Cheap Web Hosting and Design

If you're looking for a inexpensive web hosting service, there are many businesses that provide low monthly rates to host (store) your website. Some examples are Yahoo, Bluehost, Network Solutions and Hostgator, just to name a couple of. Of course, not everyone is looking for the same webhosting features, but are all offers the exact same? The answer is no.

Think it or not, you will find web hosting businesses that have millions of websites on their servers. If you multiply that by the average monthly fee of around ten dollars a month, that adds up to some significant cash flow! No wonder they're able to provide special deals to new subscribers with all of the bells and whistles.

The info that follows is based on the widely used Linux server webhosting packages, although some firms provide Windows web hosting also. Forget about the difference here, as it will not impact you, unless you are an advanced user and intend to create your website using ASP, FrontPage, the .NET environment, Windows Streaming Media, Access, MSSQL, or any of the other Microsoft technologies, in which case, you most likely need to use a Windows host.

Keep in mind that a web host is simply a business that offers a storage region for your web site. Along with this service, they generally provide a variety of clearly necessary along with other nice to have add ons. Some of these consist of, bandwidth, disk space, a sitebuilder, free web site templates, customer and technical support, MYSQL databases, POP email accounts, Fantastico, statistics like Webalizer or referrer logs, much more than one hosting plan and of course other functions too numerous to mention.

More specifically, we all want and need to save cash and we do not wish to waste it, so, based on what's discussed on internet forums and elsewhere the most, here is what to search for when looking for the best inexpensive web hosting strategy. Nevertheless, immediately, it could be advisable to make sure you are not paying much more than $10 a month for hosting, because it is not essential unless you would like extra unique management controls. We'll also assume that you simply only want one website, but in the event you plan to produce much more in the future, best to get a strategy that allows a number of or unlimited domains.

For the list that follows, one point ought to be given for each of the five items if the web host has these functions. When researching hosting businesses, a total score of 4 is extremely good, but 5 is excellent.

Top 5 Cheap Web Hosting Service Functions

1. Customer Service and Technical Support - does the company offer email, phone and live chat (at their website) 24 hours a day and 7 days a week (24-7)? Do they reply to your questions inside 24 hours or inside minutes using live chat? How would you know? Try them out, even if you're not a customer yet - send them an e-mail or attempt their live chat. Or, go to business forums like the Warrior Forum and search for similar discussions. If they have these features, then add 1 point for this business.

2. How long have they been in company? A minimum of 1 year? Go to Google and type in "Who Is" and type within the business name, like xyz.com and see when their creation date was - if it was more than a year ago, you are able to at least know they've been in business for a whilst and will hopefully be here to remain. I would give them 1 point if they have been in business for a minimum of 2 years to be on the safe side.

3. Do they provide unlimited bandwidth? Bandwidth can be best described as gas for a car. If your website runs out of bandwidth nobody will probably be able to go to it. 1GB of bandwidth is equal to over 100,000 hits. The average website uses much less than 2 GB of bandwidth a month. Your bandwidth number utilized will normally reset back to zero on the initial of every month.

Similarly, do they provide unlimited disk space? The more disk space you have the more files, pages, emails, and everything else you will be able to use and store. Yes, unlimited sounds excessive I know, but if they offer it, much better safe than sorry. If the business provides unlimited in both instances, give them 1 more point.

4. Guarantees - do they provide a cash back guarantee, if for any reason, you would like to cancel? If it is a minimum of a 30 day guarantee and they will refund 100% of your cash, that's good. Also, do they guarantee your site's uptime, in other words, that it'll be live on the internet all of the time, or over 99.9% of the time? If that doesn't happen, will they give you a full refund for that month? If the answers are yes to both of these questions, then add 1 more point.

5. Do they have Fantastico Deluxe? This program will permit you to install over 50 scripts instantly. Examples are WordPress, Joomla, discussion boards, ecommerce, polls and so on. Many people these days develop websites based on WordPress because of it's search engine optimization features and obtainable plugins, so using fantastico makes it simpler. Give them 1 point if they provide fantastico at no extra charge.

And yes, you will find some free web hosting plans out there, but do they location ads on your web site? Do they offer 24-7 customer service? Will Google view your site the same if you're not willing to pay for hosting each month (they know which websites are free)? Frankly, are you serious about your web site and are you treating it as a business? If so, then you should be willing to pay out a couple of dollars a month for an essential service. Also, if you want to develop much more than 1 domain, do they let you build them under 1 account? Not likely. All in all, it's advisable to skip the totally free webhosting for life offers out there.

So, there you have it. In the event you watch for these five suggested cheap web hosting features, you should have the ability to find one heck of a great home for your website.