Aingaran's Technology and Business Blog » linux http://www.aingaran.com Latest News and How-To tutorials on Technology, Business, Finance and Current Events Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:42:51 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 How to find a web host http://www.aingaran.com/how-to-find-a-web-host http://www.aingaran.com/how-to-find-a-web-host#comments Mon, 27 Apr 2009 04:00:50 +0000 aingaran http://www.aingaran.com/?p=94

Now that you have registered your domain name, you will have to find a web host.

A web host will provide you with virtual real estate to house your website. In order for your website to be accessible by the internet viewing public, will need to store your website’s files (html files, images and etc…) on a web host’s server.

In this article, we will discuss the five primary steps in finding a web host.

  1. How much webspace will my website need?
  2. How much monthly file transfer or “bandwidth” will my website need?
  3. Do I need Linux or Microsoft Windows Hosting?
  4. Will my website have static or dynamic content?
  5. How do I pay for web hosting?

Webspace
Most starter websites are well under 10-25 MB in for the entire website. Most web hosting providers usually provide at least 100-500 MB of space with their basic hosting packages.

File Transfer or “Bandwidth”
Everyone wants to millions of visitors to our websites when we start off, but most new website attract a dozen to a few hundred visitors per month.

Many hosting providers offer 5,000 to 10,000 MB monthly data transfer with their starter packages. This translates rougly into 100,000 visitors per month.  A general rule of thumb is for every 10 visitors will use 1MB of data transfer (this is not an exact science as the content of websites vary, but this is on average for your basic website).

Linux or Windows Web Hosting?
You may be using a Windows desktop computer, your website does not have to be hosted on a Windows Server. Linux web hosting is cheaper and fully compatible with Windows home computers. For a basic website, Linux web hosting is recommended as you will not need the extra features of Windows Hosting (such as ASP, MS SQL, MS Access — if you do not know or have heard of these terms, go with Linux. We will go into detail about ASP, MS SQL and MS Access in a future blog entry).

Static or Dynamic Content
When you are starting off, most websites tend to be static. Basic text content, hyperlinks and images. If you are planning to have online message boards, dynamic faq (frequently asked questions) / knowledgebase tools, you will need to find a host that provides MySQL database access. Most Linux hosts offer MySQL database access with their standard hosting packages. You may have to pay a surcharge with their basic or starter hosting packages.

How do I pay?
Now that you have found a webhost that fits your needs, you can signup with the host.

Most web hosts accept credit card, online cheques, paypal, online debit and e-mail money transfer.

You can pay for your website by month to month or yearly. Some web hosts also offer options to pay quarterly, semi-annually.

Done!
Once your account has been paid for and activated by the web host, you will be emailed details for your FTP account.

With this FTP access, you can now upload your website contents and have the entire world view your website. View our next article on how to use FTP to upload your website.

Check out 8i Networks for affordable web hosting solutions: http://www.8inet.com/hosting/ ]]> http://www.aingaran.com/how-to-find-a-web-host/feed 3