Welcome to the Web Hosting Handbook

How to find a good Web Host ?

Posted in Hosting News at 2:48 am by Jim Sutton on Jul. 8, 2008

There are literally thousands of Web Hosting providers out there so finding one isn’t a problem but finding a good one takes a little more savvy. This is where Web Hosting gets confusing and frustrating, with so many plans, features, extra’s, unlimited options, techno babble, complex pricing schemes and freebies on offer how do you sort the wheat from the chaff.

Well, ultimately, to find good web hosting takes plenty of groundwork, if you’re just getting started then I suggest you do your research. Be practical about your requirements, if you simply want to setup a hobby or low-key informational site then you won’t be looking for a professional package, just the basics will get you started. On the other hand if you’re running a small business then you’ll want a package with a little more in the way of support and features.

Make a short list of likely candidates, then check out the Hosting Reviews for them, read other customer’s testimonials, check out the company’s history, how long have they been in business, how many websites do they currently cater for, etc. All this information will help you determine which Web Hosting Provider is the one for you.
A good starting point is to read user reviews at various well reputed sites like http://www.webhostingjury.com/ . This site has over 5,000 user reviews on various web hosts.

Two of the biggest issues are Price and Reliability, what can you afford and how important is your web site. All Web Hosts suffer from downtime now and then and your web site will be unavailable; you need to find one with great reliability to avoid this happening too often.

Balance your needs against your budget; don’t go for some all singing, all dancing plan if all you can afford is the basics. Good Luck!

0 Comments | Read More

Cheap Web Hosting, is it really worth it?

Posted in Hosting News at 2:46 am by Jim Sutton on

The answer, yes, if you can find a good Web Hosting Provider that will meet your needs and your budget. There are thousands of Web Hosting services out there that offer lost cost plans, from free web hosting to shared web hosting.

Free Web Hosting is great for those of you wanting to experiment or have a little fun, why, well for a start it’s very unreliable, many free hosting companies bite the dust within the first year plus they are generally unreliable and will offer you little to no support.

On the flip side many low cost plans offer a reliable sound service for under $10 a month and will also include full customer support services. So it’s worth spending out if you’re serious about it. Most of these plans involve shared web hosting where many web sites share one server.

DO YOUR RESEARCH, it can’t be said enough, check out Web hosting reviews, customer testimonials, rating scores and comments and be on the look out for those providers that have Hosting Assured status; this at least will give you confidence in the fact that they are governed by a code of ethics.

Also be aware of those Web Hosting providers offering unlimited bandwidth, it’s a myth and it could cause you long term problems, especially if you go beyond your bandwidth limit. Some companies have a clause that allows them to cut you off in the event of this happening. Always read the terms and conditions.

When you’re starting out a good low cost plan is ideal, especially if you know your company is likely to grow, a good web host will be able to grow with you, so be sure to check out all the plans available and not just the one you’re currently looking for. Good Luck!

0 Comments | Read More

What are the benefits of using a Dedicated Server?

Posted in Hosting News at 2:45 am by Jim Sutton on

For a start what is Dedicated Web Hosting, well with a dedicated server you don’t have to share, it’s yours, you have exclusive use of it, all of it. You basically rent a server from a Web Hosting provider which thereby gives you full control over your web site.

But that’s not all you get, it’ll be custom designed to suit your needs with features like, hosting multiple sites on one server, designed to take complex applications, like databases, you’ll have the advantage of world class network connection and 24/7 monitoring of your server by the Web Hosting provider. Who by the way takes the entire headache out of having to maintain your own server by doing it themselves, all the gain without the pain. If something fails they have to replace it and at no cost to you.

You also get to chose your own operating system, be it, Linux, Windows, etc, and your own software settings for multimedia and ecommerce. Plus you only select the hardware you need, i.e. CPU.

Dedicated Web Hosting is a good choice for those of you with more sophisticated needs and can be a superior service to many small and medium sized businesses, especially when traffic to your site is on the increase. Looking at Web hosting reviews is a great way to find out who is offering the best balanced plans in regards to reliability and cost. After all more power means more cash.
You won’t suffer from tediously slow download times as you won’t be sharing with anyone else. You will receive a higher quality of reliability, better security and maintenance, better all-round performance and exclusive use your web hosts systems and network resources.

If you’re an up and coming business and it’s within your budget Dedicated Web Hosting could be right for you!

0 Comments | Read More

How much Bandwidth and Disk Space do I really need?

Posted in Hosting News at 2:43 am by Jim Sutton on

Bandwidth is relative to the amount of visitors (traffic) you have to your site. 99% of web sites currently on the Net use an average of 2GB of bandwidth a month. It’s only sites that are expected to produce a large amount of traffic that will require a larger rate of monthly bandwidth, like adult sites, or large search engines like, Google and Yahoo.

So don’t fall foul of those Unlimited bandwidth offers, for a start it’s a myth. All Web Hosting Providers have to pay for their bandwidth, so to offer an unlimited service is just crazy talk. And don’t be wowed over by providers offering large rates of bandwidth, more doesn’t necessarily mean better, so unless you know your site is going to enjoy a lot of traffic stick to the basics.

As for Disk space, well that really is solely dependent on the content of your web site. Most web sites average around 2-3MB with a single web page taking up around 40-50KB, many Web Hosting providers will offer a minimum of 20MB which is more then enough for most individuals and small to medium businesses.
However, it is worth considering just what the content of your website will be, will there be banner ads, will you have a lot of graphics, video media and or photo’s, will your web site be database driven, or have much downloadable software. For the average advanced user 50GB is usually plenty.

Basically the more advanced your web site the more disk space and probably bandwidth you’ll need but again, a reminder, you don’t have to go crazy.

To help you reach a decision check out as many Web Hosting reviews as possible, it may mean a little work on your part but you’ll soon find out who cuts the best and more importantly most reliable deals.

0 Comments | Read More

The Importance of Web Hosting Reviews

Posted in Hosting News at 12:00 am by Jim Sutton on Jun. 3, 2008

Consumer reviews regarding a product are of untold value to future consumers of that product. When that product is a reliable web hosting service, potential consumers naturally turn to web hosting reviews.

These hosting reviews give future consumers an intimate view of a web hosting service’s performance. Everything from customer service and data transfer reliability to ease of use and speed of transfer is taken into account before choosing a web hosting service. True and real representation of the services provided by a web hosting services can only be found in web hosting reviews.

While fewer and fewer people are trusting one another throughout the world, the haven of customer reviews revolves entirely upon trust; the reviewer must believe that those reading their review will trust them, while potential consumer must trust the information they are given.

Web hosting reviews themselves are of extreme importance when considering the economics of the business; for those looking at large sites or a large amount of bandwidth per month can deposit a hefty sum into their web hosting service every billing period. That’s why these reviews are so important. Business people who are looking to expand their customer viewing and attract new customers are putting their money, their material, and their time into their website. If the web hosting service is a disappointment, then an entire business could go under.

Web hosting reviews helps to prevent this problem by warning future consumers of possible problems and pushing out props for those web hosting services that come through for them in every way. Without web hosting reviews, consumers would be flying blind, unable to know what service to trust. Thanks to web hosting reviews, future consumers can choose a web hosting service with confidence

0 Comments | Read More

Professional Web Hosting Reviews –vs– User Web Hosting Reviews

Posted in Hosting News at 11:41 pm by Jim Sutton on Jun. 2, 2008

When researching a web hosting service and figuring which service is better for your purposes, it’s important to consult both professional and user web hosting reviews. As with any other writing, there’s a huge difference in the ways reviews are written depending on the author.

With those who are professionals in the world of web hosting reviews, you can generally expect the reviews to be based more in the technical details and less in the issues that deal with actual human interaction. A professional will probably review the servers used and the type of html used on the page, and they may discuss the pros and cons of use a specific web hosting service to load videos and send emails. Bandwidth and quick downloads are probably their main concern.

With a user-written review regarding web hosting, you’re more likely to encounter commentaries about customer service, ease of setup, and price. Domain visibility and reliability from both the server and customer service are more what users of web hosting services comment on. A good place to read genuine user reviews is www.webhostingjury.com/

Regardless of what type of review you find yourself reading, the main aspect of web hosting services is their reliability. If the service you’re find of has, according to a user review, poor reliability, but a professional reviewer claims the server the web hosting service uses is on the cutting edge, you’ll need to weigh those comments yourself and decide if it’s worth the risk to your online longevity.

Conversely, if it comes down to whether or not the web service has good customer service or not, and that’s not really an important aspect to you, then you could probably rely on the professional web hosting reviews more.

The entirety of your online future depends entirely on what you’re looking for and how much you’re willing to research before you choose

0 Comments | Read More

Importance of Reliable Web Hosting

Posted in Hosting News at 11:37 pm by Jim Sutton on

If you use the Google search engine and search for “reliable web hosting”, you will get about 1.12 million results. But how do you know which one to use, which one to trust?

The best qualities of a web hosting service include a reasonable monthly charge, a personalized domain name with preferably free registration, customer service with real people over the phone, large bandwidth limits and upgrade plans when your business up shifts, and free site reports.

How do you know where to find such outstanding quality and service? The scary part is, you don’t.

But you can find out. Research and reading web hosting reviews is perhaps the best thing you can do to extend the longevity of your presence online. Finding out which web hosting services give the best bandwidth for the cost or the streaming video and site-linked email accounts, depending on what functions you’re expecting your site to have, can make all the difference in choosing a web hosting service.

Reading reviews from customers of potential web hosting services can help you separate the strong from the weak choices Researching the background of potential web hosting services and checking their Better Business Bureau report (if they have one) can also tell you a lot about the quality of service being offered.

Reliability is possibly the one deciding factor for a lot of online businesses; for you, it may be quality instead of reliability. Whatever goes into your decision, before choosing a web hosting service, do the research and read the reviews. You can greatly benefit from other people’s experiences by simply putting the time into checking on their commentaries.

It’s as simple as finding a search engine and taking five minutes. That can do more to ensure the future of your online longevity than you ever imagined

0 Comments | Read More

Bluehost Plan Changes

Posted in Hosting News at 2:41 am by Jim Sutton on May. 29, 2008

Bluehost has just recently made their basic hosting plan for $6.95 pm more attractive. Bluehost is now offering Unlimited hosting space and File transfer ( bandwidth) along with Unlimited Domains. This I believe is in response to heap of other hosts doing the same. So guys make hay while its sunshine.

0 Comments | Read More