How to choose a good web host?
How to choose a web host?
Choosing a web host is the first step you should consider when starting a
website project. In order to have your website available in the World Wide Web,
you need a place where to host it. This place is provided by the web
hosting provider. The web hosting as a service incorporates the
space where your website files are stored, the traffic
to your website, and lots of extra services such as firewall
protection, technical assistance, email services, FTP access, domain name
registration, website building tools and more.
In order to choose a web host for your website you have to consider a few important issues:
Price: Can you go with a free web host?
Many webmasters search for free web hosting providers, at least for their first web site. That is understandable - you do not know how to compare hosting services and you check their prices. Well, once you start a web site, you will see that there are several other things that also count, appart from the price. For example, free or very cheap hosts publish ads on your web pages and provide you with no technical assistance. Below we have listed some of the most important factors when choosing where to host your online projectCustomer Feedback
When you compare a couple of hosting providers that meet your budget and tech requirements, go and check for customer feedback. There is plenty of information in Google, Yahoo or specialized hosting directories. You will surely see if the provider is reliable, if answers to tech issues quickly, if meets the uptime numbers promised on the index and if customers like it. So, go and check for hosting reviews about your man:Technical support
Technical assistance is always needed from your web host, at least from time to time. When you start working over your web site questions will arise: How to get started; How to upload files; How to create an email account, etc.Sometimes you will need those questions answered as soon as possible, or even immediately. That is why your web host must provide 24x7 tech support assistance. Your technical questions should be answered within 1-2 hours max. Besides the speed of responses, check if the support is technically competent. And do not go searching for phone support - the phone support lines are always busy when you need them. The most efficient companies use ticketing systems, where you deliver all technical details needed to have your question answered within an hour or less.
Hosting features: web space, bandwidth, CPU, PHP limits, etc.
The features of web hosting plans are constantly growing. In 2003, the max disk space quota per shared hosting plan was 5MB. In 2009 few providers offer less than unlimited of everything. However, make sure to check the Terms of use for more details about what might be limited.Does the hosting provider support:
- Email, POP3, SMTP, IMAP, Autoresponders, Email forwarders:
- PHP, MySQL, Cron Jobs:
- Website tools - Blogs, CMS, galleries, forums:
- E-commerce option - Shopping cart, SSL (Secure Socket Layer):
- Control Panel:
- DreamWeaver, GoLive, Flash:
If you follow these basic guidelines, you will have a reliable, efficient and satisfying hosting service that will contribute to the success of your business for many years to come.
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Web Hosting Guide for Beginners: How to choose a domain name?
In this article we have collected all important information you need as a new webmaster in order to plan and build your own website successfully. There are three main steps you should consider when creating a website: you have to choose a web host, a domain name, and an application to create and manage your website content with.How to choose a domain name?
In this section you will find answers of the following questions:
Choosing the best domain name for your web site
More than 50 million domain names have been registered worldwide and thousands new ones are added per day. It might be hard for you then to get the name that you really like for your website. Do not get discouraged from that fact, but rather try to be creative.Remember that you can use a combination of almost all characters (letters, numbers, hyphens) for your domain. The length of a domain name can vary, but generally speaking it should be a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 67 characters.
Here are some tips how to choose a successful domain name:
1. Start
brainstorming for relevant to your domain words.
- List as many words as you can think of related to
your preferred domain name.
- List as many words as you can think of that are related to the content of your website.
- List as many words as you can think of that are related to the content of your website.
2. Make
different combinations with the listed words that are:
- short,
- memorable,
- not easily confused,
- hard to misspell,
- relate to the core of the business,
- sound solid to the core of your business.
- memorable,
- not easily confused,
- hard to misspell,
- relate to the core of the business,
- sound solid to the core of your business.
Shorter domain names are easier to remember and
type, and far less susceptible to mistakes: for example lottary.com is easier
to remember, type than playthenationallottaryonline.com
But sometimes there is an exeption to this rule. A
longer domain can be easier to remember by human memory than the shorter one –
for example tbrea.com is a sequence of unrelated letters that is difficult to
remember and type correctly, whereas, if we expand it to its long form 'TheBestRealEstateAgency.com'
we are more likely to remember the domain name.
3. Pick
a few of these combinations that you most like for the name of your domain.
You can consider combinations with words in singular or plural.
If you like a specific word to be included in the domain name, think of all its forms: noun, verb, adverb, adjective.
Consider also hyphens and numbers: sometimes you are a hyphen away from the dreamed domain name.
You can consider combinations with words in singular or plural.
If you like a specific word to be included in the domain name, think of all its forms: noun, verb, adverb, adjective.
Consider also hyphens and numbers: sometimes you are a hyphen away from the dreamed domain name.
4. Start
searching for the availability of these domains.
5. If
you do business online, register your domain with as many of the extensions as
available!
Point them all to your site
Let your name drive more traffic to your site.
Point them all to your site
Let your name drive more traffic to your site.
6. If
your preferred choice is not available, do not discourage and try the next
combination!
How to register a domain name
After you have chosen a unique domain name for your web site, you will have to register it.The domain name can be registered by a domain name registrar authorized by ICANN.
Note: It is not possible for the end user to register a domain name directly with ICANN - the user should choose a registrar to do that or take advantage of a indirect registration through a hosting provider.
Registrars set individually the costs of the domain registration. A domain name is usually registered on an annual basis.With SiteGround you can easily check if your desired domain name is free and get it registered right away and for FREE with your hosting account.
To see how it works, just visit Domain Name Order Page and follow the instructions.
SiteGround works with accredited registrars like eNom and Tucows. Registering a domain name with SiteGround will bring you 1 year of free domain registration, easy domain name management and automatic yearly renewals of the domain name.
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