What to Expect From Cheap Web Hosting

For most, there comes a time when you decide that your business needs a website.  It is no secret that the internet and the resources of the World Wide Web offer tremendous benefits to business owners.  No longer will you be restricted by the bounds of the brick and mortar tradition as endless opportunities exist for your business in the realm of cyberspace.  A website is definitely good for your business, but can it afford to come at the risk of cheap web hosting?  The answer may surprise you.

Cheap web hosting essentially lived up to its name a few years back.  Most companies offered nothing more than minimal space on an FTP-enabled web server.  This gave you the ability to upload a small amount of documents and image files but not much else.  The web hosting provider handled the databases, scripting and the few applications powering the site.  For the most part, these simple types of web hosting are long gone and only seen in free service arrangements.  Today’s cheap services are far more robust, offering generous server space as well as great features and administrative tools.  It doesn’t cost a fortune to get a web hosting package with a lot of power.

What Can You Get with Cheap Web Hosting?

Many cheap hosting deals are nicely packaged with attractive incentives and additional services.  For example, some providers offer an abundance of disk space and bandwidth, free domain names, comprehensive web building applications and support for various programming languages.  They typically come included with multiple accounts, spam filtering applications, e-commerce tools and security features.  With so many companies offering service, you can easily find a web hosting plan utilizing the operating system and control panel of your choice.  Cheap web hosting can provide you the exceptional speed and performance needed to make a name for your business.

Take Caution Before You Buy

Web hosting has evolved to the point where even an inexpensive solution can give you enough to establish a respectable presence online.  That’s not to say that all cheap web hosts are offering a service you can rely on.  There is still a considerable amount of companies who will sell you a cheap service that isn’t even worth the incredibly low price.  They have a limited set of features, slow servers and a non-existent support team that will you send you plummeting to the dark corners of the web.  This is the type of web host you want to stay away from.

Cheap web hosting companies are abundant and the best way to find the good ones is through extensive research.  You can start by reading some reviews as they are posted all over the web.  Web hosting reviews are a great way to find out just who has a cheap service with features that meet your personal requirements.  Consumer feedback is valuable as it prepares you for what to expect in terms of price and overall service.

Share this article:

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Jan 06, 2009 : Cheap Web Hosting No responses yet

The What, Where and Why of Web Hosting

Regardless of the business you may be in, a website offers the most cost-efficient way to advertise your brand.  Unlike the traditional brick and mortar business where you may be limited by location, the internet gives you the ability to advertise to a large global market of consumers.  In order to stake your claim in cyberspace, you will need a web host to serve your content to the world.

What is Web Hosting?

Web hosting is a service that provides you with space on a computer, better known as a server, and launches your site on the World Wide Web, making it accessible to internet users.  There are many types of web hosting services but you essentially have two choices: building your site with a free or paid service.

The major benefit of free web hosting is obvious as you are allowed to run your very own website at no cost.  Some companies will even provide a hosted shopping cart so that you can sell products and services.  There are however, significant drawbacks to free hosting.  Because you are not paying for the service, you have limited control over your account.  For instance, many free providers will litter your website with banners and advertisers of their sponsors.  In most cases, they also provide you with limited resources in the terms of bandwidth and disk space as well as features.  Due to these limitations, free web hosting is more suited for personal use and not recommended for running an online business.

Paying for web hosting is the best option.  Even the small business with limited resources can now thrive on this platform as web hosting solutions have become much more affordable.  This option allows you to register your own domain and grants more control over the administrative functions.  Even “cheap hosting” can set you up with everything needed to establish yourself on the web.

Things to Look For

After making the decision to pay for web hosting, it’s important to make sure that you receive the best value for your money.  Your website will undoubtedly need room to grow, meaning it will require a significant amount of disk space to store your content.  If you anticipate a high volume of traffic, you will need adequate bandwidth so visitors can stop through and interact without performance issues.  If it’s E-commerce you’re embarking upon, you will need a special set of features.  Some things to keep in mind are email accounts to remain in contact with your audience and shopping carts to sell your products.  You should also take note of the control panel software being offered, as this will entail the administrative power you have over the operation.  Before deciding on a host, it would be a good idea to sit down and determine exactly what your site needs to be successful.  This will make choosing a company much easier.

Go Find Yourself a Web Host

As we mentioned before, the price of web hosting is very reasonable these days.  However, the cheaper price doesn’t always equal the best service.  Check out a few companies and determine which one can offer the tools you need to be successful.  After finding a reliable company to host your site, the sky is the limit.

Share this article:

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Dec 23, 2008 : General No responses yet

Considerations for Your E-commerce Site

The internet offers a plethora of opportunities for anyone looking to benefit from E-commerce with their own online business.  E-commerce simply refers to using the internet as a means to sell goods and services.  In order to get on board, you will need a web hosting company to set you up with server space and provide the tools needed to succeed.

Know What You Need

Many of the web hosting companies today offer the latest in technology suited for a range of

E-commerce needs.  With so many companies on the market, you can easily find one the offers scalability and great performance.  When signing up with the right host, it serves benefits to the seller and the buyer who appreciates the professional, secure service.  Tools like dynamic programming scripts, powerful database systems, integrated email systems and adequate server space all give you the ability to run a website that looks just as, if not more professional than your competitors.

Aside from designing your website in a professional, appealing manner, you also need to create it in a way that brings in profits to stay alive online.  This is critical as the internet has become fast-paced and heavy with competition.  Small businesses and large companies alike have an array of products and services for sell, most of them moving their entire operation to the net.  These companies require a great amount of flexibility, reliability and security in order to run their operation, critical factors you should take into account when looking for somewhere to host your E-commerce site.

Accepting Payments

With a web hosting plan, you can essentially create your own storefront, decorating it with pre-designed templates that appeal to your visitors.  Just as customers need to checkout from the retail store, your clients will need a way to checkout and make their purchases.  This is made easy with a web host that provides you with shopping cart software.  While you were once required to have a conventional merchant account to accept credit card payments, this can now be done for next to nothing with a PayPal account.  Web hosting allows you to present your products and services in a number of ways with optimized graphics, catalogs, auctions and much more.

Choosing the Right Plan

Great demand and the competitive business aspect of the industry has made web hosting plans more affordable than ever.  There are also many types of packages to choose from. You can choose to run your E-commerce site on a Windows or Linux server; a virtual private server or a shared server.  If you anticipate a heavy load of traffic right off the bat, you can invest in a dedicated server and have an entire machine devoted to your business.  This could lead to other opportunities as some webmasters use their dedicated servers to open reseller hosting businesses. Each type of web hosting can help you succeed on different levels while giving your business room to grow.

E-commerce keeps the internet thriving with business.  When mapping out your plan for success, be sure to set aside a little time to research some web hosting services.  With the backing of a reliable company, there is no limit to what you can achieve.

Share this article:

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Dec 16, 2008 : Ecommerce No responses yet

Can You Make Money With Your Domain?

Thanks to the flourishing industry of e-commerce, more individuals are looking to bring their business ventures online.   With millions of people surfing the web each minute of the day, the number of potential clients is unlimited.  Because the average person does not have access to a server and other network equipment, most of us rely on a web hosting to create our sites.  The provider enables your pages to be served to the web, but a domain name is what helps to identify your site and brand your business.

Domains have been a hot commodity since the inception of the internet.  Aside from giving people a way to label their website, some have actually been able to profit by selling domain names.  Sound intriguing?  Of course it does.  Now you’re probably thinking of coming up with a clever domain, registering it and then keeping it under lock and key until someone comes along offering the right price.  While it’s possible, this is something you should not count on.

To be perfectly honest, most of the best domains have already been taken, whether they’re in use or just sitting there.  Squatters purchase several domains on mere speculation.  They often go after names of famous companies, brands or individuals.  What many of them forget is the critical aspect of intellectual property.  Hoping that some big name company will pay them a huge sum of money to use their own trademarked name, they typically end up receiving letters from attorneys threatening to sue them for extortion.  This part definitely doesn’t sound good at all.

While you can find yourself in a jam by trying to play the domain game, there are few sensible approaches that can help you profit off the system.

Products and services - The most common method of profiting with your domain is selling products and services.  You could do this with your own products, or the products of others.  While this approach takes significant marketing efforts, it also tends to be the most rewarding.

Information sites - Even without a product or service to sell, you can still profit from your domain by creating a site rich with informative content.  Your revenue would be generated from a proven program such as Google AdSense.

Affiliate programs - You could also use your domain to promote affiliates, preferably in your niche interest.  Affiliates may be willingly to compensate you for redirecting your visitors to their site.

Park your domain - Perhaps your domain does has some resale value.  There are a number of companies that will let you park your domain on their web servers.  In this scenario, you advertise that the domain is for sale, and then split the revenue with the participating company.

Regardless of what approach you take towards profiting with your domain, the key is generating traffic.  The more traffic you are able to generate, the better chances you have creating revenue.  Think of your domain as a piece of property.  The more value you add to it, the more it will be worth.

Share this article:

(3 votes, average: 2.67 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Nov 28, 2008 : Domain Names No responses yet

Security Tips for Windows Dedicated Hosting

The opportunities are abundant on today’s internet.  With the emergence of e-commerce and millions of people surfing online at every moment of the day, virtually anyone has a shot at succeeding and generating income from the internet.  Unfortunately, similar opportunities exist for more unscrupulous characters, individuals looking to make their profit off your hard work.  Hackers and malicious software coders are not only a threat to the consumer-based PC, but the high-powered server running your website as well.

With so many probable threats, adequate security is an absolute must for anyone running an internet business.  This is particularly true if you are hosting on your very own dedicated server and using the Windows platform.  For some, this is challenging as maintaining a server and keeping it running properly is a task in itself.  Because security translates into a long-lasting business and customer satisfaction, we will provide you with a few tips to make sure your Windows dedicated server is as secure as possible.

Password Protection

Never look at passwords as just some optional feature that you can do without.  The sensitive areas of your server need to be locked down to prevent unauthorized access.  If not, you can be the victim of a hacking attack, defacing or even hit with a nasty infection that compromises the entire system.  For these reasons, your passwords should be secure and unpredictable.  Refrain from simple terms and phrases that can be found in a dictionary.  Instead, come up with something at least eight characters in length with a nice blend of numbers, letters and symbols.  This constitutes as a strong password which will make the vital areas of the server much harder to penetrate.

Hardened Shell Access

One of the most effective ways to ensure the security of a Windows dedicated server is to secure the SSH function.  This can be done by disabling the password authentication scheme and using public key encryption for SSH authentication instead.  Port 22 is known as one of the most vulnerable points of entry, commonly searched by intruders looking to access web servers.  By moving SSH access to another port, no one will be able to find you aside from those who know where your server is located.  Additionally, you should make sure to utilize the most recent version of SSH are prevision versions tend to be more vulnerable after hackers find ways around the security mechanisms.

Hardened Apache

Ensuring the security of your Apache server application is one of the most important aspects of keeping a Windows dedicated server protected.  Because Apache is a widely used solution, it is also a prime target for intruders looking to gain access via server applications.  The best way to secure this critical application is to use an efficient mod security tool.  You can learn more about the benefits about mod security at modsecurity.org.

Disable Unused Applications

Aside from Apache, general web applications pose great security risks.  An experienced intruder can take advantage of the smallest scripting error and use it to hack into your system.  The worst part of all, there is a great chance you will not even be aware until the damage is done.

Conclusion

Web security is vital these days, especially when a Windows server is involved.  This system has been the target of many brutal attacks that have left the most prominent companies staggering.  By taking a few preventative measures to lock down your dedicated server, you can better your chances of not becoming another statistic.

Share this article:

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Nov 18, 2008 : Security Issues No responses yet