Hostgator Host Providing Webhosting Services

If you are looking for shared hosting or reseller hosting, you might want to trek over to Hostgator.com. Hostgator specializes in web hosting facilities, and as far as I can see, they are doing a good job. They have recently picked up the Editors' Choice Award by Findmyhost.com. I think they deserved it.

Hostgator.com is both reliable and fast -- essential qualities for any web business. They work on Dual Xeon servers with 4GB memory and IDE hard drives. Moreover, with their claim of 99.9 percent uptime, they provide great hosting packages. At the same time, they are quite affordable.

The basic shared hosting package is offered at a monthly rate of $6.95. Yearly rates for the more advanced packages start from $9.95. You might be thinking that this is slightly higher than the rates offered by other web hosting providers. In my opinion, it is well worth the money. Moreover, each of the packages comes with a thirty day money back guarantee. So just wait and see for a while before you pronounce your final verdict. My guess is that you will want to stay with Hostgator for some time.

There are several other plusses to using Hostgator. For one, you get instant backups for your website. Moreover, you can host unlimited domains, sub-domains and FTP accounts. The most basic shared hosting package comes with limits though. It allows one domain and twenty sub-domains. Of course, you could always shift to a better package once you start expanding your website. And with as many as fifty-two scripts, this is a great web host.

In general, most users are satisfied with the Control Panel offered by Hostgator. In fact, their CPanel is pegged as being one of the best in the web hosting world. It adds to the convenience of managing your domains and sub-domains. The Control Panel demo helps new users get used to the various facilities offered by Hostgator.

In my opinion, one of Hostgator's greatest virtues is that it offers great customer service. Most of the packages offer instant set up at no extra charge. There is twenty-four hour customer support. You can decide whether you want to interact with their customer care representatives over live chat or the phone. You could also make use of the email ticket system. I have found that their customer care execs are often more than ready to go out of their way to help you out. Yes, there are the occasional goof-ups. On the whole, however, Hostgator.com seems to be satisfying its customers.

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Blogs Blogs Everywhere But No Good Host In Sight

So you have taken that first step. You are going to jump right into the blogosphere. That magical world where everyone is a journalist. Or a citizen-journalist as they are called.

A blog is short for "weblog." A technology that allows you to post your thoughts, ideas, images, videos, emotions, rants, raves and more with just a few clicks. Indeed it is the onslaught of the blog that has heralded the new age of Web 2.0

But, even if the software technology is new, it is still dependent on the age old hardware technology of web hosting. If only that was not the case.

Accepting reality and moving ahead let us see what is needed from a web host for hosting a blog. Well, mainly the requirements for hosting a blog are similar to those required for hosting a web site.

But other than the usual, there are some special considerations for blogs. For one, the hosting provider should allow the use of databases. Additionally, it would be great if there was a script that the hosting service provided that would install the blog for you. Of course, if you are technically qualified this may not help much. But, if you are a newbie, you want to stay away from all that jazz and simply focus on reaching out to your readers.

I am one of those buyers how are very price conscious. But, before you go ahead and purchase hosting, let me point out that changing web hosts can be a pain. So, think a little beyond the deepest discount you can get and focus on building a long term relationship with your blog host.

To begin with make sure that your blog hosting provider has been around for some time. It does not have to one of the big names in hosting. But, it must have an established track record. Second, try to ask some pre-sales questions. If they cannot service you well at the pre-sales stage, it is unlikely that they will come to your rescue after you are already a client.

Finally shop around and ask for opinions. If you are setting up more than one blog, try more than one hosting provider before settling on one for the long term. Once you find what you are looking for, you will know where to host your next blog.

The disk space, bandwidth, and speed will make all the difference. Naturally, price will be a consideration too.

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How To Choose A Web Host

There are certain qualities you should look for in a web host to make certain you are getting the best deal all round. Fortunately you are in a buyer’s market: there are dozens of web hosting businesses out there, just clamoring for your business. That’s a good thing if you can identify the very best deals out there, and this article aims to help you do that.

1. Don’t go on price alone

It is tempting to go for a terrific monthly hosting fee of $4.99 or whatever. It appears great on the face of it, but are you getting enough for even that limited amount? The answer is research, research, research. Find yourself a hosting review, or several, and compare the reviews of the various packages. Don’t be too proud to take the advice these sites offer either. It is their bread and butter to make the right calls. They may even suggest terrific special deals, and then you are on a winning wicket.

2. Look for a specialist web hosting company

If you are a keen web surfer you will know that there are dozens of businesses out there offering to give you templates for free, web sites for free and dozens of add-ons for free. Others offer to pay your transfer expenses when switching from another host. It sounds great, but after you have invested time and effort investigating, you find that the firm makes its money out of web hosting. In other words, they give you the mountains of extras up front and then encourage you deeply (we won’t use the word “force”) to use their web hosting facilities. That’s not professional and it’s not fair. Avoid that approach and find a web hosting company that calls itself one!

3. Look for the real live people in the equation

The best web hosting companies have been around for a long time, employ great technical and support personnel and they communicate heavily with their users. Here are a couple of things that tell you loud and clear you are with a high-quality firm: 24/7 help desk, online chat support, full contact us details, a user forum or blog and regular newsletters, emails or other communiques. At all times a human being must be in evidence. You don’t want to have urgent questions to ask and no one in the world to talk to about it. The very best web hosting companies have help desks that go beyond the call of duty, even helping you out with unrelated computer and software queries. These are the gems of web hosting companies worth digging for.

4. Capacity, capacity, capacity

Lots of web hosting companies offer free software (at the moment there is one offering $700 worth of free software) but more important than anything else is capacity. There are great 3TB offers out there now and 3TB storage space is going to meet most small to medium business requirements. And you need all the up time you can get. Make sure about downtime. If your web hosting company is counting its monthly downtime in minutes, not seconds, then don’t go for it. There are great web hosting deals with the most incredible gear out there that effectively have no downtime at all. You cannot afford to lose online time which means losing sales, losing income and losing customers, so find the jewels of the web hosting world in a hosting review or another resource.

5. Check the web hosting company’s website

There is a failsafe way to get the bottom line on most online businesses. Check out their web site carefully. It is practically impossible for companies to conceal their true nature when it comes to their websites. A fly-by-night company has a fly-by-night website. A conservative, slow company has a conservative, slow website. A happening, high tech company has a happening, high tech website. A methodical, reliable company has the same type of site. And so on. Find a website you are comfortable with and the chances are you will have found your web host.

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Finding The Web Host For You

What are the things that you would consider when looking for a web hosting service? It actually depends on what you want the world to see, and how you want the world to see it. However, regardless of how uncommon your approaches are, here are a few important and most commonly considered properties that people look for when seeking a web hosting service:

Domain Name Availability

Oftentimes you will be communicating the existence of your web page through your domain name. Apparently it has to be catchy; something that people can keep in mind. However, that is only half of the battle in this regard. You may want to check with the web hosting service you are interested in – have them evaluate if the domain name you have in mind is available, or already in use.

Expenses

Keep in mind that if you seek lower prices, you will most often than not be provided with lesser freedom in making your web page look the way you envisioned it to be. If you’re merely seeking to express your thoughts online, a free web hosting service can cater to your needs easily. However, if you’re looking for less hassles and more freedom in customizing the feel and function of your web page, you should expect to dish out some cash for paid services.

Reliability

It is expected that the site that you submit to a web hosting service should be up all the time. You should be guaranteed that the maintenance done by your web hosting service is minimal and performed during off-peak hours. If you’re looking to represent your business in the form of a web site, this is one thing that you want to critically consider. The thing about it is, if you have clients attempting to visit your site during down times, they may very well assume that you are out of business! Reliability of a web hosting service reflects your dedication to show the world how your business is growing.

Support

If in case the servers of the web hosting company you employ are down, you should be guaranteed of a reliable way of contacting them. Sometimes you may want to try calling their technical support representatives prior to even dishing any cash out, just to see how soon they respond, among other qualities. Additionally, support should also give you straight answers without giving you any workarounds. They should not discourage you from insisting on what you think is right without setting any proper disclaimers or boundaries.

Other Features

Some web pages need more than conventional ones. Do not hesitate to ask the promising web hosting company regarding the additional features which you can include. If you require more space to save more than just code and pictures, the web hosting service should know about it.

If you plan on having more than one email address associated to the domain name you choose, then this sort of information has to be disclosed. It is better for you to see how capable the web hosting company is in providing these enhancements before you actually need them.

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How To Effectively Choose A Web Host

The internet industry is getting to be a very big marketplace as more and more people and business start to sell their services on the internet. More and more web hosting companies’ pop-up offering packages and solutions. If a person does not know what he is looking for in a hosting company he might end up with a package that is either to large for his needs or is lacking in features.

It is best to know what people want in a hosting service in order for them to choose it wisely. Here are some of the most common questions that people and businesses ask in choosing a host service company:

Q: How long have these hosting companies been in existence?

A: This question is not that important although it could help in the choice of companies because the longer a web hosting company has been in existence means that it has a reliable service and already have a number of clients using their services.

Q: Can I have my internet provider host my website or will I get to a company that does web hosting for a living?

A: It is always a good choice to go to a web hosting company because they only provide hosting services and not internet access services like ISPs do. Web hosting companies concentrate all their bandwidth to hosting and not internet access which makes it a reliable choice in terms of cost and uptime.

But with all choices made a person has to delve in deeper in any service that is provided. One of the ways in making sure that a service is well provided is by going to their websites and looking at what it has to offer and their capabilities in providing hosting services.

Q: What type of broadband connection (ISDN, T1, T3) of a hosting company should I choose?

A: It is wise to choose a host service that has a T3 internet connection and has a major backbone connected to it.

Q: Should I go for a company that offers a money back guarantee?

A: When a hosting company banks on the quality of service that it provides their plans are usually inclusive of a money back guarantee because these companies are almost if not always certain that a money back guarantee will not be availed by a customer due to its quality.

Q: What are the added bonuses of a hosting company should I look for and favor over other add-ons?

A: Find out the space that they offer. A normal space offer would be 10 to 15 megabytes. If a hosting company offers more than the usual storage space then it is a bonus that must be considered because this would mean more expansion for you in the future at the same price.

Consider also the security that they offer. If you will be running a website that deals with online transactions it is important to note that people usually want to transact with websites that have excellent online security.

Lastly, always remember that the most important factor in choosing a hosting company is its integrity.

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Finding A Web Host To Fit Your Needs

Deciding which web hosting service is right for your web site is similar to choosing the right car for your family. Just like a lemon auto choice can complicate your life and cost you more in the long run, a lousy web host can affect your online business on many different levels, potentially costing you time and money.

Of course, no one purposefully chooses a poor web host any more than one knowingly makes a decision to become the owner of a problem car. Research is key when deciding which web hosts are the best and most cost effective. Below is some information about three popular web hosts to help you determine what type of service best fits your needs.

GoDaddy.com

With simple and hassle-free hosting, GoDaddy offers both economy and premium packages. Their $8.95 domains are some of the best prices one can find in the industry. Adding hosting to this domain drops the price to $1.95. It may be hard to find another good company who offers these prices.

Simplicity and user-friendliness are primary characteristics of GoDaddy’s services. From hassle-free control panels to straightforward hosting and domain management, you could obtain a Linux server with a new domain and have it up and running in less than 30 minutes. And if you have any problems or questions, satisfactory customer service is another benefit of using GoDaddy.

The only drawbacks to GoDaddy are its smaller size and potential security issues due to the shared servers, which can sometimes be problematic for larger traffic volume sites and sites utilizing cash transactions. And while the amount of space GoDaddy offers may not be as large as some, it is still enough to satisfy the needs of most online sites.

GoDaddy may work best for blogging websites, simple squeeze and landing pages, simple forums, and personal home pages, as well as other smaller-scale sites not requiring high security.

IxWebHosting

Offering some of the largest packages at the lowest prices, ixWebHosting is a very competitive service to consider. While its economy package looks a lot like GoDaddy’s, the ixWebHosting premium package at $12.95 per month brags features such as unlimited space and 3 TERA-BYTES—meaning 3000 BGs or 3 TRILLION bytes—of bandwidth.

Additionally, this premium package provides unlimited e-mails and SQL databases and five free domains all tied into this $12.95 price. There is so much offered in the package that some may question why a web site would even need all of these features and benefits. The reality is that most owners will not need all of this, but even if you need some of it, the price is nice.

Like GoDaddy, security is a concern for ixWebHosting services. However, the control panel is not as good as GoDaddy’s.

IxWebHosting’s premium service is a great option for the site owner who needs significant bandwidth and disk space or anticipates high traffic volume or downloading from the site.

TVCNet

If security and customer service are at the top on your list of needs from your web host, TVCNet may be one your best options. While the disk space and bandwidth may not be as impressive as some of the other web hosting choices, you will likely find you do not actually need all of the massive space offered by other providers. Instead of excessive and, often times, unnecessary space, TVCNet focuses in on top-notch secure and reliable hosting.

Not only will your questions be answered promptly by the TVCNet staff, but it is also possible to achieve a 100% hacker-safe site through using their web hosting service. This is an excellent choice for anyone who has or expects to build a small to medium sized site with full technical support and hacker-proof security.

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Want To Be A Web Host?

So you want to be a web host? Here are a few tips you could use to get the edge even if you’re starting out new. Start out with the right equipment. A lot of web host drop out of the race so quickly because they didn’t plan out their growth and match it with their operating resources. You’ve got to research, get tips from the best IT people, systems engineers, electricians, and other professionals and get the best telecommunications tested networking gears complete with back up systems to give solid assurance to your clients of continuous 24 hrs service even if you have do some maintenance of parts of your operation.

Back up systems kick in if you have some trouble with some of your servers and clients can continue to retrieve files when needed when there is a temporary system crash. Location of your equipments should be in relatively hazard free environments so these do not cause periodic operational failures for you. Most of your clients would be big businesses who are investing thousands of dollars to have their website hosted by you. So your reputation is at stake. Leading web hosting companies have a solid reputation and they invest heavily to keep their reputation spotless. When you’re starting out, you have to build your reputation from scratch. So be wary.

Clients expect to have the following as part of your services: reliability, bandwidth and speed of access. They don’t want to hear any feedbacks that their website is unavailable, is slow jumping from one page to another. The speed should be uniform for all hours of the day even during those times when the internet traffic is extremely heavy. Allowing for a lot of space for clients to grow whether for business or for personal use will also be important. Make sure that the bandwidth you offer is more than enough for all the types of clients. E-commerce and even some individual clients want to download different sizes of files, the less restrictions you have when it comes to downloading or uploading files, the better.

FTP or File Transfer protocol is an important part of web hosting and you should be ready to assist newbie on this by having a very responsive and patient customer support. A 24/7 online team is a must to answer any concerns of your clients. Some web hosts have a feature called a WEBDISK that allows them to hook up their computer files to the web host so that instead of looking for the files on their computer they use this feature which produces a copy of their computers actual files for easy copy paste maneuvers when they want to add content rather than uploading it from their computer.

If the clients will be needing extra features like video hosting, MP3 Hosting , image hosting make sure your system can provide such services without affecting your whole web hosting operation. It’s better to have a powerful server at the onset with a wide bandwidth. Your features including Pricing will always be an important factor.

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