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WEBHOSTING
provides online systems for storing all the content of your website so
that it will be accessible over the Internet 24 x 7 x 365. Companies
who provide this service are called web hosts. They own servers and the
necessary infrastructure to keep their servers operational and
accessible, typically in what is referred to as a data center. The
service scope may vary widely and you are well advised to do a bit of
research and study the market before selecting your web host. In my
case I host with Bravenet and I am very satisfied with all the
features, tools and resources provided. And it's worthwhile repeating
again that this website you are looking at right now is based on a free
template provided by Bravenet. I am amazed myself sometimes at how
Bravenet have provided me practically everything I need to start a
business website and have fun doing it.
Among the top webhosting companies I would recommend are :
Bravenet | Thirdsphere | Host Gator
To understand more about what are the key factors to consider when choosing a web host, you can read the article below.
WHAT YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT YOUR WEBHOSTING SERVICE
By Jason T
Let’s face it, it’s no longer an option
to have a website. You simply must. We consumers of services and
products will take your business card, and maybe flip through your
brochure, and perhaps even read a letter we receive in the snail mail,
but we scan these things looking for your URL.
Business has become very personal these
days, and we want to “get to know you” at length. When you have a
website, we can reach “you” any time, and peruse your website at our
leisure.
Personal or professional, you will be
far more accessible via a website than any other method, and it’s
expected. Your competition has a website and you need one too, whether
you’re an entrepreneur, business owner, attorney, physician, dog
walker, caterer, or artist.
How prevalent is it? I just returned
from a vacation, and someone walked into my office for a meeting and
said, “How was your cruise? Do you have pictures?” and pointed toward
my computer! And yes, I had already mounted my vacation photos on my
website so I could share them. I operate several websites, do them all
myself, and use them both professionally and personally.
You probably know the basics about
website construction. A quick rundown would include: Using a manageable
program, such as FrontPage. Readable colors and font styles (don’t use
a black blackground, for instance, with a font such as Beesknees ITC in
gray (YIKES!). Make it user-friendly with good navigation. And have
good content that changes and is dynamic. Good content attracts both
search engines and visitors. Your goal is to get your visitor to come
once and then bookmark your site for daily visits to see what’s new.
And now for the hard part. How do you
choose a hosting service? If you amble into this territory naïve, you
can make some costly mistakes in terms of both time and money. Here are
the things you must consider:
1. PRICE. This is a very competitive
field, so take a look at several hosting sites before you take the
plunge, but, as with anything else, don’t just go for the lowest price,
go for the best value for the best price. Now here’s what value looks
like in a web hosting program.
2. CUSTOMER SUPPORT. There’s nothing more frustrating than not being able to contact the host when you need help.
3. ABILITY TO ACCOMMODATE MS Frontpage,
CGI/Perl, MySql and PHP. With MS Frontpage you can easily do your own
website, saving you tons of money and the time and frustration of
mastering one of the more complicated programs out there. To have a
dynamic website, you have to have the new data entered timely, and the
best way to do that is to do it yourself.
4. AUTORESPONDER. This is one thing you
need to think ahead about, because you’re going to need it. The more
successful you become, the more important it is. Find a host who offers
unlimited autoresponders.
5. UPTIME. Be sure and find a web host that advertises 99% up time. It’s no use to have a website that’s down half the time.
6. SET UP FEE. Be sure and find out specifically if there’s a set up fee, because, no, you should not have to pay for this.
7. STORAGE SPACE AND BANDWIDTH. With a smaller site, you can probably get by with 50 MB storage space, and 500 MB bandwidth.
8. EMAIL. Does it offer unlimited email? The answer to this should also be “yes.
Keeping these things in mind, with good
preparation and rudimentary computer skills you can construct a great
website that accomplishes what you have in mind. Good luck!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_T | 
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