Finding a Web Host

Now that you have a domain name, you need to find some web space to put your completed web site on. What you need is a good web host. What's a web host? A web host is a company that will give you the space you need on the internet to host your web site. This space is actually a section of a server that's permanently connection to the internet. How big of a section you get depends on the account you sign up for.

The hardest decision to make here is who do you open an account with? There are SOOOOOOO many web hosts out there. Where do you begin?

I don’t want to put any pressure on you but, from experience, it is essential that you do enough homework and start off on the right foot with the right web host. The bigger your site grows, the harder it is to switch web hosts.

Here are just some things to consider when looking for a web host:

• First class support system .

  I can't even begin to emphasize how important this is. You need a web host that offers support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week . When you're doing business online, you don't really take days off. You need to know that help is just a phone call away, if anything happens to your site. Call them or e-mail them and see how fast they reply. If they're hopeless before you sign up with them, they'll be a disaster after you sign up.

  And if you can, make sure that support knows what they’re doing. I hate it when a support personnel just replies with some template message which has no relevance to my unique problem.

• Fast connection speed.

  You don't want your site to take forever to load. Test web sites that are already using that particular web host.

• Storage space.

  Make sure that the web host account you choose has enough space allocated to it to store your whole web site. Choose an account that offers more space than you actually need. Check the total size of your files and times that by 3. It would be even better if you could sign up to an account that will allow you to upgrade to an account with more storage space without too much hassle.

  Many web hosts today allow you to host several domains in the one account. So you could have three different domains and host the different sites you make using that one account. Keep this in mind when you're choosing a web hosting account.

• Data transfer limit.

  Everytime someone visits your site, data is being transferred. When someone downloads your digital products, data is being transferred. Make sure you do your calculations before choosing your web host. The average account would normally use about 2GB a month. Make sure you check your monthly web stats to see how much bandwidth you use.

• Web stats.

  Most web hosts now offer free web stats where you can check your log files and server statistics in a visually appealing interface.

• E-mail.

  It would be ideal to have a catchall e-mail address . This means that you can have an unlimited number of e-mail addresses at your domain. Ex: tech@you.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , support@you.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , subscribe@you.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , anything@you.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

• FTP access.

  You should have unlimited FTP access so that you can changes to your web site any amount of time.

• CGI, SSI and PHP support.

  If you plan to use scripts make sure your host supports CGI and PHP. And that you can access the CGI bin. You also should find out if you can use custom CGI scripts or only the ones that are supplied by your web host. Most web hosts now come pre-installed with scripts. You may want to check out the list of scripts they have. SSI (server side includes) may also come in handy once your site grows bigger.

• Database access.

  A lot of scripts nowadays use databases to keep your data. Having access to one is definitely a plus. The most common database is MySQL. You only need one database to begin with.

There are plenty of web hosts out there. Do your homework BEFORE you sign up with one. And when you first start up with a new web host, sign up using the monthly payment plan first. That way, if you hate their services, you can always switch after the first month.

If you’re in a hurry, check out this affordable web site hosting plan.