Web Host Worries.....Where will Your Website Live? By Merle http://www.MCPromotions.com If you already have a website or are thinking of setting up shop online sooner or later oull have to deal with the issue of web hosting. Although it may seem like a no brainer, there are actually many factors you'll need to consider before making such an important decision. Many times the only factor people look at is the price....thinking "cheaper is better", right? Wrong! If you've ever heard that old saying "you get what you pay for" it couldn't be any truer than in this situation. I'm going to cover some of the more important points you'll want to look at when considering your next host. UNIX/ NT/ When it comes to hosting the two most popular platforms to choose from are Unix and NT. Unix is by far the favorite on the Net as it was the only choice way back in the early days of the Internet. Easy to configure, great for setting your own file permissions and most of the free scripts available for download are designed to be used on a Unix platform. Offering flexibility and reliability and support of scripting languages like Perl and PHP3. NT is Microsofts baby. One problem that I have found with NT (which is what I host on) is the lack of scripts you'll find online that work on this platform. Also, unlike Unix many times you'll need to contact your Web Host Administrator to set permissions on your file folders. Supports MS applications such as ASP, Access, FP and scripting languges such as Perl, Cold Fusion and ASP. TECH SUPPORT/ Although this might not be something you're thinking about now when you do need help you'll want to make sure you can get it. Some web hosts offer phone support or even live chat. Make sure they have good tech support in place as there's nothing more annoying than needing help with your site and not being able to get it. SET UP FEE/ MONTHLY FEE/ Believe it or not some hosts will charge an initial set up fee to get your site set up and running on their server. Some do, some don't, make sure you check on this when comparing prices. I've seen monthly fees ranging from 9.99 to 39.99 depending on the plan and services offered. My advice to you would be to not go with the cheapest nor the most expensive rather somewhere in between to be on the safe side. You really should be able to pick up a reliable web host for only 20 to 25.00 per month. Unless you have special need there's really no need to pay more than that. HARD DRIVE/ SPACE/ How much space they're willing to give you is important if you're going to compare apples to apples. You'll need to keep in mind the size of your site when deciding how mucy space you really need. Generally, for a small site 20 to 30 MB is plenty. You might want to ask if you can pay for more space should your site ever outgrow its present state. FTP ACCESS/ TELNET ACCESS/ Even if you plan on using Frontpage to manage your site you'll want to make sure you also have FTP access. Usually it's standard but it never hurts to ask. Make sure you keep your user name and password in a safe place. You'll use FTP to set file permissions and to upload your files to the web server. Telnet can be very useful for troubleshooting CGI scripts and changing server configurations. There are some servers who will not grant telnet access. CGI-BIN/ A very important piece of the puzzle if you're planning on adding any sort of interactivity to your site like forms, shopping carts, ect. Usually comes as standard equipment but I've seen some of the cheaper hosts leave it out entirely. EMAIL BOXES & POP 3 ALIASES/ One thing that's very important to me is being able to have many different aliases to use with my domain name. What's an alias you say? For example your domain is ezineadauction.com, you may want to set up separate addresses to sort your mail like service@ezineadauction.com or support@ezineadauction.com. Now mind you they may all funnel into the same mailbox but you can set up filters at your end to making customer service a whole lot easier. If you have a "wildcard" account you can set up as many aliases as you like. If you have other employees who will need their own private box check with the web host to see how many boxes they will allow. STATS/ This is one areal a lot of newbies don't think about but once you start getting traffic you'll want to know where it's coming from and what pages of your site they're visiting. Some web hosts will throw stats tracking in with their standard package or at least give you access to your log files which you can then use with a third party software to run reports on the traffic your site is receiving. MISC THOUGHTS/ A few other minor points you might want to look at are as follows: 1) If you want to use Frontpage do they have the FP server extensions installed? 2) Do they offer autoresponders? 3) How about a secured server option for payment transactions? 4) Do they back up all websites in case of disaster? 5) Do they offer assistance in programming or design work if needed at an hourly rate? 6) Do they offer shopping cart software if you're going to be selling products? 7) Do any customized forms come standard with your account like feeback or order forms? 8) Bandwidth- Be aware that bandwidth is how much data can be transferred in a months time. Usually this isn't a concern unless you're getting a ton of traffic, but be aware that most hosts do have limitations on what they'll allow. As you can see there are many factors to take into account when choosing a web host. Suddenly it doesn't seem so easy now.... does it. Your web host is essentially the spine of your site so you want to make sure that the spine you choose is reliable and solid. Nothing can ruin a site faster than an unreliable host. I know, been there, done that. If you'd like a list of possible hosts take a look at http://www.WebIspList.com. For a comparison of hosts pop over to http://www.HostCompare.com or to search for a host by the features you need go to http://www.HostSearch.com Remember, choosing a good host is a major decision and when the time comes you'll want to be sure you're making the right one. ********************************************** Merle http://www.EzineAdAuction.com "Where some of the BEST Deals in Ezine Advertising are Made" Buy & Sell Ezine Ads in a live auction setting! Publishers sell off your excess inventory and Buyers pick up some Fantastic bargains. Go now! ************************************************