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Find The Host With The Most
By Jason Shpik, Fri Dec 9th
Find the Host With the Most No one can deny that the quality andreliability of your Web presence can make or break yourbusiness. The average attention span of a Web surfer is a mere20 seconds, and your competition is always just a click away ifload times and connectivity aren't fast, reliable, andbrowser-compliant. Support and back-end infrastructure are justas critical to your Website as aesthetic appeal. A gorgeous,multi-tiered graphical interface is useless if no one can get toit – and no one will try more than once. Like the stage andsilver screen, you get one audition, and that's it. For this reason, running your own server is a tempting prospect.You have total control, and can configure and reconfigure toyour heart's content, without having to concede to bandwidthlimits or third-party server failures. Even SOHO businesses canafford to purchase the industry-standard HTML editors, and noexpensive hardware is needed to quickly create a Website. Butopting to do it yourself without counting the costs andconsequences can end your business, or cause your site to bedismissed as amateurish. While amateur construction is adequatefor home or hobby sites, it is increasingly necessary tooutsource your hosting needs if you wish to operate as aneffective eCommerce vendor. Quite simply, eBusiness doesn't end with the Website. Aside fromhandling the traffic that your site will attract, you need yourserver to maintain a constant connection to the Internet whilesimultaneously accommodating the needs of outside users. Fewdesktop PCs can handle such a load, and many home DSL and cablemodem ISPs frequently prohibit hosting or any otherhigh-bandwidth activities, which are so critical to eCommerce.Furthermore, there are the costs of site security, data backup,power back-up, redundancy, upgrades and transaction tracking tocontend with, expenses that are far beyond the resources of eventhe wealthiest of small businesses. Furthermore, someone willhave to constantly monitor and manage your infrastructure toensure a constant level of connectivity, which will require thehiring of very expensive IT professionals.
A Web host will take care of all of this for you, for a monthlyfee that is a fraction of the amount you would pay to purchasethese services and hardware on your own. Many people are leeryof turning control of their business over to a third party, andbecause of this unwarranted fear are dismissing the security andbenefits that a host can provide. You are not outsourcing yourbusiness; rather, you are outsourcing the responsibility forkeeping your business up and running. In the same way that abricks-and-mortar warehouse hires security staff to watch thegrounds, a Web host will keep a constant vigil over your virtualproperty, so you can focus on what's important: building yourbusiness. Web hosts allow small businesses to play in the same arena asthe corporate giants, giving them competitive bandwidth andtraffic volume accommodation. Most importantly, your Web hostwill help you secure a domain name, something that mostindividual ISPs and free hosting accounts (such as Yahoo!) can'toffer. Having a lengthy URL indicates that your business ishosted on a free server, and its amateur appearance will confuseyour customers. Imagine the traffic that would be generated by asimple URL such as www.acmeflorists.com compared towww.yahoo.com/~128.hmpg/client2434/net~mypage/index_acmeflorists! But how do you choose a Web hosting service out of the hundredsthat are available? You'll have to do some careful shopping tofind the services and relationship you need, as the wrongdecision can be disastrous. When shopping for a Web host, connectivity and reliability arekey. The longer it takes for customers to access your Website,the more likely you'll lose customers. Of course, no one'sperfect. Connectivity time will fluctuate on a cyclical basiswith the flow of daily traffic, but you should insist on aguaranteed connectivity rate of 95% when seeking a host. Asidefrom that, there are a few other issues to consider beforemaking a final decision: Look to the future As your customer base and revenue grows, your site may requirethe addition of server-side scripting, eCommerce and databasesupport, and a large bandwidth to accommodate audio and videostreaming. Free hosting sites never offer these kinds ofadvanced features, but many commercial hosts don't offer themeither. Make sure your host is big enough to accommodate yourfuture needs, as well as your present ones. Know thyself On the other hand, don't empty your bank account paying forservices you don't need. The most basic level of service from a Web host typicallypositions your site among a number of others on a singlemachine, with a virtual domain name that points to the URL ofyour page. This is known as shared hosting, and is adequate forthe simple "text-and-GIFs" variety of Website. As your company grows, however, you will probably want to movefrom static HTML to incorporate more interactive elements intoyour site. Since this requires more bandwidth, you shouldprobably move to a machine with more resources, and fewer sitesvying for them. If you want to add streaming video, audio, orhigh-level graphics and forms to your site, your should probablyswitch to a dedicated server, which means having an entiremachine to yourself. The host owns, maintains, and backs up theserver while providing all the
security, power management, andother aspects of maintaining a data center. The highest level of service a Web host can offer is a ColocatedServer. You own the hardware, but it's physically located at thehost's facility. The advantage of this is that you can choosethe bandwidth you'll need, while the host provides a clear pipeto the Internet. Unfortunately, it also means you'll have to payfor any and all security and firewall provisions, as you won'tbe protected by the host's firewall. While this gives youcomplete control over the level of security you desire, it canbe quite expensive. Demand prompt service and performance The popularity of your site will be directly affected by yourhost's level of service. Slow load times due to an overburdenedserver will send your customers elsewhere. Furthermore, a longupdate-to-live lag time can be disastrous - especially if youhave a large, constantly fluctuating inventory. For example, youmay want to set up a special page for a new promotion, linked tothe very expensive marketing campaign that your business isinvolved in. A few quick HTML entries are all that's required,but if you have to wait days for your host's IT staff to do thejob, you could lose your marketing momentum and render theinitiative useless. No matter how renowned your host is, technical problems willoccur. As such, demand 24-hour, 7-days-a-week technical supportfor all your applications. If a host claims to already offerthis, check! Call their tech line at 3:00a.m. on a Sunday to seeif anyone is really there. Ensure that there is some sort ofwritten agreement regarding service, which ideally will provideyou with financial compensation in the event of failure. Security! security! security! Ask for a detailed description of the hosting company's securityprotocols. They should provide adequate protection from everydaydenial-of-service attacks and the various hacks and cracks thatwill be attempted on your server. Make sure that your host isresponsible for upgrading and maintaining these measures - doyou really have hours to spend hours reviewing server logs andupdating software? The only thing worse than having no securityis thinking you have some. You get what you pay for When shopping for a host, you'll find that they vary widely interms of target and pricing. Some hosts skew their servers toaccommodate many small sites, while others prefer to take onfewer, high-volume sites. If you inadvertently exceed themonthly "cap" on your site's permitted volume, you could quicklyfind that a little success can be your worst enemy, as yourmonthly fees make a significant jump. Be sure to strike a goodbalance between price and volume flexibility. Don't commit right away Many hosts will quote you a monthly fee, but bill in largerincrements. You could sign on for a month, and find yourselfpromptly billed for a year's service. Ask about the billingperiod, and initially sign on for a small service term (60-90days). If you're happy with the service after this trial period,extend the term. Treat your Web host like you would treat any other supplier foryour business. If they can't provide the service and reliabilityyou need, why keep them? Their competitors will be happy to haveyour business. Of course the service you will get from a host is important. Butyou should do some extra digging if you are to feel secure withyour new host: Master your apps While a standard host with a large amount of disk space and afew fast machines is adequate for static HTML pages, certainsites will make greater demands on the host's CPU and willconsequently run slower - and slow down every other site on theserver as well. Streaming video and audio, discussion forums andmessage boards, online surveys, and high-level animation allrequire huge amounts of memory and fast access to the mainserver. If you can't afford a dedicated or colocated server, atleast find one that has experience in integrating these morecomplex elements. Don't be OS-tracized Trying to put square pegs in round holes is ultimately futile,so let your applications be your guide. Don't assume that youneed to use Windows NT to run your site with Frontpageextensions. Many applications created for Windows NT willactually be more efficient if they are rewritten for a UNIXenvironment. Don't worry about figuring this out yourself, butbear in mind that a host who offers both Windows NT and UNIXwill be more flexible. Don't make leaps of faith with your data You probably have backups of your HTML data, as you created themlocally and uploaded them to your host's server. But what aboutthe other files? User logs, product databases, order trackinglogs, server-side scripts, etc., probably only exist on yourhost's drives and could be lost in the event of a failure.Request the ability to back up these files. Be master of your domain Query the Whois database (www.whois.net) to ensure that yourcompany is both the administrative and technical contact foryour domain. If your host is listed as both of these contacts,it is the registrant of the domain, not you. Unless you are theregistrant, your domain could be held for ransom if there is adispute between you and your host. Dealing with user complaints Many hosts have a zero-tolerance policy with regard to spam andpornography, and don't always subject customer complaints to theproper scrutiny. As such, a customer complaint, regardless ofits validity, could cause the plug to be unceremoniously pulledon your business. Find out what recourses are open to you, andif the terms are not acceptable, find another provider. Makesure your interests are protected as well as the host's. Check references You wouldn't hire a CTO without checking his or her references,would you? But that's what you'll be doing if you don't do a bitof digging before handing over your site to a host. Ask for alist of Webmasters who run similar sites off the host's server.Call them. E-mail them. Write them. If your host is unwilling togive you this list, go elsewhere. Read their diary There's nothing wrong with doing a little snooping to find outwhat type of people you are committing your property to. Querythe Whois database and find the business address of the server.Use a tracing program to view the path to the machine in theWhois database. If another ISP's server pops up, chances areyou're dealing with a reseller rather than an actual host. Checkout the other sites on their server. If most of them are spamsites, banner click-through pages or porn sites, beingassociated with them could have a negative impact on yourbusiness. Listen to other Webmasters There are ways to discover what other professionals are sayingabout your host. Try the alt.www.webmasters newsgroup, and postthe list about your potential host. It is a littletime-consuming, but the investment is well worth it. Accolades are meaningless Ratings by various hosting "associations" are meaningless. Whilemany members of the Web Hosting Guild are highly regardedcompanies, some are held in very low esteem by Webmasters.Ratings and awards can also be outdated, and might not reflect ahost's current state of service. Read the fine print Make sure the terms and conditions of your service agreement areclear. Have a business lawyer review your contract before yousign. Carefully evaluate clauses that relate to copyrightownership, complaint protocol, fee renewals, and notificationprocedures regarding renewal or service discontinuation. The bottom line is that you need a host to succeed in today'seCommerce world. But keep in mind that this still a world in itsinfancy, and is continually reinventing itself to suit theever-changing face of eBusiness. As in any other market, youshould expect constant change, improvement, and the occasionalleap in performance or cost-effectiveness. As such, you mustalways be vigilant, and constantly evaluate the service you'regetting, and what it's costing you. Remember, it takes years tobuild a reputation for your business and brand, and only twoseconds to lose it. HostingChecker.com - help for all your web hosting needs. http://www.hostingchecker.com Article may be republished if this portion is not removed. About the author:None |