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When choosing a Website Hosting service there are many things you must consider.
Server Platform - The two main server platforms available are Unix and Microsoft. Unix is by far the oldest and most established multi-user server platform. Microsoft got into multi-user server platforms only a few years ago. Linux is based upon the Unix operating system and are the same for our purposes. Unix servers are usually lower priced, more stable, and offer more bang for the buck than Microsoft servers.
Features - Determine what your minimum required features are before shopping for a web hosting service. Here are some examples.
POP3 Mailboxes
Web Mail
CGI / PHP / Pearl
SSL Secure Socket Layer
FrontPage Support
Amount of Monthly Bandwidth |
mySQL Databases
Mailing Lists
e-Mail Forwarding
Auto Responders
Shopping Cart Supported
Amount of Disk Storage |
Connection - Most web server computers are connected to the Internet backbone by T1, T3, or OC3 lines. A T1 can carry up to 1.5 mbs (megabits per second), while a T3 can carry 45 mbs, and an OC3 can carry 155 megabits per second (the equivalent of 100 T1's). Small ISP hosts sometimes have ISDN connections to the Internet, or "fractional T1" connections (part of a T1). A T3 connection is typically considered the minimum acceptable connection for business hosting.
Server Speed - Much like home computers, there are many brands and types of server machines. Pentium processors are the industry standard. Most cheap hosting services cut costs by using inexpensive Celeron servers, which typically run at less than half the speed of a good Pentium machine. Then, they overload the server capacity with too many high traffic web sites to maximize profit per machine.
Reliability - Many web hosting services claim 99.9% up time. Don't take their word on this unless you have a reliable reference. There are many virtual hosting services with slick, compelling websites and substandard servers with non-existent technical support. Ask someone who has used their service if you can. If not, look for one with no set up fees and a money back guarantee. Even if they actually have 99.9 percent uptime, this is not necessarily good enough for an ecommerce site. A down time of .3 percent equates to more than 26 hours each year.
Support - 24/7 support sounds great, but this advertising slogan is usually not accurate. There are very few web hosting companies that actually have trained support technicians available 24 hours a day. Usually 24/7 means that you can e-mail to them 24 hours a day and they respond within 24 hours.
Most website hosting companies only support the basic operation of your hosting account and they won't assist with installation or usage of ecommerce scripts such as a shopping cart, affiliate program, bulletin board, autoresponder, mailing list, etc.
Location - The Internet is an international marketplace, but distance does matter. As distance increases between the server and clients, there is typically an increased number of connections between them. This can slow page loading and increases the likelihood page not found errors caused by broken Internet connections.
Price - How much should you pay for a web hosting service? This depends on your web site needs. If you don't need reliability or technical support there are hundreds of cheap hosting services that may satisfy your needs. If the web site is commercial and products are being sold, then reliability becomes a major factor. A few dollars saved on cheap hosting service can end up costing hundreds or thousands in lost sales and can also disrupt search engine optimization if the site cannot be found for periods of time.
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