The Elements of a Perfect Webhosting Plan

18/03/2014 15:25



Much of modern life revolves around the Internet. The World Wide Web is shaping popular culture, redefining news delivery, and providing endless entertainment. Nearly every consumer is connected to the Web and so businesses that want to stay relevant must follow. One of the biggest challenges in the creation of an online presence is the lack of technical savvy.

Most small business owners simply have no idea how to start. They may have heard words like webhosting, VPS, uptime and more but they do not have a solid grasp of these concepts. Let's look at each of these in detail in an attempt to demystify and educate. By the end, readers should be able to select a hosting plan that is perfectly suited for them as well as find webhosting promo codes that will lead to lower expenses.

Hosting Types

The Web is composed of numerous computers all connected in a giant network. Before creating a website, interested parties must first purchase storage space in one of these computers. Commercial webhosts offer this service to the public. They rent out web space, allot bandwidth, provide security, offer advanced features, and supply the technical expertise to make everything work from the back end. There are two popular types of hosting for those who have a limited budget:

Shared Hosting -- The purchase and maintenance of servers cost a great deal of money. The same can be said about the power needed for 24/7 operations and the physical space necessary to accommodate multiple racks. Hosting providers may lump multiple customers in one server to keep the costs low. The benefits of this setup include efficient use of resources and lower monthly fees. With the help of webhosting promo codes, expenses can be trimmed down even further. The downside is that the files are exposed to each other which mean bad scripts by one user can cause problems for the rest. This problem is generally avoided by preventing users from running their own programs.

Virtual Private Server -- Advanced users who need to run scripts will therefore be severely limited by shared hosting. They need a more robust solution and usually this means opting for a virtual private server or VPS. This setup also lumps multiple users in one server but each is given guaranteed resources and functionalities. Thus, there is a certain level of delineation between them. Users enjoy greater performance and security. It costs higher than shared hosting plans but it is still considerably less than truly dedicated hosting. Using webhosting promo codes can substantially reduce the price.

The choice between the two ultimately boils down to the needs of the user. Businesses who are aiming to put up an informational website to act as an online brochure will not require sophisticated programming. Their needs will be sufficiently met by shared hosting. On the other hand, companies that have grand plans about their online portal and have a talented webmaster will be better served by a virtual private server. The higher fees will be worth it as customized programs can be executed whenever they are required.

Notable Features

Once the choice has been made regarding hosting type, customers must then compare the features included in competing plans. Some of the most important of these include the amount of web storage and bandwidth allotted. Bigger storage means more files, images, and videos can be uploaded to the server. Higher bandwidth means that the site has greater capacity to absorb a deluge of visitors. These two are increasingly being offered as unlimited services though in reality they are capped by the hosting provider's infrastructure.

Uptime

The best features and webhosting promo codes will mean nothing if the site keeps going down due to technical difficulties. Sometimes, servers need maintenance so scheduled downtimes are necessary but these should be very quick. Check the service provider's service level guarantee as stated in the contract. Ask them about their uptime statistics for the past few months to get a sense of their reliability. Figures of around 99.9% are considered decent in the industry.

Customer Service

Whenever users have questions, the service provider should be available to give answers. When something goes wrong, the staff should be able to calm nerves with reasonable assurances. Don't be blinded by webhosting promo codes. They are not going to be worth much if the service staff is unresponsive to inquiries. Read online customer reviews and pick a webhost that will attend to your needs.