosting?
A VPS is a good start, it basically has software that splits up a server into individual emulated servers. In this environment the other sites are separate and can't affect you. A dedicated server is also an option as then you have an entire server for your site. If you can't afford either of those options just finding more expensive shared hosting that doesn't oversell as much will help. There are lots of shared hosts that are for programmers and they don't oversell as much.
The Advantage of Shared Web Hosting?
Its cheap and for the vast majority of websites it will be fine. Most sites don't have to be online 24/7 and for under 10 dollars a month hosting has gotten very cheap. Save your money but just remember it will have some problems.
The Solution To Shard Hosting?
A VPS is a good start, it basically has software that splits up a server into individual emulated servers. In this environment the other sites are separate and can't affect you. A dedicated server is also an option as then you have an entire server for your site. If you can't afford either of those options just finding more expensive shared hosting that doesn't oversell as much will help. There are lots of shared hosts that are for programmers and they don't oversell as much.
What is Shared Hosting?
Shared Hosting is usually what people refer to when they say "web hosting" or "hosting".This type of hosting is what most people use and fine for sites that don't get a lot of visitors. It is called shared hosting because usually there are hundreds of customers per server so they are sharing the server.
Because you are sharing the server with a lot of other people this lowers the cost but can also lead to instability. For instance if the server has a lot of people and one person starts getting a lot of traffic on their forum it can cause the server to crash every site on the server. A good host will be able to keep the server up usually but no host can do this perfectly unless they raise prices.
Because you are sharing the server with a lot of other people this lowers the cost but can also lead to instability. For instance if the server has a lot of people and one person starts getting a lot of traffic on their forum it can cause the server to crash every site on the server. A good host will be able to keep the server up usually but no host can do this perfectly unless they raise prices.
Why Register a Domain?
Domain names are registered for a variety of reasons. Some build a web site right away, or buy a name to build a site later, while others purchase domain names in order to protect a company name or trademark, and some register a domain name so they can have personalized email addresses. What do you plan to do with the domain name after it is registered?
Build a Web Site Now
If you are planning to build a web site right away for your domain, it is often easiest to register the domain name with your chosen web host. If you choose to host with iPowerWeb, for example, they offer free domain name registration when you sign up for web hosting. If you decide to host and register separately you will want to choose a domain registrar with a quick DNS set up time. Usually this process can take as long as two days to get the domain name and web host in sync. GoDaddy is a registrar known for its quick set up abilities.
Build a Web Site Later
If you are buying a domain name now, and plan to build a web site in the future you need to be aware that law prohibits "sitting" on a domain name. This means purchasing a domain name and not doing anything with it. This legislation is to prohibit the monopolistic buying out of domains. So you must do something with your domain name immediately or you may be accused of misconduct. Luckily registrars have figured a way to make both the law and the customer happy by providing "free parking" or an "under construction page" for domains that are not going to be used for a while. If you are biding your time before building a web site for your domain name make sure your registrar offers "free parking" or "coming soon" pages. Go Daddy offers this free with their domains.
Protect a Trademark
Some companies will register domain names solely to protect the name of their company or registered trademark. Normally they will already have one web site and will have no intention of building separate ones to go with each of these domain names. (ex. yahoo.com might register yahoo.net and yahoo.org as well). In this situation URL forwarding is an extremely handy feature. For example your company has registered the domain mydomain.com. You want to prevent your competitors from buying mydomain.net and mydomain.biz, so you buy both of those domain names as well. Then you utilize URL forwarding so when a customer types in "mydomain.biz" they don't see an "under construction page" they are instantly redirected, or forwarded to your main URL, at mydomain.com. Many registrars will offer this as a free service with registration or as an add-on for a small fee. If you plan to have many domain names pointing to the same site choose a registrar that offers URL forwarding.
Personalized Email
Another common reason for registering a domain name is for the use of personalized email. Instead of a having a generic Hotmail or AOL account, you can buy a domain name from a domain registrar that offers email packages or email forwarding and get a personalized email address. For example instead of being "you@hotmail.com" you could now be "you@yourdomainname.com". This is much more professional sounding than the boring free email account addresses.
Email forwarding allows you to receive mail from your you@hotmail.com address into the email account that you would check all the time, such as you@yourdomainname.com. So you don't have to check a bunch of different mailboxes to read your email. Mail can be directed, or forwarded, to another inbox. Normally you would get the email features through your web host, but if you aren't planning to build a web site for your domain name you can just register your domain name with a registrar who offers email packages or email forwarding. Go Daddy offers email packages for only .99.
Reselling Domains
If you have purchased a valuable domain name in order to auction it or resell for profit you may look into a domain auction agency or domain appraisal agency to assess how much the domain you purchased is worth.
Now that you've decided whether you will be building a web site, "parking" you domain, redirecting your domain to another site, reselling your domain, or using your domain for email, you can choose the best registrar, register your name and get it hosted! Check out our list of recommended free and low-cost web hosts.
Build a Web Site Now
If you are planning to build a web site right away for your domain, it is often easiest to register the domain name with your chosen web host. If you choose to host with iPowerWeb, for example, they offer free domain name registration when you sign up for web hosting. If you decide to host and register separately you will want to choose a domain registrar with a quick DNS set up time. Usually this process can take as long as two days to get the domain name and web host in sync. GoDaddy is a registrar known for its quick set up abilities.
Build a Web Site Later
If you are buying a domain name now, and plan to build a web site in the future you need to be aware that law prohibits "sitting" on a domain name. This means purchasing a domain name and not doing anything with it. This legislation is to prohibit the monopolistic buying out of domains. So you must do something with your domain name immediately or you may be accused of misconduct. Luckily registrars have figured a way to make both the law and the customer happy by providing "free parking" or an "under construction page" for domains that are not going to be used for a while. If you are biding your time before building a web site for your domain name make sure your registrar offers "free parking" or "coming soon" pages. Go Daddy offers this free with their domains.
Protect a Trademark
Some companies will register domain names solely to protect the name of their company or registered trademark. Normally they will already have one web site and will have no intention of building separate ones to go with each of these domain names. (ex. yahoo.com might register yahoo.net and yahoo.org as well). In this situation URL forwarding is an extremely handy feature. For example your company has registered the domain mydomain.com. You want to prevent your competitors from buying mydomain.net and mydomain.biz, so you buy both of those domain names as well. Then you utilize URL forwarding so when a customer types in "mydomain.biz" they don't see an "under construction page" they are instantly redirected, or forwarded to your main URL, at mydomain.com. Many registrars will offer this as a free service with registration or as an add-on for a small fee. If you plan to have many domain names pointing to the same site choose a registrar that offers URL forwarding.
Personalized Email
Another common reason for registering a domain name is for the use of personalized email. Instead of a having a generic Hotmail or AOL account, you can buy a domain name from a domain registrar that offers email packages or email forwarding and get a personalized email address. For example instead of being "you@hotmail.com" you could now be "you@yourdomainname.com". This is much more professional sounding than the boring free email account addresses.
Email forwarding allows you to receive mail from your you@hotmail.com address into the email account that you would check all the time, such as you@yourdomainname.com. So you don't have to check a bunch of different mailboxes to read your email. Mail can be directed, or forwarded, to another inbox. Normally you would get the email features through your web host, but if you aren't planning to build a web site for your domain name you can just register your domain name with a registrar who offers email packages or email forwarding. Go Daddy offers email packages for only .99.
Reselling Domains
If you have purchased a valuable domain name in order to auction it or resell for profit you may look into a domain auction agency or domain appraisal agency to assess how much the domain you purchased is worth.
Now that you've decided whether you will be building a web site, "parking" you domain, redirecting your domain to another site, reselling your domain, or using your domain for email, you can choose the best registrar, register your name and get it hosted! Check out our list of recommended free and low-cost web hosts.
Domain Name Basics
Domain names are becoming a household or office necessity like toilet paper and light bulbs. But anyone new to the craze may wonder what a domain name is and what one might look like.
IP’s in Disguise
Technically speaking a domain name is an alias for a numeric code. The numeric code is called an IP address. The format of an IP address is written as four numbers separated by periods, where each number can be from zero to 255. For example, 22.170.12.250 could be an IP address. The IP address is how a domain name is recognized by the domain name server. However, a long number like that is difficult for people to remember, so domain names were created to give an alias to IP addresses that would be easier for people to communicate and remember.
Domains Are Everywhere
Today domain names are all around. Almost everywhere you look these days, on billboards, television, ads, you see a domain name. If you have used the internet or sent an email you have used a domain name.
When using the internet, you use a domain name when you type a web address, or URL. A web address would look something like this: http://www.example.com The domain name is “example.com.”
To send an email you must also use a domain name. For example you send an email to yourfriend@example.com. In this email address “example.com” is the domain name.
Where to Get a Domain Name
You get a domain name from a domain name registrar. We have researched domain name registrars to find the best services and the lowest prices. Our favorite is Go Daddy. They are by far the cheapest and most reliable.
IP’s in Disguise
Technically speaking a domain name is an alias for a numeric code. The numeric code is called an IP address. The format of an IP address is written as four numbers separated by periods, where each number can be from zero to 255. For example, 22.170.12.250 could be an IP address. The IP address is how a domain name is recognized by the domain name server. However, a long number like that is difficult for people to remember, so domain names were created to give an alias to IP addresses that would be easier for people to communicate and remember.
Domains Are Everywhere
Today domain names are all around. Almost everywhere you look these days, on billboards, television, ads, you see a domain name. If you have used the internet or sent an email you have used a domain name.
When using the internet, you use a domain name when you type a web address, or URL. A web address would look something like this: http://www.example.com The domain name is “example.com.”
To send an email you must also use a domain name. For example you send an email to yourfriend@example.com. In this email address “example.com” is the domain name.
Where to Get a Domain Name
You get a domain name from a domain name registrar. We have researched domain name registrars to find the best services and the lowest prices. Our favorite is Go Daddy. They are by far the cheapest and most reliable.
Disadvantages of Free Hosts
We all know that there are some definite advantages to free hosts. But is paying nothing for web hosting the best option for your web site? Read about the disadvantages that users face when dealing with free hosts to get a clearer picture of the downside of free hosting.
Why Free Hosts Aren’t So Good
As far as web hosting is concerned, you definitely get what you pay for (and sometimes less than you pay for!) Below are the disadvantages to free hosts:
Little/No Support
Free hosts generally offer no customer support to their free customers and if they do it is low priority. While many free users are new to web hosting, neglectful support can ruin the hosting experience.
Overcrowded Servers
Free hosts are not known for their reliability and uptime. Often the servers web hosts put free users on may be overcrowded and slow or even frequently down. Since it is relatively simple to get a free web host company started many free hosts are fly-by-night operations and care little for the long term well being of users files.
Less Features
Free web hosting plans usually don’t include advanced features, software, and email services that paid ones do. (ex. PHP, MySQL, FTP accounts, and POP email)
Ad Banners
To fund the free hosts, web hosts add an advertisement in the form of a text link, banner or pop-up to free users web sites. Many users find these ads take away from the design of their site, or are a nuisance to their visitors.
Why I Like Free Hosts
As a webmaster, I like to use free hosts to host my non-profit sites, or web sites that are in their beginning stages. It is easy to sign-up for a free web site to try out new site ideas, or just to store files for a while.
Why Free Hosts Aren’t So Good
As far as web hosting is concerned, you definitely get what you pay for (and sometimes less than you pay for!) Below are the disadvantages to free hosts:
Little/No Support
Free hosts generally offer no customer support to their free customers and if they do it is low priority. While many free users are new to web hosting, neglectful support can ruin the hosting experience.
Overcrowded Servers
Free hosts are not known for their reliability and uptime. Often the servers web hosts put free users on may be overcrowded and slow or even frequently down. Since it is relatively simple to get a free web host company started many free hosts are fly-by-night operations and care little for the long term well being of users files.
Less Features
Free web hosting plans usually don’t include advanced features, software, and email services that paid ones do. (ex. PHP, MySQL, FTP accounts, and POP email)
Ad Banners
To fund the free hosts, web hosts add an advertisement in the form of a text link, banner or pop-up to free users web sites. Many users find these ads take away from the design of their site, or are a nuisance to their visitors.
Why I Like Free Hosts
As a webmaster, I like to use free hosts to host my non-profit sites, or web sites that are in their beginning stages. It is easy to sign-up for a free web site to try out new site ideas, or just to store files for a while.
Why Choose Free Hosting?
We lay it out for you- the good the bad and the ugly of free web hosting. Read the pros and cons of free web hosting to decide if saving a few dollars per month on hosting is worth it for you and if a free web host would work well for your web site.
Why Free Hosts Are Good
Price is Right
Free hosts are great because they are FREE! Everyone wants to spend less when they can. Free web hosts free up cash you might spend on hosting so you can use it on things that are more important.
Great for Any Level of Experience
Free hosts are perfect for the penny pinching webmaster or those who are new to or just dabbling in building web sites. Some free web hosts cater specifically to new users, or “newbies” as they like to call inexperienced webmasters, with easy to use features, add-ons, templates, and more. Free hosts for newbies make knowing programming codes, like HTML, unnecessary with WYSIWYG site builders.
Quick and Easy
Many free hosts supply online site builders or site templates so users don’t even need to use programs like Dreamweaver, GoLive, or Microsoft FrontPage to build and design a site. Web based file managers and upload tools help make a web site ‘live’ in a jiffy.
Free Subdomains
Many free hosts offer a free subdomain (ex. Yoursite.freehost.com) with hosting so users sites are instantly available and they don’t have to wait for domain registration or transfers to have a live site.
Just Enough
Free hosts provide enough web space, bandwidth, and features for the common user so users don’t have to pay for more than they need as is often the case with paid hosts.
Why Free Hosts Are Good
Price is Right
Free hosts are great because they are FREE! Everyone wants to spend less when they can. Free web hosts free up cash you might spend on hosting so you can use it on things that are more important.
Great for Any Level of Experience
Free hosts are perfect for the penny pinching webmaster or those who are new to or just dabbling in building web sites. Some free web hosts cater specifically to new users, or “newbies” as they like to call inexperienced webmasters, with easy to use features, add-ons, templates, and more. Free hosts for newbies make knowing programming codes, like HTML, unnecessary with WYSIWYG site builders.
Quick and Easy
Many free hosts supply online site builders or site templates so users don’t even need to use programs like Dreamweaver, GoLive, or Microsoft FrontPage to build and design a site. Web based file managers and upload tools help make a web site ‘live’ in a jiffy.
Free Subdomains
Many free hosts offer a free subdomain (ex. Yoursite.freehost.com) with hosting so users sites are instantly available and they don’t have to wait for domain registration or transfers to have a live site.
Just Enough
Free hosts provide enough web space, bandwidth, and features for the common user so users don’t have to pay for more than they need as is often the case with paid hosts.
Free Web Hosting For All?
Since the first free web hosts burst onto the scene in the early days of the internet, many things have evolved and changed. The early free hosts consisted largely of community-based ideas like Geocities and Freeservers.com. With the advancement of technology, bandwidth prices dropped and the cost of data storage went from dollars per megabyte to pennies per gigabyte. Many have predicted the demise of free hosting as shared hosting has become cheaper and easier to use.
Free Web Hosting Still Popular Today
As the internet has become available to more and more households across the world, the interest in building a website has increased daily. Through some form of free hosting millions have made thier mark on the world wide web. The teen-ager builds a MySpace page to connect with friends and share similar interests - free web hosting. The business person starts a blog to share ideas on market predictions and stock market speculation - free web hosting. The elderly view pictures on Photobucket of thier great-grandchildren who live thousands of miles away - free web hosting.
Paid Web Hosting - The Next Logical Step
Sooner or later anyone with a web presence wants to kick it up a notch. Whether they get tired of the pop-up ads or the lack of thier own dot-com address - some form of paid web hosting becomes the next logical step. With prices edging down around $50 per year for a hundred gigabytes of storage and all the bandwidth you could dream of, paid web hosting is within reach to all.
Whether you are a business person wanting to generate leads for your business or a punk rock band looking for exposure to a bigger audience - the internet is your highway. And if the internet is the road to glory then a website is your mode of tranportation. You can choose free hosting or paid web hosting but get on board, it's gonna be one heck of a ride.
Free Web Hosting Still Popular Today
As the internet has become available to more and more households across the world, the interest in building a website has increased daily. Through some form of free hosting millions have made thier mark on the world wide web. The teen-ager builds a MySpace page to connect with friends and share similar interests - free web hosting. The business person starts a blog to share ideas on market predictions and stock market speculation - free web hosting. The elderly view pictures on Photobucket of thier great-grandchildren who live thousands of miles away - free web hosting.
Paid Web Hosting - The Next Logical Step
Sooner or later anyone with a web presence wants to kick it up a notch. Whether they get tired of the pop-up ads or the lack of thier own dot-com address - some form of paid web hosting becomes the next logical step. With prices edging down around $50 per year for a hundred gigabytes of storage and all the bandwidth you could dream of, paid web hosting is within reach to all.
Whether you are a business person wanting to generate leads for your business or a punk rock band looking for exposure to a bigger audience - the internet is your highway. And if the internet is the road to glory then a website is your mode of tranportation. You can choose free hosting or paid web hosting but get on board, it's gonna be one heck of a ride.
Free Web Hosting Defined
Web hosting is the service that allows you to have a website on the internet. I like to think of it as online storage units. The data can be hosted on fast servers for a monthly fee, or for free on overcrowded - slow servers. Free web hosting is very popular because of the easy access it provides beginners to build their first website.
Why is it Free?
Most free hosting companies make money by selling ads on your website. Everything from banner ads to pop-ups can generate revenue on user websites. Some free hosts get a little carried away, like one I have used that has 2-3 pop-up ads and several annoying banners. This may seem annoying but hey, it's free.
Another reason they can give it away free is that you are sharing a server with sometimes up to 100,000 other people. This overcrowding limits the amount of storage space and bandwidth transfer that a free host can provide. Most of the popular free hosting companies offer only enough space to have a small personal website. The good ones have paid upgrades available so you can graduate to paid web hosting when you are ready.
Pros and Cons of Free Hosts
Besides the office benefit of building a website for free there are other reasons that free web hosting is a good option. What about a website for a school play or a birthday party? After the event is over, the website is useless. This is a good place for a free hosted website. Since most paid web hosting plans have a one year term, free hosting is a good choice for short-term sites.
Some find the anonymity of free web hosting useful when building sites that require secrecy. This can be a downside as well since you are sharing a server with thousands of other webmasters. If one spammer or scammer gets blacklisted or banned for questionable actions - it can effect everyone on the server.
What about Domain Names?
Free hosting most often does not include a domain name. Your website address with a free host usually looks something like yoursite.freehost.com or like www.freehost.com/bobswebsite. These are called sub-domains and are not easy for your users to remember the address. Some will let you upgrade to your own .com domain name, but most of them require upgrading to a paid hosting package first.
Why is it Free?
Most free hosting companies make money by selling ads on your website. Everything from banner ads to pop-ups can generate revenue on user websites. Some free hosts get a little carried away, like one I have used that has 2-3 pop-up ads and several annoying banners. This may seem annoying but hey, it's free.
Another reason they can give it away free is that you are sharing a server with sometimes up to 100,000 other people. This overcrowding limits the amount of storage space and bandwidth transfer that a free host can provide. Most of the popular free hosting companies offer only enough space to have a small personal website. The good ones have paid upgrades available so you can graduate to paid web hosting when you are ready.
Pros and Cons of Free Hosts
Besides the office benefit of building a website for free there are other reasons that free web hosting is a good option. What about a website for a school play or a birthday party? After the event is over, the website is useless. This is a good place for a free hosted website. Since most paid web hosting plans have a one year term, free hosting is a good choice for short-term sites.
Some find the anonymity of free web hosting useful when building sites that require secrecy. This can be a downside as well since you are sharing a server with thousands of other webmasters. If one spammer or scammer gets blacklisted or banned for questionable actions - it can effect everyone on the server.
What about Domain Names?
Free hosting most often does not include a domain name. Your website address with a free host usually looks something like yoursite.freehost.com or like www.freehost.com/bobswebsite. These are called sub-domains and are not easy for your users to remember the address. Some will let you upgrade to your own .com domain name, but most of them require upgrading to a paid hosting package first.
3 Mistakes to Avoid While Choosing a Web Host
There are a few mistakes to avoid while choosing your host. I'd like to share these with you below, and explain why it's important to avoid these mistakes at all costs - especially if you wish to start an online business.
Free Web Space
Remember seeing all those ads that mention "free web space"? Please avoid participating in these services. In most cases, the reason it's free is because the company will place advertisements for other websites all over your web page. This defeats the entire purpose of having "your own" web business.
Why should you have to give your potential customers away? Shouldn't you be able to keep the visitors that you have paid to receive through your own ad campaigns?
With "free web space" sites, you'll give away more business than it would cost you to get your own domain and hosting service. It's not worth it.
Limited hosting
Avoid hosting packages that will not allow you to add order forms, statistics, or multiple email accounts to your website. These are necessary tools for any webmaster who desires to open an online business.
It's best to choose a hosting service that offers many options such as:
- Multiple POP Email Accounts - Dedicated Hosting - Secure Servers - Web Usage Statistics - Web Space Allocation (you can get how much web space you'll need) - URL Redirection - Autoresponders
These are just a few "necessary" services to look for when choosing a web host for your new website.
Low Cost Hosting
Watch out for very low cost hosting packages (i.e. $2.50 per month). They usually require something in return, which can take away profits from your online business.
I must admit that it does sound appealing to sign up for free or very low cost hosting, but count the costs before signing up...
Each time an advertisement banner is placed on your website, it's designed to get your visitor to click out of your website and go some place else. Most free or low cost web hosting services place these banners at the very top of your web page - giving the visitor an opportunity to click out of your site before getting to the first words of your presentation.
One complaint that comes to mind about a free hosting service was that the company's server became overcrowded and the customer could not get their website to come up 50% of the time. When this happens, your business is closed - and you have no control over this situation.
Free Web Space
Remember seeing all those ads that mention "free web space"? Please avoid participating in these services. In most cases, the reason it's free is because the company will place advertisements for other websites all over your web page. This defeats the entire purpose of having "your own" web business.
Why should you have to give your potential customers away? Shouldn't you be able to keep the visitors that you have paid to receive through your own ad campaigns?
With "free web space" sites, you'll give away more business than it would cost you to get your own domain and hosting service. It's not worth it.
Limited hosting
Avoid hosting packages that will not allow you to add order forms, statistics, or multiple email accounts to your website. These are necessary tools for any webmaster who desires to open an online business.
It's best to choose a hosting service that offers many options such as:
- Multiple POP Email Accounts - Dedicated Hosting - Secure Servers - Web Usage Statistics - Web Space Allocation (you can get how much web space you'll need) - URL Redirection - Autoresponders
These are just a few "necessary" services to look for when choosing a web host for your new website.
Low Cost Hosting
Watch out for very low cost hosting packages (i.e. $2.50 per month). They usually require something in return, which can take away profits from your online business.
I must admit that it does sound appealing to sign up for free or very low cost hosting, but count the costs before signing up...
Each time an advertisement banner is placed on your website, it's designed to get your visitor to click out of your website and go some place else. Most free or low cost web hosting services place these banners at the very top of your web page - giving the visitor an opportunity to click out of your site before getting to the first words of your presentation.
One complaint that comes to mind about a free hosting service was that the company's server became overcrowded and the customer could not get their website to come up 50% of the time. When this happens, your business is closed - and you have no control over this situation.
Web Hosting FAQ
What is an ISP?
An ISP (Internet Service Provider) is a company that provides various Internet services, such as a dial up connection to the Internet, e-mail, and possibly web hosting.
What is web hosting?
Web hosting simply means that the files that make up your web site reside on the hosting company's server. That server provides the rest of the world with access to your web site through fast, dedicated Internet connections.
In order to have a website on the Internet, you first need to have a web server. Unfortunately, owning a web server can be very costly and requires technical expertise that most businesses don't have. This is where web hosts come in. Web hosting companies provide the equipment and other technical resources that you need without the headaches that come when you have to do it yourself.
Think of a web host as the landlord of building. A landlord rents out storefronts to various businesses. Each business decorates and runs their store differently, and doesn't worry about the maintenence of the building. In a similar way a web host rents out space on a web server to various businesses. Each business builds their own website and never has to worry about the maintenence of their web server.
In other words, the web host provides the place on the Internet where your website lives. It's a lot cheaper than buying you own server, and you don't have to hire the technical staff to take care of it.
What is domain name hosting?
Domain name hosting means that the domain name you have purchased points to the web site that is being hosted by your IPP, so that your site can be accessed by typing your domain name into a web browser. If you want to set up and use e-mail at your domain name before your web site is up, this requires set up of your web hosting account. At that point, web hosting is in effect (as well as the charges that go along with it) regardless of the status of your web site.
What is a Registrar?
A registrar is the company that your domain name is registered with, such as Network Solutions (previously the only option) or INWW/Melbourne IT, or Tucows.com. They keep a record of the registered owner, the Organizational, Administrative, Technical and Billing contacts for your domain name, as well as a record of what server your domain name/web site is hosted on. Even if your web hosting company or web design company buys your domain name for you, you should make sure that YOUR COMPANY or YOUR NAME is listed as the owner of your domain name, not the web hosting company or the web design company! It's usually easy to change contact information associated with your domain name, but it a hassle to change the registered owner, and usually involved a fee of some kind. You should also make sure that you renew your domain name only with the company that it is already registered with, as many registrars now engage int he practice of sending out "renewal notices" for domain names that are not even registered with their company.
If you want to purchase a domain name, please contact Digital West Networks, Inc. (DWNI).
What is "Catch-all" or "Wildcard" E-mail?
Catch-all E-mail means that e-mail that is sent to anyword@yourdomain.com will go to your mailbox. So even if someone makes a mistake typing your user name, the message will still get to you as long as they get the spelling of the domain name right. Many clients request that catch-all e-mail be disabled if they are receiving too much spam.
What is "Unlimited E-mail Forwarding?"
Unlimited E-mail Forwarding means that for each e-mail address you use, you can choose anything@yourdomain.com, and the e-mail will go to the mailbox of your choice. This allows you to forward e-mail to another e-mail address, or organize your e-mail by the address that it's sent to. For example, sales@yourdomain.com can go to your sales team's mailbox, and techhelp@yourdomain.com can go to your technician's mailbox. Or you can have it all go to the same mailbox if one person handles all the e-mail for your company.
Is there a way to eliminate Spam?
Although there is no sure way to eliminate spam completelty, there are ways to drastically cut down on the amount of spam you receive. If you want more information on spam filtering, please contact Digital West Networks, Inc. (DWNI).
What is "Secure Socket Layer (SSL)?"
Secure Socket Layer, or SSL, is what makes your web site's ordering process secure. Once SSL is enabled, all orders placed on your site are encrypted until they get to you.
What is a secure certificate?
A secure certificate from a certifying authority such as GeoTrust, Thawte, or Verisign, verifies, or authenticates the security of a web site.
If you want to purchase a secure certificate for your web site, please contact your web hosting provider.
Why do I need a secure certificate if I already have SSL enabled?
Enabling SSL encrypts the data from an online transacion, but without a secure certificate installed, your customers will get warning messages saying that there is not a valid certificate for the site, or that the certificate does not match the site name. Once a secure certificate is purchased and installed, a logo for the secure certificate with a link to more information can be added to your web site at your request.
What is a sub-domain?
A sub-domain is a separate doblack that can be created off a virtual domain name. An example would be (http://subdomain.domain.com). Some web hosting companies offer sub-domains that are created using wildcards in their DNS. We offer true Apache sub-domains on all of our plans.
What is Search Engine?
Search engines utilize indexing software agents often called robots or spiders. These agents are programmed to constantly "crawl" the Web in search of new or updated pages. They will essentially go from URL to URL until they have visited every Web site on the Internet. Search engines read a web site's 'meta tags' and content in order to determine their ranking.
What is the difference between search engines and directories?
The main difference between a search engine and a general directory is that a directory will not list your URL if you do not first register it with them. They do not make use of indexing software agents and so have no way of knowing it's out there. As a result, their registration form will be considerably longer than just your URL. Directories are usually subdivided into categories and you have to submit your URL under the most appropriate heading.
What is domain propagation?
When a visitor types your domain name into their Web browser, their request is referred to a nameserver that indicates the physical location (the IP address) of your domain on the Internet. When your site location changes to a new IP address, or when a new domain name is added, nameservers around the world must be notified of the change. This process is referred to as propagation.
Propagation normally requires 24-48 hours. During this period, if you are transferring your domain, some nameservers will refer to the old location of your site and some to the new location. Therefore, a visitor accessing your site may be directed to either the old or new location. It is usually best to keep your previous hosting company until your transfer is verified as having taken place.
What is a parked domain?
Parked domains are not separate accounts, they are merely pointers to an existing web site rental account. Parked domains do not have their own IP address, SEPERATE EMAIL ADDRESSES or their own control panel.
An ISP (Internet Service Provider) is a company that provides various Internet services, such as a dial up connection to the Internet, e-mail, and possibly web hosting.
What is web hosting?
Web hosting simply means that the files that make up your web site reside on the hosting company's server. That server provides the rest of the world with access to your web site through fast, dedicated Internet connections.
In order to have a website on the Internet, you first need to have a web server. Unfortunately, owning a web server can be very costly and requires technical expertise that most businesses don't have. This is where web hosts come in. Web hosting companies provide the equipment and other technical resources that you need without the headaches that come when you have to do it yourself.
Think of a web host as the landlord of building. A landlord rents out storefronts to various businesses. Each business decorates and runs their store differently, and doesn't worry about the maintenence of the building. In a similar way a web host rents out space on a web server to various businesses. Each business builds their own website and never has to worry about the maintenence of their web server.
In other words, the web host provides the place on the Internet where your website lives. It's a lot cheaper than buying you own server, and you don't have to hire the technical staff to take care of it.
What is domain name hosting?
Domain name hosting means that the domain name you have purchased points to the web site that is being hosted by your IPP, so that your site can be accessed by typing your domain name into a web browser. If you want to set up and use e-mail at your domain name before your web site is up, this requires set up of your web hosting account. At that point, web hosting is in effect (as well as the charges that go along with it) regardless of the status of your web site.
What is a Registrar?
A registrar is the company that your domain name is registered with, such as Network Solutions (previously the only option) or INWW/Melbourne IT, or Tucows.com. They keep a record of the registered owner, the Organizational, Administrative, Technical and Billing contacts for your domain name, as well as a record of what server your domain name/web site is hosted on. Even if your web hosting company or web design company buys your domain name for you, you should make sure that YOUR COMPANY or YOUR NAME is listed as the owner of your domain name, not the web hosting company or the web design company! It's usually easy to change contact information associated with your domain name, but it a hassle to change the registered owner, and usually involved a fee of some kind. You should also make sure that you renew your domain name only with the company that it is already registered with, as many registrars now engage int he practice of sending out "renewal notices" for domain names that are not even registered with their company.
If you want to purchase a domain name, please contact Digital West Networks, Inc. (DWNI).
What is "Catch-all" or "Wildcard" E-mail?
Catch-all E-mail means that e-mail that is sent to anyword@yourdomain.com will go to your mailbox. So even if someone makes a mistake typing your user name, the message will still get to you as long as they get the spelling of the domain name right. Many clients request that catch-all e-mail be disabled if they are receiving too much spam.
What is "Unlimited E-mail Forwarding?"
Unlimited E-mail Forwarding means that for each e-mail address you use, you can choose anything@yourdomain.com, and the e-mail will go to the mailbox of your choice. This allows you to forward e-mail to another e-mail address, or organize your e-mail by the address that it's sent to. For example, sales@yourdomain.com can go to your sales team's mailbox, and techhelp@yourdomain.com can go to your technician's mailbox. Or you can have it all go to the same mailbox if one person handles all the e-mail for your company.
Is there a way to eliminate Spam?
Although there is no sure way to eliminate spam completelty, there are ways to drastically cut down on the amount of spam you receive. If you want more information on spam filtering, please contact Digital West Networks, Inc. (DWNI).
What is "Secure Socket Layer (SSL)?"
Secure Socket Layer, or SSL, is what makes your web site's ordering process secure. Once SSL is enabled, all orders placed on your site are encrypted until they get to you.
What is a secure certificate?
A secure certificate from a certifying authority such as GeoTrust, Thawte, or Verisign, verifies, or authenticates the security of a web site.
If you want to purchase a secure certificate for your web site, please contact your web hosting provider.
Why do I need a secure certificate if I already have SSL enabled?
Enabling SSL encrypts the data from an online transacion, but without a secure certificate installed, your customers will get warning messages saying that there is not a valid certificate for the site, or that the certificate does not match the site name. Once a secure certificate is purchased and installed, a logo for the secure certificate with a link to more information can be added to your web site at your request.
What is a sub-domain?
A sub-domain is a separate doblack that can be created off a virtual domain name. An example would be (http://subdomain.domain.com). Some web hosting companies offer sub-domains that are created using wildcards in their DNS. We offer true Apache sub-domains on all of our plans.
What is Search Engine?
Search engines utilize indexing software agents often called robots or spiders. These agents are programmed to constantly "crawl" the Web in search of new or updated pages. They will essentially go from URL to URL until they have visited every Web site on the Internet. Search engines read a web site's 'meta tags' and content in order to determine their ranking.
What is the difference between search engines and directories?
The main difference between a search engine and a general directory is that a directory will not list your URL if you do not first register it with them. They do not make use of indexing software agents and so have no way of knowing it's out there. As a result, their registration form will be considerably longer than just your URL. Directories are usually subdivided into categories and you have to submit your URL under the most appropriate heading.
What is domain propagation?
When a visitor types your domain name into their Web browser, their request is referred to a nameserver that indicates the physical location (the IP address) of your domain on the Internet. When your site location changes to a new IP address, or when a new domain name is added, nameservers around the world must be notified of the change. This process is referred to as propagation.
Propagation normally requires 24-48 hours. During this period, if you are transferring your domain, some nameservers will refer to the old location of your site and some to the new location. Therefore, a visitor accessing your site may be directed to either the old or new location. It is usually best to keep your previous hosting company until your transfer is verified as having taken place.
What is a parked domain?
Parked domains are not separate accounts, they are merely pointers to an existing web site rental account. Parked domains do not have their own IP address, SEPERATE EMAIL ADDRESSES or their own control panel.
What is web hosting
Web hosting simply means that the web pages or files that make up your web site reside on the hosting company's server. That web server provides the rest of the world with access to your web site through fast, dedicated Internet connections. The World Wide Web has become the single fastest growing scientific phenomenon in recorded human history.
Registering a Domain Name
Domain name hosting means that the domain name you have purchased points to the web site that is being hosted by your web hosting provider, so that your site can be accessed by typing your domain name into a web browser. If you want to set up and use e-mail at your domain name before your web site is up, this requires set up of your web hosting account. At that point, web hosting is in effect (as well as the charges that go along with it) regardless of the status of your web site. Instead of a stake in the ground, the territory of the web is marked by domain names. A simple analogy for how domain names work is your phone book. For computers to communicate with one another, they have to be directed to the correct "location" on the web, which is specified by a number like 201.168.22.111. Most of us can remember the phone numbers we call all the time but if someone asked us for the number of Microsoft so they could check on the latest Windows updates, we'd probably be lost.
Functioning like a phone directory, a name resolution service was developed that allows a name to be associated with the unique number that's assigned to a web site. It's easier for most of us to remember names than numbers. So when you register a domain name, a record is created for it. When your site is hosted, the hosting company assigns an address to your domain name. Your domain name record is updated with the unique number that corresponds to your new web hosting space and that allows other people to be able to find your site using your domain name instead of having to remember all those numbers. A web surfer simply types in the name and the domain resolution service takes over. A DNS server looks up your number and sends the visitor to see you, so to speak.
These days registration of a domain name is almost totally automated. You simply choose the name you wish to register, choose a registrar and sign up. You don't need a "home" for your name like you would have in the old days (say around 1995). Registrars will "park" your name for you until you need it. This allows you to come up with the perfect name and register it before someone else does, even though you may not be ready to actually host anything at the moment. As long as you are listed as the registrant in the domain name record, you own the domain name, even if there's no site there, and even if the registrar's tech support people are listed as contacts in the record.
Determine Your Site Requirements
Once you've made the decision to launch a site, you are suddenly faced with a whole new set of decisions to make - what will the site do, who will manage it, will it be updated regularly, will you build it yourself, will you sell things, will you collect email addresses, do you want streaming media, will you provide downloadable files, do you like the color blue? The questions can seem endless and in some cases, senseless.
You owe it to yourself to educate yourself to the greatest extent possible about the technology that you feel your site may require. The jargon may be a little intimidating, and to be truthful, no one needs to know what CGI stands for. But knowing whether or not you need CGI scripts to operate your site is something you definitely have to learn.
In the old days (you guessed it - 1995), most of the web was static. That means you put something up on a web server in HTML and it stayed that way until you changed it. Under that arrangement, "webmasters" were in high demand, since you had to know how to manipulate HTML at least a little bit to get things to work. These days, technology exists that enables just about anyone with a browser to update a web site. Some of these technologies allow web content to be pulled from a database, so instead of editing a site, all the owner has to do is change the data in the database, which is usually easier than remembering to close your font tags. Other technologies allow interactive online catalogs, automatic credit card validation, continuously updating news, streaming music and video broadcasts and even ad banners that know your name.
Once you know enough about your project to know what technologies you need, you can narrow down your search for hosts who offer those technologies.
Web Hosting Options Consideration
When it comes to hosting options, more is not necessarily better. Sometimes a hosting company who devotes their efforts to a niche market will have more tools of the type you need despite offering fewer overall options for site hosting. If you don't need database services, then a company who only offers simple Front Page site hosting may be perfect for you. Some hosts separate everything into individual "options." which are sold a la carte, as add-ons to a basic hosting plan. Other hosts offer all-inclusive packages that cover most of what the average web site needs, with options to add-on specific technology support as you need it. Still others seem to offer everything you could possibly want as part of every single account.
If you do need specific technologies, be sure to read all the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) files a host may provide online. Be sure you understand how the technologies you need actually work - it's not uncommon to see hosts touting "Flash support" as a hosting feature. There are no server components required for Flash movies to work on a site - the support is provided by the browser. This just gives the hosting company another "option" to make their list of features longer. But if you want to stream audio or video, you will need server-based software to assist you.
Contact tech support via email and ask about a specific technology - bring up a problem you may have had in the past and ask them if they've ever encountered it. See how long it takes before you get a real response (not an autoresponder). Call the tech support number and see if real people answer the phone. Time how long you sit on hold before you get a real person.
If you're shopping by price, remember that you get what you pay for. More often than not, you can get a discount for paying quarterly or yearly in advance. If this is an option, consider it carefully - how hard will it be for you to cancel (if you can) if you are not satisfied with the service? Will the company refund your money if you're not happy?
Check the fine print on transfer limits, storage limits and email services. Will the company notify you when you've maxed out your transfer limit or will they just start charging you by the megabyte for additional download traffic? Remember that every single "call" to a page on your site generates a download - a "hit." There's a hit for the page request and a hit for every separate element that comprises the page - all those nifty navigation buttons that change color when you mouse over them - if they're graphic-based, that's two hits for every button. All these downloads apply toward your transfer limit. If you plan to use 200 Mb of storage (most sites use nowhere near that amount of space), so people can download MP3s or graphics or some other kind of files from your site, you're going to have to be concerned with the transfer limits if you expect any measurable traffic.
The rules of good website building stipulate that any single web page should "weigh" no more than 30-35K. Using that as a guide, you can estimate the storage space you'll need for the pages themselves, plus any downloadable files you might want to share. A graphics-intensive site would have "heavier" pages than a text-based site, so take that into account when you're looking for hosting space.
Summary
In short, if you can carry out most of these steps and find a host whose answers and services fall into your personal comfort zone on these kinds of important issues, you'll have a short list of companies worth making additional inquiries about. You can check their client list, ask for references, look up testimonials and more simply by using your browser. Most reputable hosts keep a list of clients on their own web site specifically for this purpose. Don't be afraid to make a few phone calls if you're considering a large investment in hosting services, like collocation or dedicated servers. Send a few e-mails, ask friends about experiences they've had. By the time you're finished, you will have enough solid information to make your hosting choice with confidence.
Registering a Domain Name
Domain name hosting means that the domain name you have purchased points to the web site that is being hosted by your web hosting provider, so that your site can be accessed by typing your domain name into a web browser. If you want to set up and use e-mail at your domain name before your web site is up, this requires set up of your web hosting account. At that point, web hosting is in effect (as well as the charges that go along with it) regardless of the status of your web site. Instead of a stake in the ground, the territory of the web is marked by domain names. A simple analogy for how domain names work is your phone book. For computers to communicate with one another, they have to be directed to the correct "location" on the web, which is specified by a number like 201.168.22.111. Most of us can remember the phone numbers we call all the time but if someone asked us for the number of Microsoft so they could check on the latest Windows updates, we'd probably be lost.
Functioning like a phone directory, a name resolution service was developed that allows a name to be associated with the unique number that's assigned to a web site. It's easier for most of us to remember names than numbers. So when you register a domain name, a record is created for it. When your site is hosted, the hosting company assigns an address to your domain name. Your domain name record is updated with the unique number that corresponds to your new web hosting space and that allows other people to be able to find your site using your domain name instead of having to remember all those numbers. A web surfer simply types in the name and the domain resolution service takes over. A DNS server looks up your number and sends the visitor to see you, so to speak.
These days registration of a domain name is almost totally automated. You simply choose the name you wish to register, choose a registrar and sign up. You don't need a "home" for your name like you would have in the old days (say around 1995). Registrars will "park" your name for you until you need it. This allows you to come up with the perfect name and register it before someone else does, even though you may not be ready to actually host anything at the moment. As long as you are listed as the registrant in the domain name record, you own the domain name, even if there's no site there, and even if the registrar's tech support people are listed as contacts in the record.
Determine Your Site Requirements
Once you've made the decision to launch a site, you are suddenly faced with a whole new set of decisions to make - what will the site do, who will manage it, will it be updated regularly, will you build it yourself, will you sell things, will you collect email addresses, do you want streaming media, will you provide downloadable files, do you like the color blue? The questions can seem endless and in some cases, senseless.
You owe it to yourself to educate yourself to the greatest extent possible about the technology that you feel your site may require. The jargon may be a little intimidating, and to be truthful, no one needs to know what CGI stands for. But knowing whether or not you need CGI scripts to operate your site is something you definitely have to learn.
In the old days (you guessed it - 1995), most of the web was static. That means you put something up on a web server in HTML and it stayed that way until you changed it. Under that arrangement, "webmasters" were in high demand, since you had to know how to manipulate HTML at least a little bit to get things to work. These days, technology exists that enables just about anyone with a browser to update a web site. Some of these technologies allow web content to be pulled from a database, so instead of editing a site, all the owner has to do is change the data in the database, which is usually easier than remembering to close your font tags. Other technologies allow interactive online catalogs, automatic credit card validation, continuously updating news, streaming music and video broadcasts and even ad banners that know your name.
Once you know enough about your project to know what technologies you need, you can narrow down your search for hosts who offer those technologies.
Web Hosting Options Consideration
When it comes to hosting options, more is not necessarily better. Sometimes a hosting company who devotes their efforts to a niche market will have more tools of the type you need despite offering fewer overall options for site hosting. If you don't need database services, then a company who only offers simple Front Page site hosting may be perfect for you. Some hosts separate everything into individual "options." which are sold a la carte, as add-ons to a basic hosting plan. Other hosts offer all-inclusive packages that cover most of what the average web site needs, with options to add-on specific technology support as you need it. Still others seem to offer everything you could possibly want as part of every single account.
If you do need specific technologies, be sure to read all the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) files a host may provide online. Be sure you understand how the technologies you need actually work - it's not uncommon to see hosts touting "Flash support" as a hosting feature. There are no server components required for Flash movies to work on a site - the support is provided by the browser. This just gives the hosting company another "option" to make their list of features longer. But if you want to stream audio or video, you will need server-based software to assist you.
Contact tech support via email and ask about a specific technology - bring up a problem you may have had in the past and ask them if they've ever encountered it. See how long it takes before you get a real response (not an autoresponder). Call the tech support number and see if real people answer the phone. Time how long you sit on hold before you get a real person.
If you're shopping by price, remember that you get what you pay for. More often than not, you can get a discount for paying quarterly or yearly in advance. If this is an option, consider it carefully - how hard will it be for you to cancel (if you can) if you are not satisfied with the service? Will the company refund your money if you're not happy?
Check the fine print on transfer limits, storage limits and email services. Will the company notify you when you've maxed out your transfer limit or will they just start charging you by the megabyte for additional download traffic? Remember that every single "call" to a page on your site generates a download - a "hit." There's a hit for the page request and a hit for every separate element that comprises the page - all those nifty navigation buttons that change color when you mouse over them - if they're graphic-based, that's two hits for every button. All these downloads apply toward your transfer limit. If you plan to use 200 Mb of storage (most sites use nowhere near that amount of space), so people can download MP3s or graphics or some other kind of files from your site, you're going to have to be concerned with the transfer limits if you expect any measurable traffic.
The rules of good website building stipulate that any single web page should "weigh" no more than 30-35K. Using that as a guide, you can estimate the storage space you'll need for the pages themselves, plus any downloadable files you might want to share. A graphics-intensive site would have "heavier" pages than a text-based site, so take that into account when you're looking for hosting space.
Summary
In short, if you can carry out most of these steps and find a host whose answers and services fall into your personal comfort zone on these kinds of important issues, you'll have a short list of companies worth making additional inquiries about. You can check their client list, ask for references, look up testimonials and more simply by using your browser. Most reputable hosts keep a list of clients on their own web site specifically for this purpose. Don't be afraid to make a few phone calls if you're considering a large investment in hosting services, like collocation or dedicated servers. Send a few e-mails, ask friends about experiences they've had. By the time you're finished, you will have enough solid information to make your hosting choice with confidence.
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