How to Find a Web Host

Web hosting is the backbone of the Internet but often people make decisions with little knowledge or market overview. Being such an essential element in building a successful and manageable website, it is
time to get one thing straight. Finding a good web host is much easier that it may appear. In such a clustered market any pick may seem equally right. Unfortunately the web hosting industry has become synonymous for poor quality and inexcusable service. This is based on the low level of knowledge most first-time hosting customers have of the business. But do not worry, read this and you will know what to keep in mind when choosing a web hosting provider.

First things first, it is vital that you know what you are buying and if you even need it. On that note, we will start with a short explanation of the most important parts web hosting followed by types of hosting.

The Domain name

We won’t insult your intelligence. Chances are you know what a domain name is but for those of you who do not got a clue, a domain name is the address to your website. In the beginning only IP addresses existed, and they still do, but along the way during the usability work on the web, the domain name was applied. Rather than having to type in a series of numbers and dots, you could now assign a unique name to your websites.

Registering a domain

is one of must-do parts of getting web hosted (and is usually the first step in the sign up process). Some hosting deals include free domain registration and some do not. Either way, make sure you get a proper name to go with your website. It is safe to say that all serious web hosting businesses will have that option ready when you sign up.

The Storage Space

Not perhaps the most essential or revolutionary part of a good web host, but still worth mentioning and for you, worth remembering. Storage space is a common detail web hosts include when promoting their deals. And ever since shared web hosting, also known as cheap web hosting, hit the market web hosts have been able to offer junk loads of storage space.

The difference and importance of shared or dedicated hosting will be explained further down. For now we focus of the storage space and the reason we brought up shared hosting is because it allows hosting companies to offer much more space than you can ever imagine. Even the term unlimited
space is frequently tossed around buzz word. What you have to understand is how much space you realistically need. For a site with about 10 html pages and images, no more than 5 GB is required. And then you will have good margin in the case your site grows bigger. If your site is a more dynamic one with apps, databases, beta software and such you may need some more.

Either way, concerning storage space what it ultimately comes down to is a shared or dedicated server. If you are on a server that you share with hundreds of other websites you can never be absolutely sure that you have all the promised space to yourself. Especially if they claim to be “unlimited.” Promising unlimited web hosting is much like saying outer space is endless; it simply is not!

The Bandwidth

The third constellation in an everyday web hosting offer. Bandwidth is the capable volume of data that is transferable from the server to the web browser. Also here “unlimited” is a common adjective but again very much not true. However, the bandwidth is very important to guarantee that your site stays online and connected to the Internet. If you find a web host offering unlimited bandwidth you should by all means go for it. And although most web host offer several thousand gigabytes in bandwidth, taking up “unlimited” means you are taking from the neighbors on your servers. Do that constantly will result in higher rates or your site being shut down. So remember, if your website starts getting Digged or stumbled upon’ed, then consider going to a dedicated server.

Dedicated Vs. Shared Web Hosting

This is where we can really establish the truth of a web hosting offer. The saying “You Get What You Pay For” fits perfectly to this comparison. It is price versus quality war. And do not get us wrong but most webmasters are in no need of quality, just somewhere to store their site files. But in the end, it is only really with dedicated web hosting you know exactly what you get.

Choosing a dedicated server to host your website will hence mean a complete server dedicated to your site. With shared web hosting, unlimited storage space and bandwidth is much more often used because the web host simply can’t tell exactly how much space and bandwidth you will end up with. In such a deal, offers are calculated based on mow much you will use. And we all know, such estimations can’t possibly be accurately made.

Linux, WordPress and PHP hosting

These three terms will occur often in your search for good web hosting. They all are commonly used and often a pre-set preference in offered hosting packages. However, they fill very different purposes. Linux web hosting is for the developing webmaster who wants more freedom to create his/her own website platform. Linux operative system is used by almost all experienced server owner across the world. WordPress hosting is for those who are looking to set up a blog website.

WordPress is not only the most popular blogging developer but is so dominant most web hosts have devoted a complete package offer in its honor. With WordPress hosting you will easily be able to set up your blog through your hosting account and have many beneficial additional features to boost your blog.

PHP hosting is basically a web hosting server that runs on the scripting language PHP. And since WordPress like other CMS sites also run on PHP, hosting devoted to this script is perfect for you who have want more website but has little knowledge in how to make them. Though PHP is much more advanced than HTML for example, you will find a lot of pre-installable scripts included in your hosting deal that are written in PHP.