Finding the Host with the Most
So much of your site's ultimate success depends on finding the right host-and so much grief can follow if you blunder onto the wrong one instead.
Along with choosing the domain name, selecting a hosting solution is one of the most important decisions a new webmaster makes. Not only will the effects on the site's ultimate success be significant- even critical-but these two decisions can cause more damage to your brand, and are more problematic than other aspects of the site to undo, if it turns out you made a big mistake. As Marinello [2003], of Premier Adult Hosting recently put it, "Make no mistake; your Web-based business is only as good as your Web host. You might have the slickest Web site in the world with the best conversion ratios, but if it isn't performing up to par when the customers arrive they'll head for the virtual door in five seconds or less."
No Mistakes
There is no need to make a big mistake with hosting if the decision is approached with the care it deserves. You do your homework, and ask the right questions. A critical and even wary (but not paranoid) attitude won't hurt either.
Fortunately, a lot of good advice is available from webmasters who have already been there. General introductions and overviews are available in Blackwell [2002], Brian [2003], Hosts4Porn [2003a, 2003b], KayS [2003], and Young [2002]. Most recently, Brian [2003], Marinello [2003], and Vaughn [2003] have presented some good checklists. Others focus on specific aspects of the decision, such as Walters [2003] on legal aspects or me [2002] on security.
Choosing a host is not only more important, but also more complicated, than you might think. What follows is quick run-down on some of the more important criteria, with links to more in depth information from hosting companies and experienced webmasters.
Fee or Free?
Probably the most basic decision concerns free hosting. There is a lot of disagreement here (see Kit 2003a, 2003b, and Rooney 2002a, 2002b, for example) and it boils down to the fact that normally you get what you pay for. As Rooney puts it, you may get either "free hosting or free hosing." Rooney probably also has the best advice here, too. He says to prefer good, low-cost hosting if you can possibly afford it. If not, then:
do your homework before you start uploading your stuff to a free host. Find out who will accept your site. Find out how the free host makes its money. Does it take your traffic? A portion of your income? Find out about the downtime. Don't ask them, ask some of their webmasters. Post to the boards and ask others for their experiences and how good or bad it was for them, and why. [Rooney 2002a]
In the case of paid hosting, the best price doesn't imply the best result-cost should not be the most important consideration here. The service is too critical to your site to be cutting corners-you need to make sure you get the goods as required and as advertised. And, your relationship with your host is an important one. As Marinello [2003]
says:
You get what you pay for. It's true for a lot of things, and certainly for hosting. The price you pay for quality hosting is still a fraction of what you stand to (or currently) make in overall revenue. Find a provider who is willing to be your business partner as much as your service provider.
A rather cool new resource is now available. Freehostedgalleries.com is a free service that offers webmasters not only a useful tool, but also some possibilities for passing any spare time:
This site has been specially developed to give you all the information about free-hosted galleries. We constantly monitor all the sponsorship programs. Currently there are more than 1200 of them. As soon as any sponsorship program starts to provide free-hosted gallery service, we immediately add this information to our site.
Related to the choice between free and paid hosting is the question of configuration-virtual, shared, dedicated, collocated, etc. Dan [2003] has an introduction to the basic options.
PART TWO: All the Rest...
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