Why Hosting is Critical for any Online Business
Your website has to "live" somewhere on the internet.
A Webhost is a company that has purchased a large amount of
server space, and when people want to find your website, their
computers connect with your webhost’s server.
You never have to worry about how all that works — but you
do want to make sure you go with a host that is reliable.
First, you want to make sure they give you plenty of bandwidth.
The truth is, this is more important than space.
Bandwidth is the amount of traffic your site gets, and how much
information transferred from your website to their web browsers.
Don’t get unlimited bandwidth though — that means your site
will likely be very slow.
You also want to get a hosting plan with these features:
1) Unlimited Domains
This allows you to have one hosting account (very cheap!) but
have multiple websites. You may only be thinking of one site
right now, but the beauty of Mini-sites is you can make them
again and again.
2) MySQL
You don’t have to know what this means just yet, but you’ll need
plenty of MySQL databases. Go for a hosting plan with at least
25 — but unlimited is best!
3) cPanel
This is what good hosting companies give you to control certain
parts of your website, like setting up email accounts, creating
your own blog, etc. A site with Fantastico, too, is a big plus!
4) Great technical support
If you can get it, Live Support works really well. You never
know when your site will have a problem and a Live Support Desk
can be crucial!
5) An affiliate program
Okay, so this isn’t necessary to create a site, but you’ll leave
a lot of money on the table if you don’t recommend to your visitors
the same service you use. An affiliate program shouldn’t be a
determining factor, but you should definitely look at it.
These 5 things are a must when searching for the right hosting
provider to suit your needs. Don’t be afraid to contact support
to get the answers you need.
Bruno Auger
