The 17 Point Website Hosting Checklist
Before rushing into a website hosting plan, one should know what web hosting features to look for. Only then can people correctly compare the price of one plan with another.
When starting out, it is easy to overlook some of the most important factors when selecting a web host while paying too much attention on great features which you may not need at the start.
For example, most people judge a web host by the amount of disk space they offer. The thinking is generally, the more the better.
There are many other factors to take into consideration. Each factor can be weighed up according to the features each specific web hosting company offers. Each company may also offer several different plans. The features from plan to plan may also differ.
Internet Web Site Hosting Services are not all the same.
Some deals may look good at first but if one feature that is important according to your needs is missing, then that deal may not be so good in your opinion. This does not cast a value judgment on any particular web host.
The deal in and of itself may be good for me for example but not for you. So do your research and compare different companies and plans until you weigh up all the factors that are important to your needs.
What factors do I weigh up?
1. Tech Support - I don't know about you, but I like the feeling of knowing that support is available when I need it. Test different companies before you sign up by sending them an email with a question or two. If they respond quickly, this is a good sign.
On the other hand, you should not need to contact a good website hosting company very often.
2. Uptime - The more uptime they guarantee, the better. 99% uptime is the minimum acceptable standard.
3. Control Panel - Not all control panels are the same. Some are easier to use than others. Some control panels the learning curve is steep while others are easy.
If you select a plan where you cannot preview your control panel before you buy, you can always use the 30 day money back guarantee to get out if you are not happy.
If they are not offering a working demo of the control panel, maybe they are not proud of it. In my experience, I have always been disappointed with the quality of the control panel when a demo was not available.
If at all possible, try to get a website hosting plan which includes the cPanel control panel.
cPanel is one of the most user friendly control panels available today because you do not need to contact the website hosting company to set up sub-somains, install scripts, setup domain pointers etc. This control panel puts the user in control of all administrative aspects of their web site.
4. Site Builder - Many website hosting companies these days include a site building tool and professional website templates. If everybody knew this, many people would simply build their own web site instead of paying thousands of dollars for web design.
5. Disk Space - Decide how much disk space you will require. A web page with one logo does not take up much web space at all. Calculate how big your web site is in relation to the disk space alloted.
6. Domain Pointers - Many website hosting companies these days offer domain pointing at no extra cost. Domain pointing allows the user to host multiple sites with just one website hosting account. This one secret alone can save you hundreds of dollars per year.
7. Sub-Domains - Sub Domains allow the user to create a neat looking directory structure. Some website hosting companies charge extra each month for each Sub Domain while other companies supply this feature for Free.
Sub Domain URL: http://directory.yourdomain.com
Regular URL: http://yourdomain.com/directory/
8. Bandwidth - This factor is usually overlooked until the bandwidth limit is reached. If you go over your alloted bandwidth, you will get a hefty bill. If you are running a site with lots of downloads, or a site with lots of images such at a photo post site, your bandwidth will be a lot higher than a site with mainly text.
9. CGI Bin - This is now standard with good hosting companies. If you do not have access to your own CGI Bin, you cannot install scripts and programs.
10. Perl - If you do not have Perl, you cannot run Perl Programs. Many good scripts that you buy or get for free are written in Perl. In my opinion, it would be a limitation not to have the latest version of Perl installed.
11. SSL - If you intend to accept credit cards orders directly from your website, you will need Secure Socket Layer included in your plan. This is one of those easily overlooked features.
You might sign up for a plan that looks attractive for whatever reason, then down the track, you might discover that you need this feature. If it is not included in your plan, you might be gob-smacked if the extra monthly charge is $10.00.
To use this feature you need a merchant account. There is no need to make this a priority if you have no merchant account because you can use a third party credit card processor.
12. SSI - Server Side Includes are great if you want to spend minimal time updating your site. Server Side Includes can be used to update any part of a page by editing just one file, the file to include.
You can use SSI to include such things as your Left Navigation links for example. So instead of editing hundreds of pages just to change the navigation menu, all you do is edit just one file.
13. MySQL - What scripts/software are you going to run on your website? Many server side programs require a MySQL database to run.
I had this problem with a particular website hosting company. They wanted to charge me $10.00 per month for each MySQL database. WOW. I just took out a new plan with another hosting company for under 10 bucks a month and unlimited MySQL Databases are included in the price. Say no more.
The companies that charge an extra $10 per month for each MySQL database must think that people are plain stupid. They get you in on some cheap plan with an attractive feature and proceed to charge extra for things that other companies supply as standard.
14. PHP - Many new scripts and programs require PHP support. Again, this feature can be a $10 extra but most good hosts offer it standard. Imagine if you do not have PHP support but the latest new FREE toplist, blogging script or shopping cart requires PHP. Again, this feature is almost standard these days.
15. Domain Name - What's the point in buying web space if you cannot point your own domain name to the site?
Some companies will help you register a domain name but you should compare prices and learn how to register your domain yourself. To do this, simply go to a domain name registrar like NameCheap and open a free account.
This way you are in control of your domain name if you ever want to change to a different website hosting company.
16. FTP Access - Unlimited and unrestricted FTP access to your site is essential. You will need an FTP program to transfer files.
17. Statistics Program - A good stats program is handy if you want to keep an eye on how many visitors you are getting, where they are comming from, referers, top entry and exit pages and so on.
Some companies offer excellent stats programs as standard while others offer basic stats but you have to pay extra for advanced statisics.
If you find a good hosting deal but the stats program is a bit basic, why not email the company and ask if they can install AWStats before you sign up. AWStats is an excellent FREE advanced statisics program.
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