There are thousands of Web Hosting Companies out there and
counting. How do I choose the ideal plan for my Web Site? The
key here is to understand what your Web Site’s needs are. Once
you know what is required, you can eliminate many options. These
are the most important points that you need to focus on:
<b>Determine the requirements of your site. </b>
<b>Choosing an Operating System. </b>
<b>Choosing between SHARED and DEDICATED solutions. </b>
<b>Determine which hosting company is better. </b>
<b>So, what are the requirements of my site? </b>
Answer all the following questions. If there is any question
that you do not know the answer to, try to work with your Web
Designer. If you do not have a Web Designer, try to ask any Web
Hosting Provider. If you do not understand any of the terms, see
Web Hosting Terminologies at
<b>http://www.sirunet.com/WebHostingTerms.com</b>. <ul>
•How much Disk Space does your Web Site require?
•How much Monthly Transfer (Bandwidth) do you need?
•Is a Database required? If so, what Type of Database is
required for your site?
•What Scripting Languages does your web site use?
•Does your site require Servlet Technology (Server-side
scripting language)?
•If so, What Servlet Technology does your web site use? </ul>
Some of the questions above may have approximated answers. Try
to do your best and it will help you when choosing your hosting
provider and plan.
Most of the sites out there need less than 100 Megabytes (MB) of
disk space. Notice that one Megabyte is equivalence to eight
Megabits, so do not be fooled by numbers. If your web site is
not for heavy media downloads, in most cases you do not need
more than 10 Gigabyte (GB) of Monthly Transfer. There is an
equation that can be used to calculate your bandwidth:
Monthly Transfer = Monthly Visitors x Average Hits per Visitor
x Average Page Size
Unless you have a web site hosted already, otherwise it is
impossible for you to determine the site’s monthly visitors and
average page hits per visitor. So lets put this aside for now.
There are many types of databases. The most commonly used
database types are MYSQL (Windows & UNIX), ODBC (Windows), and
MS Access (Windows). By knowing what type of database you use,
it will help you decide which Operating System to go for.
The most popular Scripting Languages are CGI and Perl. While
most of the web hosting plans include these as standard
features, you do not have to worry too much here. Note: some
Free Web Hosting plans DO NOT support scripting languages.
Choosing a Web Host with Servlet Technology is very hard because
it is not commonly supported and even for those who say they
support it, they do not have sufficient technical support. The
most commonly used Servlet Technologies are Active Server Pages
(ASP) and Java Server Pages (JSP). While JSP is best supported
in both Windows and UNIX environment, ASP is currently well
supported only in Windows. Although Sun Java System Active
Server Pages do work on UNIX environment, it is still in testing
stage; as of July 2004.
<b>What Operating System should I go for?</b>
Windows based hosting plans are usually more expensive than
those are UNIX based. Why would I need Windows Hosting then?
There are many factors. If you use ODBC or MS Access database
you may be required to use Windows Hosting. If you use ASP you
may be required to use Windows Hosting. If you or your Web
Master is more familiar with Windows environment you may
consider using Windows Hosting. If you do not need any of the
above, I would recommend you to use UNIX based Hosting. Why?
Because they are much less expensive in terms of service fees
and software licensing than Windows Hosting. Windows hosting are
often slower than UNIX hosting in performance. If you have two
servers with exact hardware specs, one in UNIX and the other one
in Windows, the UNIX server will have better performance in
terms of speed, reliability, and security.
<b>Should I use SHARED hosting or DEDICATED hosting? </b>
There are only a few reasons that you will need dedicated
hosting. Your site contains sensitive information that you need
better security and dedicated hosting does that. If you need
flexible software support, you should consider dedicated
hosting. If you need total control over your account, you should
consider dedicated hosting. If you need to host a large web
application, dedicated hosting is your choice. So who should
choose dedicated hosting? Any Web Sites that need any of the
above should choose dedicated hosting. If you do not need any of
the above, I would recommend you to use shared hosting because
it is more cost effective than dedicated hosting.
<b>Hints on choosing a Web Hosting company</b>
Ok. Now I know the requirements of my Web Site and which type
of hosting to choose, but how do I know which Web Hosting
company is better? There are two factors that you should focus
on. First, check if the company offers all the things your Web
Site needs. Second, check if the company is reliable in terms of
services and support. The only way for you to know if a company
is reliable is to try them, so sign up for the plans that have
at least 15 days Money-back guarantee. This way you can always
cancel the account if you do not feel comfortable with the
company. How would you know if they have what you want? Well,
the best way is to ask them. Make sure to provide them all of
the requirements of your Web Site. There are other ways to know
more about the companies, such as finding reviews on hosting
community sites. But the reviews are often misleading, thus the
best way is still trying it yourselves.
To summarize, make sure to know both what your Web Site needs
and what Web Hosting companies are offering before making your
final choice.
About the author:
Shawn Si, is an editor and Marketing Director of Sirunet.com, a
leading ecommerce enabled web hosting service provider. He can
be reached at shawn@sirunet.com
