How
To Shop and Save On Website Hosting
How To Shop and Save On Website Hosting
From small "mom and pop" home-based businesses to mega-
stores, people ask this question in business every single day. Even
if you only operate a small, local business, if you don't have a
website (or at least email) people honestly look at you funny.
A few years ago, website hosting was one of the largest expenses
connected with setting up a website. Now, with dramatic drops in
pricing, website hosting can actually present the least costly component
of operating a website.
However, before you run out and sign up for $2-a-month website
hosting and wake up tomorrow filled with regret, take 5 minutes
right now and learn the main points to consider when evaluating
any website host.
Total Storage
How much space do you get to store your website files? If you operate
a small website with a handful of pages and only a couple of pictures
per page, you can get by with 5-10 MB (megabytes) of disk space
or less. However, if your site contains dozens of pages and hundreds
of pictures, you may need a hosting plan with 10- 25 MB of space.
Data Transfer / Bandwidth
Here's where many people fall down and get run over by the Internet
bus! Bandwidth represents the total amount of traffic the website
host allows you to receive.
Successful sites that get a lot of traffic eat up more bandwidth
than sites without many visitors. Honestly, bargain website hosting
companies don't want you to get much traffic because your bandwidth
costs them money.
If you plan to do any business online, make sure you get a bare
minimum of at least 1 GB (gigabyte) of data transfer per month.
Email "Aliases"
Most web hosts allow you to set up email addresses connected with
your domain, such as jim@thenetreporter.com, and have them forward
to your email account, like yourname@aol.com. The ability to set
up email aliases forms an integral part of any online business.
Make sure your hosting company allows you to set up at least 5 email
aliases.
Website Tools
If you want to do anything more than let people look at static
web pages, you will need to have certain tools available. The two
most important tools are CGI and website statistics. These allow
you to run scripts and see who came to your site and when.
Tech Support
Make sure you understand any company's technical support policies
and hours of operation. Don't wait until Saturday afternoon to discover
your only help option is to wait and email them Monday morning.
About the Author Jim Edwards is a syndicated
newspaper columnist and the co-author of an amazing new ebook that
will teach you how to use free articles to quickly drive thousands
of targeted visitors to your website or affiliate links...
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