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Are The Hosting Facilities Their Own or are
they a Reseller of another Hosting Company?
Hosting
companies provide the powerful computers (called SERVERS)
in which your website will reside. For many, it is important
to know that the company that hosts their website is
a true hosting company with their own servers in their
own facilities.
A
company that has their own hosting facilities may be
better able to manage the day-to-day operations as well
as any unforeseen emergencies that may come up. A true
hosting company can monitor the facilities and ensure
the best possible environment for these special computers
that play home to websites and email accounts of all
shapes and sizes.
Speed
and Reliability
If
your business relies on your website, the speed and
reliability of your hosting company may be the most
important factor to choosing a website host. Your best
choice is to choose a company that runs its hosting
servers connected to a Fiber Optic Backbone Network.
This will provide the best loading speed and most reliability
for your website.
Keep
in mind, the speed in which a website loads also depends
on the speed of the end-user’s computer as well. So
even the quickest loading website may experience delays
if the viewer is using an old or slow computer or a
slower dial-up Internet connection.
Choose
a hosting company that can offer 99+% reliability. A
web host must provide UPS backup power to their network
to help ensure that your website will remain up and
running even if there is a power failure or weather
problems.
Customer
Service
Good
customer service is key to winning over customers in
any industry. In the hosting business it is necessary.
Today’s websites are more complex than ever before;
many have special scripts and hosting requirements.
Choose a company that offers customer support representatives
that will walk you through whatever problems or concerns
you may encounter and will point you in the right direction
if you require something outside their support range.
Services
and Features
Every
hosting company offers a range of services and features.
Finding the perfect hosting package to suit your needs
may seem difficult - - especially if you have ZERO idea
how many mega-bytes your website is or how much traffic
your site will generate.
The
average website will fit within a hosting package of
100mb or less. Most hosting packages also include POP
Email accounts (real email accounts using addresses
such as: you@yourdomainname.com). Also look for a hosting
company that can offer you site statistic reports (how
many people are visiting your website etc.), unlimited
FTP access to upload/make changes to your website 24
hours a day, FrontPage server extensions (if your site
was built using Microsoft FrontPage), email aliases,
and Free Account Set Up.
Price
You
must also consider price when choosing a hosting company.
Steer clear of hosting companies that offer their services
for free or at bargain basement prices. Often your site
will load slow OR have advertisements on it. And as
the old adage goes, You Get What You Pay For. This is
not to say that you should choose the highest priced
hosting company, but rather find a hosting company that
meets all your needs at a reasonable price.
Expect
to pay between $15 - $25 per month for basic website
hosting services. Many hosting companies will allow
you to pay for the year in advance and may also offer
a discount on yearly accounts. Expiry's Basic
Hosting Package is onsale for only $120.00
per year - A $30.00 savings.
Choosing
a hosting company may be your most difficult task when
it comes to getting your website up and running. You’ll
read about techno-mumbo-jumbo that may mean nothing
to you. Megabytes, servers, POP emails, gigabytes, etc.
are words that may seam foreign. Keep in mind the above
factors, and your quest for the perfect host should
become a lot easier.
For
assistance with any questions or concerns you may have,
or if you would like to discuss relocating your website
hosting to Expiry, please phone toll-free: 1-888-764-3622.
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