Unbiased Step-by-step Guide on Web-HostingUnbiased Step-by-step Guide on Web-Hosting copyright (c) Pavel Lenshin
No more speeches about importance of your own domain, no more talks about necessity of having paid hosting. If you think your brand domain name and stable hosting with a number of features and absence of ads are not worth, at least, $50-$150 per year, then you probably want to play games, rather than build online business.
Choosing hosting provider is something similar to choosing the place of your off-line office. Despite the fact that it is as easy to enter the URL and go to web-site that is physically located in Sidney as in Oslo, the final role here plays the speed of connection and stability of the hosting itself.
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What's In A Name?
One of the more common questions asked by people doing business online is "Should I get my own domain name?" If price is the overwhelming concern, it is less expensive to host under your provider's name. However, there are major advantages to having your own domain name:
Credibility
Having a web site address like www.yourcompany.com always looks better than www.someoneelse.com/ customer/a-z/ WhereAmI/ and shows that you at least spent the money for your own domain. It's much easier to remember, too.
Portability
If your hosting provider goes out of business or gives you poor customer service, having your own domain name allows you to leave and go to another provider without having to change your web site address.
Manageability
A domain name gives you multiple e-mail addresses such as sales@domain.com, info@domain.com, you@domain.com instead of user@isp.net. You can change your dial-up ISP without having to worry about changing your e-mail address as you can have them all forward to the new one.
"Brandability"
If your company name is Best Shoes, having a domain name such as www.bestshoes.com helps promote your brand and helps people find your company on the web. Also, with around 200,000 domain names being snapped up every month, it is a good idea to register yours before someone else does!
Network Solutions is one provider of domain name registration services, and charges a fee of $70 for the first two years. After the first two years InterNIC will bill $35 annually per domain name. This is in addition to what the hosting provider charges to set up your account.
One word of caution: When obtaining a domain name make certain that your hosting provider has you listed as the Administrative Contact for the domain name (i.e. the "owner"). Otherwise you don't have ownership of the domain and you will be at the mercy of the provider should you ever want to leave and keep your domain name.
By the way, there are important differences between domain hosting and Virtual Server hosting. While both give you the advantages of a domain name, you should still be aware of the differences and make an educated decision when choosing a hosting provider.
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| Did You Know? |
Is Your Web Host A Paddle Boat Or A Cruise Ship?A paddle boat is great for fun on a day off! But would you consider taking it to the open sea? A cruise ship on the other hand is ideally suited for pampering its guests with every facility imaginable for the vacation of your dreams!
Applying this analogy to web hosting can help you make a wise decision if you are currently 1) new to internet business and looking for that first web host, or 2) up and running but thinking the time has come to upgrade to a higher level.
Web hosts fall generally into 3 categories. They are: 1) Free Services 2) Budget Hosts (under $20-25 per month) 3) Full Service ($25+ per month)
Let's take a look at each category.
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