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What to look for when seeking a Web host

kjohrikjohri subscriber Posts: 10
Hi All,
There has been great information on this site and I have been reading it up slowly and steadily.
As I mentioned in my previous mail, I am looking to start a web based business. I am not sure what to look for when looking for a web host. What are the key elements to look for when looking for web host AND web master, from a capability standpoint.
How do I increase my visibility in WWW?
How do I make the site easily searched by users?
How do I look for a web host?
Any suggestions from e-commerce standpoint? If my clients are going to make purchases or fill forms, what elements in the web design need to be addressed?
What are the different pieces of the puzzle I need to look into to have a successful site?
Thanks very much for you time!
KJ
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Comments

  • sddreamweaverssddreamweavers subscriber Posts: 5 Member
    First you need to have a list of what requirements you are going to need from a hosting company (Unix vs Windows/web/database/e-mail server service/SSL).
    Next thing you should look for are lists of web hosts that are listed high on `review lists`
    then do a search for `<name of hosting company> reviews` (without the quotes).
    This will give you a list of problems that customers have found over the years with specific hosting companies.
  • kjohrikjohri subscriber Posts: 10
    Came across this nice little cheat-sheet - http://www.resourcenation.com/pages/311 ... Design.htm
    But any feedback/suggestions from the gurus would be appreciated.
    KJ
  • sddreamweaverssddreamweavers subscriber Posts: 5 Member
    That`s a pretty good list.  One of my customers got burned by #10 with his previous web designer.
    Also, #9 is a big one.  Keep an eye out for that when looking for a web designer.
    One thing I`d add to the list in reference to hiring a web designer and a web master is to see samples of their work and/or to provide contact information to current and past customers so you can talk to them.
    Regarding e-commerce what are you going to be selling and how?  If you could elaborate on that, it would be greatly appreciated.
  • kjohrikjohri subscriber Posts: 10
    Thanks for the response Aaron!
    So regarding #10 on the list, does it mean copyright protection?
    I plan to have a web based dining guide where clients can read/write reviews, make reservations, buy giftcards etc..
  • NuevolutionNuevolution subscriber Posts: 30 Bronze Level Member
    Kjohri,
    Before you jump in to finding the perfect web hosting company you need to sit down and write down on a piece of paper what your needs are i.e. What features is your web site going to have, and what is the purpose of your web site. I know you`re looking into creating a dining guide business, and you want for customers to write reviews, reservations and buy gift cards... My question to you is, lets say your business was up and running, how can I make a reservation? reserve what if you have multiple restaurants? Also, the gift cards? how would I purchase one? and would I be able to print it? What is your procedure, in knowing which gift certificate has been used or not?
    These are only two questions that Im throwing out there...I`m pretty sure that I can come up with tons of questions... Once you address your web site`s main functionalities you will be able to choose the type of hosting service that you need.
    In fact you wont know until you consult with a web developer and depending on your web developer`s skill level he will tell you which hosting service is the one for you. Some developers use Windows based Hosting "If they are .asp or .NET developers... Other developers are experienced with PHP and MYSQL "LINUX" based.
    Just something for you to think about... GO WITH LINUX.
  • sddreamweaverssddreamweavers subscriber Posts: 5 Member
    Thanks for the response Aaron!
    So regarding #10 on the list, does it mean copyright protection?

    Not necessarily.  It means you should make sure and agree with the web developer that whatever is developed by the developer/programmer will belong to you when the project is completed. sddreamweavers6/14/2008 3:48 AM
  • cma01cma01 subscriber Posts: 0
    When I develop someone`s site, they usually go with the hosting I offer.  I`m not a bulk hoster and other than a few exceptions, I only host for businesses I develop or maintain.
    There have been times when I have developed a site that is hosted somewhere else, and it is usually a pain.  The last one I did, I had to contact the client`s host every other day to get items installed on the server that I had always thought were pretty basic.  For example, Ioncube wasn`t installed.  Basic, basic PEAR packages had to be added. 
    I haven`t done this yet, but I`m tempted to add a surcharge to the development cost if it is hosted somewhere else because it almost always takes me longer if that is the case.
    So I guess what I`m saying in your case, if you are going to go the DIY route for web development, then pick the host first.  If you are going to be hiring a developer, choose the developer first and then ask their recommendations for hosting based on your site requirements.cma016/19/2008 1:26 PM
  • kjohrikjohri subscriber Posts: 10
    Thanks Loren! This is good info.
  • sddreamweaverssddreamweavers subscriber Posts: 5 Member
    On more thing I would recommend when looking for a web hosting company is to do a Google/Yahoo/MSN/etc search for:
    <name of hosting companies> reviews
    You will be able to tell instantly if the hosing company you are looking at is indeed a good one or not.  I`ve run into hosting companies that have slick presentations but when I do the search on reviews I will always be able to find negative reviews (and in detail) about companies that exist.
    Technical problems will always happen with hosting companies so keep that in mind when doing a search like this.  You have to look out for the REALLY bad reviews.  For example, one hosting company I looked at had a great idea in theory but there were so many complaints about the admin panels and customer support that I stayed away from it.
  • kjohrikjohri subscriber Posts: 10
    Thats a good point! Thanks Aaron!
  • sddreamweaverssddreamweavers subscriber Posts: 5 Member
    Thats a good point! Thanks Aaron!

    Not a problem.  I just posted a link in the Heritage Web thread for you to check out.
  • NuevolutionNuevolution subscriber Posts: 30 Bronze Level Member
    Kjohri,
    I almost forgot to give you a useful tip, I hope I am not to late but better late than never. Everyone seemed to give you good point and leads and referrals and advise. But here is what you need to look for if you`re planning on Optimizing your content for the search engines.
    Make sure that when you set up your hosting account that you get a "dedicated IP" instead of a "Shared IP" many hosting company`s by default host your account on one IP, this called "Shared IP" an IP is the weird number that looks like 209.01.122.0, or what ever your IP address is.
    So here is how it affects you, lets say 1000 people are sharing the same IP and 300 out of the 1000 customers are using their hosting account to send Mass Mail "In-house e-mail marketing", the IP might be banned. Also, if they are over submitting their web sites they may get banned from Google, Yahoo or MSN and the hosting company doesn`t know about it.
    And! since you domain name is sharing the same IP as the 1000 people, all your efforts in optimizing your web site may be causing you problems rather than increase in sales.
    Please read this topic  IP BANNING
    And hopefully, you will not run into this problem. As rule of thumb here at the company, we do not host more than 20 people on one IP and we give you a choice of having a dedicated IP or a Shared IP, and we do check every month to assure that our IP`s are not blocked.
    Having your OWN IP is also good if you`re going to be integrating an SSL certificate on your web site.
  • kjohrikjohri subscriber Posts: 10
    Thanks Edgar! I did not have any idea about this. I knew about shared/dedicated server but not IP.
    How expensive is dedicated IP compared to shared IP on an average (will probably depend on how many sites are there on shared IP)?
    In your opinion, how critical is dedicated server? I am not going to have more than 100 pages starting out.
  • sddreamweaverssddreamweavers subscriber Posts: 5 Member
    In your opinion, how critical is dedicated server? I am not going to have more than 100 pages starting out.

    Dedicated servers are only good if you`re getting insane amounts of hits a day (Over 100,000 unique visitors), you can justify the cost of a dedicated server, or the hosting company has told you your shared server is eating up all the other shared website customer resources.
  • NuevolutionNuevolution subscriber Posts: 30 Bronze Level Member
    In your opinion, how critical is dedicated server? I am not going to have more than 100 pages starting out.

    Dedicated servers are only good if you`re getting insane amounts of hits a day (Over 100,000 unique visitors), you can justify the cost of a dedicated server, or the hosting company has told you your shared server is eating up all the other shared website customer resources.

    SDdreamweaver,
    That is not true.. you don`t have to have a dedicated server
    you can still host a domain name on a dedicated IP (you have to if you install an SSL). Rule of thumb number one; if you plan on starting a web hosting business, never host more than 50 domain names on an IP.
    Now anyone with IT experience or knowledge can disagree with me because in fact you can have unlimited amount of domain names pointing to one IP... But this is what separates a Class A Web Hosting Server from the aplus.nets, the Godaddy, the IpowerWebs.
    You can either offer Class A web hosting which is a little bit more pricier... lets say.. a regular Godaddy web hosting goes for $4.99 per month... On a class A Web Host expect to pay $9.99 per month.
    I have 3 Linux web hosting servers and for the most part, I charge 3.00 extra a month for a dedicated IP. Since I buy the IP`s in Bulk I`m able to pass the discount down to my customers.
    The reason why many web hosting companies are so cheap is because they host thousands of domain names, on one single IP.
    Some of the things that I`ve experienced when hosting on one single IP is that, even when you enter... your url in the address bar, it redirects you to someone elses "someone on the web server" url.
    By keeping the number of domain names down on an IP, it allows me to trouble-shoot, offer High Quality, and most of all reliable web hosting service. yes it can be $4.00 more expensive than Godaddy or Aplus... but the services is more personal, when you call for technical support you are greeted by your name, instead of "Give me your account number" and "can you verify who you are?", and what was your first dogs  name, or what is your favorite movie?
    The funniest line is when, they make you identify yourself and finally they say "May I call you by your name?
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