Three things web hosting providers assume you already know when you purchase web hosting accounts...
Once upon a time it was considered rare, unique and cuttingedge to be able to answer “yes” when someone asked whetheryou had your own website. My how times have changed!
In fact, the whole world appears to be going global. Andacquiring web space has become as common and easy asselecting telephone, cable or dish TV service – well,almost.
Web hosting is the service which allows anyone to post webpages to the Internet. It’s a simple enough idea. Butfinding the right web hosting service to meet yourparticular needs is far from simple. In fact, some of thedifficulty in selecting the web hosting provider that’s“just right” is due to the huge selection and options thatare available.
Here are three things you must consider when deciding whichweb hosting plan is right for you…
First, there are basically two types of web hostingservices: free and paid. Free web hosting provides you freeweb space to post your web pages. But there’s a trade off. You’ll not only be limited in the amount of web space andtraffic you receive, your website will typically containadvertisements from the company hosting your web pages. Andoften times, these advertisements appear in the form oflarge, annoying banner ads at either the top or bottom ofeach of your web pages. This might not be such a big dealif your web site is only a family or hobby site. But thistype of distraction is totally unacceptable for almost allbusiness purposes.
Second, if you desire a web hosting solution for businesspurposes, then you’ll want to consider paying for your webhosting services. And the first option you’ll want toconsider is whether you want “shared” hosting – which meansthat you’ll be sharing web hosting space with other users,or whether you want "dedicated" hosting – which means you’llhave an entire computer dedicated to hosting your web pages.
Obviously, shared is cheaper than dedicated hosting. And,for a vast majority of web hosting needs, shared hosting isthe ideal solution. Your website will be free ofadvertisements you don’t want and the cost of web hosting isreduced.
Dedicated web hosting is typically used by huge businessesor organizations that desire, and are willing to pay extra,to have their web pages hosted separately from other webusers. There are a variety of reasons this might makesense. For example, a company may have sensitiveinformation they need to host and a dedicated web hostingserver is ideal to maximize privacy and security.
Third, you’ll need to decide which payment plan makes themost sense to you. Typically, you can pay by the month,every three months, yearly or a one-time fee for lifetimehosting.
How long you contract web hosting services for reallydepends upon your web hosting needs. If you’re relativelynew to building and hosting your own web pages, then youmight want to opt for a monthly service. Experiment a bitand extend the service if you find it meets your needs.
One thing you’ll definitely want to watch out for is the“trial” web hosting package. These contracts offer, forexample, the first 60 days free and then require that youmake a longer term commitment. While this type ofarrangement may seem quite appealing, it’s based upon theweb hosting company betting that at the end of the “trial”period it will be too much of a hassle for you to move yourweb pages to another hosting service, so you’ll just stickwith them. So, forewarned is forearmed. Just beware…
The renewal of monthly, quarterly and yearly web hostingpackages all work essentially the same way. Once the termis expired, you’ll have to renew your contract and payanother fee. If you’re late, your credit card is declined,or you simply decide not to renew, your web hosting accountwill be closed. In essence, it’s like paying rent on anapartment.
So remember, if you need to host web pages for a familyproject or hobby, a free website might be just the ticket.But any use beyond that almost requires that you selecteither shared or dedicated web hosting services if you wantothers to take your web site seriously.
Finally, with web hosting costing from $80 per year and up,you’ll want to carefully consider the features you get inwhatever web hosting package you select. Remember, onceyou’ve chosen a web host provider and taken the trouble toupload your web pages and get everything set “just right”it’s a major hassle to take everything down and move toanother web host provider.
