Posts Tagged ‘shared web hosting’

Advantages of Low Cost Web Hosting

Friday, June 11th, 2010

Low cost web hosting services are there to meet the requirements of those that require web hosting but don’t require large resource assignments that are offered by more substantial web hosting packages. Low cost web hosting is something that can be found easily if you browse enough web hosting providers looking for what you require; it is a good idea to consider that Linux web hosting services are generally the cheapest available therefore meaning that they can offer you the best value for money. However, if your requirements dictate that you need a Windows web hosting service then you should be prepared to pay a premium for a Windows web hosting package.

The main advantage of being able to use a low cost web hosting package is that you won’t be paying a great deal in order to setup a web presence meaning that you can easily spend your money on things that could be even more useful to your business. It is important to consider that cheap doesn’t have to mean nasty and low cost web hosting services that represent good value for money can be found – it’s more a case of selecting the right web hosting provider for your requirements when choosing a low cost web hosting service.

Low cost web hosting packages can represent good value for money if you select the right web hosting service for your requirements that will allow you to receive disk space and bandwidth assignments that meet your needs appropriately. It is recommended that you compare various web hosting providers that are able to offer you web hosting services that meet your requirements as it is the smaller features of web hosting services that may make a difference to how effective a web hosting service is in meeting your web hosting requirements.

A low cost web hosting package is unlikely to come with any restricting contact which will be of benefit to you since it will provide you with a way of cancelling your web hosting package if you find that it no longer meets your requirements. Having a 30-day rolling contract with a web hosting package is probably the best way to go since it means that you can cancel any time without having any penalties incurred as would be the case if you were to take out a web hosting service with a longer contract, i.e. a yearly (12 month) contract.

When searching for a web hosting service that is capable of hosting a small to medium sized website, a low cost web hosting package is probably the type of web hosting service that you will be considering primarily. A low cost web hosting package should be able to provide you with support for PHP based websites that use a MySQL database as generally most web hosting packages will come with at least one MySQL database – a web hosting package that isn’t able to offer you this can generally be regarded as not offering good value for money.

Linux tends to be the operating system of choice for web hosting companies that wish to offer low cost web hosting as it is open source, thus meaning that they won’t have to pay any fees to use it. Similarly most web hosting providers will also use US based servers to host customers on their cheapest web hosting services as US based server hosting services tend to be cheaper than UK server hosting services, allowing web hosting companies to offer you as the consumer the lowest price possible.

In conclusion, low cost web hosting packages can generally offer very good value for money, although this is reliant upon you choosing the correct web hosting provider for your requirements. Although a low cost web hosting service is going to be cheap, it is important that you don’t come to expect too much in terms of uptime and stability from your low cost web hosting package. All in all it’s about choosing the right web hosting service that will meet your requirements and being able to do this requires research and having a clear cut idea of what you expect of any web hosting package you are considering.

Budget Web Hosting

Sunday, March 21st, 2010

A budget web hosting package is going to be the cheapest web hosting service offered by most web hosting providers and although you may think that cheap is going to mean nasty, you do need to take into consideration that budget web hosting services are there to fill a niche in the market meaning that web hosting providers are going to want to offer a good level of service. The most popular web hosting platform for budget web hosting packages to be hosted on is Linux as this helps to reduce the overall costs that web hosting providers have to factor into the price of their budget web hosting services; this also means that a budget web hosting package will be feature packed allowing it to represent good value for money.

Why should I choose a budget web hosting package?

A budget web hosting package will be able to offer you a feature packed web hosting service for a low cost meaning that a cheap web hosting service can often represent good value for money. Some of the benefits of using a budget web hosting package include:

  • Low cost – a budget web hosting service can be picked up for a relatively low cost which will benefit you in the long term since it means that there won’t be a need to spend a large amount on the web hosting service that you use – it is a good idea to take into consideration that the web hosting provider you choose will affect how good value for money your budget web hosting service presents, and although you won’t be paying a great deal for your web hosting package it is still important for you to be sure that you are getting the most for your money – it is important to shop around as there will always be a low cost web hosting service available to beat your existing web hosting package in terms of cost
  • Features – budget web hosting packages are generally feature packed since they are aimed at users with a low budget who want a web hosting package that will be able to offer them a wide variety of features – feature packed web hosting services are also more appealing to consumers since they are led to believe that they are getting better value for money if their web hosting package comes with many features – as budget web hosting services are aimed at those who are using web hosting services for the first time, included features may allow you to create a website using a web-based wizard rather than having to code your own or having to use a desktop editor, you will also find that script installation applications are also a popular feature
  • Good starting place – a budget web hosting package is the ideal form of web hosting to use if you are starting out with web hosting for the first time since a budget web hosting package should be able to provide you with the environment that you require to test and upload a basic database driven website – a budget web hosting package will provide you with the most basic features that will allow you to get started with web hosting such as email accounts so that you can make the most of your domain name as well as FTP accounts so that you can upload files directly to your web space.

Budget web hosting packages can provide first time users with many benefits in terms of cost and value for money. Unless you have clear cut requirements it is recommended that you choose a budget web hosting service as your web hosting service of choice if using web hosting for the first time.

What are the disadvantages of using budget web hosting?

Although you aren’t going to be paying a great deal for your budget web hosting service, there are disadvantages to using budget web hosting that you need to be aware of. Such disadvantages could include:

  • Reliability – the likelihood is that your budget web hosting packages is going to be hosted on a server with many other budget web hosting packages meaning that you shouldn’t come to expect too much in terms of reliability – as web hosting providers aren’t going to be making much profit on each budget web hosting service that they sell, they are going to fit as many web hosting accounts as they can on a single server as this will allow them to maximise the profit that can be made from the sale of each individual budget web hosting package
  • Security – web hosting providers may also skimp on security in some situations as this is an area where it could be easy for them to save money, and so if your website is going to be used for the processing or storage of personal data of any kind then you may wish to consider a higher end form of web hosting for your requirements – the number of websites that are hosted on the same server as yours could also pose a potential security risk since it is going to be hard for your web hosting provider to guarantee the security of each individual website.

In conclusion, budget web hosting services are ideal for those who are using web hosting for the first time. In order to make the most of a budget web hosting package it is important to ensure that you are getting the most resources possible for your budget.

Domain Web Hosting

Saturday, February 13th, 2010

Domain hosting is a process by which companies or individuals can secure a website address – known as a domain name – and commission a company to host it on the internet. It is then up to the webmaster of that domain name to build and develop a website which is linked to from the registered domain name. When web visitors type in the web address of the specified domain, they will be directed to the associated website.

Domain names or web URLs are just site names that one enters in order to get access to a website. In technical terms, a website address comprises of a long sequence of specific numbers known as an IP address and the domain name is just a mask of that IP address. In short, domain names are just an easy reference to a site’s numerical location, so that the site’s visitors do not have to remember a complicated sequence of numbers in order to access it. They can also give the visitor a real idea of what the website will be about something very important for driving visitors to a site, and something that a set of numbers could not possibly do.

Purchasing a domain name and then hosting it on the internet are two separate processes, either done by the same or separate domain hosting companies, depending on which option is chosen. Some webmasters prefer to register their domain name and have their site hosted by the same domain hosting company as they like the idea of having everything administered by the same hosting organisation. Others prefer to purchase a domain from a website hosting company specializing in domain registration, many of whom charge less than if they were to buy it from the hosting company that they choose to host their site with. It is possible to move domains from a domain hosting company to company with relatively little cost or hassle, but is always worth checking each individual domain hosting company’s procedures before you go with them.

Free domain hosting services

For novice webmasters who cannot afford to buy hosting plans, the option of hosting their domain with a free domain host may be an attractive one. There are many that can be found on blogs and forums across the internet. These free web hosting companies should be approached with caution however. Firstly, you cannot use you own domain name in the web address or email address, as the company will insist that you use their details. Another downside of these free web hosts is that you may be obliged to fill your web site up with their advertising banners something that will detract from your brand identity, overall look and functionality of your website.

If you are serious about your business or project, you really should opt to have an individual domain name which refers to the products or services offered on your related website. That way people can easily find your website and just by reading your domain name can have an indication of what it is you do. It is also advisable to have a clean and crisp website within which you have control over what adverts or marketing, if indeed any are featured. Thus it is advised to host your domain name and website with a reputable domain hosting company.

Shared Web Hosting

Saturday, January 30th, 2010

Shared web hosting is the cheapest and most basic form of web hosting available as is defined by the features and resource allocations of a large majority of shared web hosting services. A shared web hosting package is at the completely opposite end of the scale when compared to a dedicated server, being designed to offer general consumers the resources and features that they require for the hosting of their website – dedicated servers on the other hand are designed to meet the requirements of businesses. A Linux shared web hosting package is going to be the most affordable choice for most and will also be able to offer the most advantages; Windows shared hosting packages can also offer certain users what they require.

Why should I choose shared web hosting?

Shared web hosting packages can provide many advantages to those who have the lowest budgets or minimal requirements and expectations from their chosen web hosting service. Some of these advantages may include:

  • Affordable web hosting – shared web hosting packages are fairly affordable meaning that even if you have a rather low budget for web hosting, you should still be able to find a shared web hosting package that is within your price range – for most web hosting providers the idea of shared web hosting packages is to bring in customers who may otherwise be unable to afford their web hosting services
  • Linux web hosting and Windows web hosting – both Linux shared hosting and Windows shared hosting packages are available for purchase from most web hosting providers meaning that regardless of your requirements, there should be a shared hosting package available on your chosen web hosting platform – it is important to remember that most other forms of web hosting are also available in these two separate platforms
  • Value for money – shared web hosting services can represent good value for money if you do your research and choose a web hosting package that will be able to guarantee you reliability and security as well as the resource assignments that you require – as the price of your average shared web hosting package is rather low and web hosting providers are being ever more generous with their resource assignments, shared web hosting now represents good value for money.

Shared web hosting can provide you with the assurance that you are going to receive good value for money from your web hosting service, and it is a good idea to make sure that you use a reputable web hosting provider if you want to receive high levels of support, reliability and security.

What are the disadvantages of using shared web hosting?

Although you may not be spending much on a shared web hosting package, it is still for you to be aware of certain disadvantages that you could face including:

  • Reliability and uptime – there are normally many web hosting accounts hosted on a single shared hosting server meaning that it can be hard for some web hosting providers to guarantee any high levels of uptime for shared web hosting customers – if reliability is going to be a real issue for you then you may wish to consider VPS server hosting or dedicated server hosting for your requirements
  • Security – businesses are never recommended to use shared web hosting services for the sole reason that the security of a shared web hosting environment can be hard to guarantee sometimes – if your website is going to be processing personal data of some sort then you may wish to consider a business web hosting service or some form of dedicated web hosting that will be able to offer you the guarantee of security that you require.

If you feel that the disadvantages of shared web hosting could have a negative impact on your web hosting experience then it is recommended that you choose another form of web hosting that fits your criteria.

In conclusion, shared web hosting is a highly effective form of web hosting that allows people to get started with web hosting services for the first time. Whether you choose to go for a cPanel Linux shared hosting account or a Windows shared hosting account, you will find that you won’t have to pay much in order to receive the wide variety of benefits that shared web hosting has to offer.

A Beginners Guide to Shared Web Hosting

Friday, January 29th, 2010

Shared hosting is where multiple web sites are housed on the same web server. In short, shared web hosting enables many sites to share bandwidth, disk space and server resources and consequently the costs that shared hosting can be provided at is also lower as opposed to the costs of running a dedicated server. For this reason Shared hosting, also known as budget web hosting, is usually low cost and is therefore appropriate for small business owners who are not able to shell out the money to purchase, nor require the features that come with running dedicated servers.

Benefits of Shared Web Hosting

Sharing web hosting enables web masters to host their site(s) on a state of the art server at relatively low monthly fees. The servers provide sites with good uptime guarantees and unlimited connectivity. This is a great option for small and medium sized businesses as they can have their web site up and running quickly without having to learn the latest technical capabilities, nor risk spending a large amount of money. An additional benefit is the speedy setup time and good after sales support that usually comes with shared hosting packages.

Choosing a Shared Web Hosting Provider

Deciding on a shared hosting provider can sometimes be a real challenge due to the large amount of choice that is now present on the Internet. However below are some important factors worth considering when making your selection:

  • Uptime/reliability is one of most important factors to consider when choosing a web host. Check the host’s track record when it comes to server uptime.
  • Features. Are all features and coding language support you require provided? It’s best to check such things early on in order to save you frustration later in moving your site to another web host should you find out a key feature you require cannot be provided by the host.
  • Technical support. Check the level of technical support provided so that you can take maximum advantage of your online presence and ensure any server issues you encounter are dealt with in a timely and efficient manner.
  • Reviews – Check what other people are saying about the host and the service they offer. You can usually find reviews on shared hosting providers by carrying out a quick search in Google.
  • Finally cost. Although in the current economic climate, everyone is looking to save as much money as possible, the lowest cost is not always the best option as you may find yourself paying a higher price later. Take cost into consideration with the above points in order to help you choose the best shared hosting provider for you.