Hosting Hints

by Dave Barrett

To succeed in today's world of e-commerce, it is absolutely
essential that you have a website. The host you choose can have a
profound impact on the success or failure of your business.

One thing you need to consider is whether to use a professional
host or a free host. I understand the desire to keeps expenses
down, especially in the critical start-up phase of your business.
You'll be tempted to cut corners, but there are some corners you
just shouldn't cut, and deciding on your web host is one of them.

On the Internet, image is everything. Do you want your visitors
to see a professional business they can trust, or a business
that's too cheap to pay a professional service? Or worse, to be
dismissed as an amateur. That's the image a free web host
conveys. When you weigh in the cost of buying software and the
time involved to do it all yourself, you really aren't saving
anything.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are some web hosts who
try to justify charging higher than average prices by offering a
vast assortment of extra features. Most people don't have the
computing skills required to take advantage of all the features
they offer, and they know it. By offering tons of extras that
almost no one will use, they can jack up their rates and gouge
their customers. Keep your future needs in mind, but don't pay
for services you don't need.

Look for price and volume flexibility. Your host should have the
ability to expand your services as your business grows. Most good
hosts offer different pricing packages and let you upgrade to a
larger package as your needs expand. Pricing varies widely, from
inexpensive to unaffordable. Remember, you get what you pay for.

Make sure they offer a full range of hosting services. Even
though you may not need advanced features now, it's probably a
good idea to go with a host who offers them. By the time your
business expands to the point where you need to upgrade to the
deluxe package, you'll have more than enough money to pay the
extra costs to incorporate them into your site. Most hosts will
even do it for you.

You probably won't need all these features when you are just
starting out, but the most common ones to look for are:

* 24/7 support
* 24/7 FTP access
* Guaranteed uptime
* Regular daily backup
* Personal CGI-bin
* Java, Perl, and PHP enabled
* Browser-compliant
* Web based email
* Autoresponders
* High bandwidth & connection speed
* Compatible with your software and skills
* Microsoft Front Page compatible

A quality host must have the ability to properly manage its
available bandwidth. If your host is not managing its bandwidth
correctly, or using more than it can handle, the results could be
disastrous. Hundreds of websites could suddenly go down,
including yours, disrupting your sales and costing you money. As
a rule, a host shouldn't be using more than 50% of its bandwidth.
That's a big enough cushion if the extra bandwidth is ever
needed.

Additionally, your host should offer you protection from any
attacks by hackers. You should be able to rely on your host to
keep a constant vigil over your website. You want the security
of knowing your livelihood is being watched over by competent,
trustworthy people. That is, after all, part of what you're
paying them for.

One factor that cannot be stressed enough is stability. In my
opinion, a good host should boast at least 98% uptime.
Obviously higher is better, but a minimum of 98% should be
guaranteed. If a visitor tries to access your site and it's
down, you've lost a potential customer for life.

Make sure your host has regular, and reliable back-up systems.
Crashes do happen, though thankfully not very often. In the
unforeseen event of a crash, it's imperative that your host has
up-to-date backups of your data, so it can be easily reinstalled
when the system is back online. It may never happen to you, but
it's best to choose a host that is prepared.

This is your livelihood, so always be vigilant. Don't be afraid
to treat your web host as you would any other supplier. It's up
to you to see to it that your host is providing you with the
services you're paying for. Research your potential host well
and make sure they not only offer everything you need, for today
and in the future, but are also reliable and trustworthy.

It can often take years to build the kind of reputation you need
to truly be successful. Don't postpone starting your business
any longer or you could lose momentum. Haven't you deprived
yourself of real financial freedom long enough?

About the Author

Dave Barrett is editor of eMoney Monthly, official ezine of the
eMoney Enterprises family of websites, including:
http://HostOnTheRange.com

Get a website with all the bells & whistles, without the usual
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