Should you renew with your current host? - Your website in the year 2005

Philip Wylie

Sometime during this year the chances are you're going to have to renew your hosting package. Can you be sure you're still getting the best deal for your site?

Hosting companies, as businesses, spring up all the time. This is because they are so easy to set up. Nowadays you can become a reseller for free.

Starting a proper hosting company with your own server - simply put - involves buying a computer, an internet connection and some potentially expensive software. Due to this relatively easy ‘set up' many companies go bust when they don't make ends meet.

So look around for potential companies. One of the best ways of doing this is by searching for hosting reviews. Hopefully what you find are reviews from the company's clients, as their opinions could be more important to you than the company's own advertising.

Your site requirements will probably have increased since you first bought hosting, so take this into account when browsing. If you own more than one website you may want to look into packages that allow you to share the quoted resources between multiple domains and websites.

Pricing is obviously very important - many hosts offer discounted monthly rates when you sign into a contract, forcing you to remain with them for a certain number of months or even years. This does offer good value but it raises the question - will the company still exist in a few years? It is also important to find out if the monthly price/rates will change if they raise or lower their prices. You don't want to lock yourself into anything thinking you're paying a fixed price. Read the company's information page to see how long they have been trading as this will give you a rough idea of whether or not they are reliable.

Moving your website to a new provider can be a daunting task. Just moving files can be awkward, especially if your website is powered by a database. An excellent way of moving your whole site including databases, email accounts and other settings is by creating a backup from inside your control panel. Ask your new host if they will unpack the backup file onto your new website. This may only fully work if your previous host and new host use the same control panel software. But you can always ask beforehand.

Philip Wylie is the CEO of PWnet, a company offering web solutions to all types of business. For more information visit www.pwnet.org.uk or to contact him email philip.wylie@pwnet.org.uk.

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Did You Know?

Web Developers can be successful Web Hosting resellers By becoming a reseller, not only can web developers create websites for their clients, but they can provide their clients web hosting, as another studio service. All you need to become a reseller, is to find a web host who: offers multiple website hosting accounts; along with reseller services; and then its up to you to host your clients' web sites from your own account. Your clients will be happy with the low fees you can offer; and, you will have yourself a very profitable side business. So what do you need to be a successful website hosting reseller? Multiple domain hosting – To become a web hosting reseller, the first step is to get yourself a multiple domain account. For example, if you take out an account that allows up to 6 websites (or domains), you can use one of the domains for development of your own site; and, still have 5 domains to allocate to your clients sites. All you need to do is pay your regular fee to your web host; then, you can charge your clients what ever you like. Control Panel – It is preferable to have full administrative control over your client's web sites. Make sure that, not only does your web host provide you with a control panel that includes full administrative facilities to easily manage your multiple account, but that your host provides your clients with their own control panel too. Most importantly your web host should give you the facility to "hide your web hosts identity" so clients are unaware that you are offering a third party service. Ensure that you can customize your clients control panel to suit your own requirements. More...