Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Choosing Between Free or Paid Web Hosting

There are a number of things to consider when choosing between a free or paid web hosting service. Setting aside cost for a moment, lets look at some factors that will help you make an informative decision.

The very first thing you must consider is the intent or purpose of your website. Are you looking for a convenient way to share photos of family and friends? Or, are you considering something a little more complex such as adding multiple pages with different content on each? How about a website to promote a product or business?

The purpose of your website will act as a key component in determining which type of web hosting service is best suited for you. For example, if your website will be used primarily for personal postings, your file sizes aren't very large and you don't expect a lot of traffic, you won't require a lot of disk space or bandwidth for your hosting.

If this is the case, a free web hosting service may meet your needs. Free web hosting services are also useful if you're inexperienced in creating web pages. This type of service can provide an excellent opportunity for you to learn and practice your html skills. You could even use a free service as a test site before uploading your web pages to your live website.

Keep in mind that most free web hosting services provide limited features compared to paid web hosting services, but normally offer enough disk space and bandwidth to host a small website. To help offset costs, though, most free providers will place advertisements on your web pages.

With paid hosting, you'll find a variety of available plans to choose from. These plans allow more disk space and bandwidth, and usually include a number of other features such as free domain names, free sub-domains and unlimited email accounts. Some of the more advanced common features are a CGI-Bin, MySQL databases and Microsoft FrontPage extensions.

Compared to free web hosting, you'll also find that the services provided by paid web hosting companies are much more reliable, not to mention offering a higher level of customer support.

Cost wise, there is no charge to register for a free web hosting service, although you may be required to purchase your own domain name. For a basic paid service, you can expect to pay anywhere from $5 to $10 per month - a very small price for the improved service, support and features you receive.




By : John Purdy
John Purdy is the owner of 1st Web Hosting Plans. We maintain a current directory of affordable web hosting providers and other website resources for personal internet users, online marketers and business owners. We also have directories dedicated to business and free web hosting. Visit us today at http://www.1st-web-hosting-plans.com.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

How To Get Root Access Through Your Web Hosting Company

Website masters have a ton of responsibility to maintain their website and the subsequent links to it. Primarily, they have to figure it if they prefer to have access to all of the websites on their company server or if they prefer not to. When a webmaster has root access, he can virtually control anything stored on his server. This means he can access security information, user groups, and any file on the server. One might wonder why a webmaster wouldn't want this access. Read on for the benefits and drawbacks to having root access.

When a webmaster opts to use a virtual private server hosting service, he's choosing the less expensive option. He doesn't have the hassle of maintaining a server at his home or having to access a remote server from his computer. Additionally, his site is much more protected from the threat of hackers, and the server owners will make the server more reliable. Additionally, virtual private hosting services come with easy to use browsers.

So who really needs this kind of control though? Who should have access to everything on a server? Those who have this access must know how to maintain their website. You should understand basic software apps in addition to browsers. And if you want root access, you should have a successful business that sees plenty of hits on a daily basis or a business site that has several employees working on it.

As stated above, the virtual private hosting plans are less expensive, but they still cost a bundle. A webmaster will pay around $100 to $150 a month for such a service. Additionally, he'll pay a given fee to purchase the web hosting plan and root access to the server. Sure, if you shop around at given times you might be able to find a deal, but the webmaster should still prepare himself for the intial start up cost.

Root access does have major benefits. It allows the webmaster to do his job when his site receives plenty of hits daily. He can install the necessary software or upgrade the site easily or install necessary patches. He can move mailboxes or change links as well. Basically, the webmaster can personalize the site to meet his client's needs.

Virtual private servers also allow the webmaster to use whatever software he needs. The server does not require a specific software, thus allowing the customer to save money in the end. You ultimately have unlimited data transfer, several mailboxes, a ton of storage, and a variety of other services for the minimal cost that you pay compared to purchasing your own server.

Ultimately your decision to utilize root access is up to you, the webmaster. Consider all of the benefits and drawbacks before you fully commit to this change, because in the end, it truly is a commitment on your part.



By : Gregg Hall
Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as web hosting packages at http://www.webhostingpackagesonline.com