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Frequently Asked Web Hosting Questions

By Shelley Lowery

Congratulations! After much thought and consideration, you finally took the plunge and decided it was time to have your own web site. That's a great accomplishment in itself. However, now you're left with another daunting task -- selecting a quality web host.

Selecting a good web host is of the utmost importance. However, with all of the technical mumbo jumbo, knowing what to look for can be very intimidating to say the least.

For this reason, I have devised a list of the most frequently asked web hosting questions.

Question: I'm not exactly sure what a web host is. Can you please explain?

Answer: A web host is a company that provides you with server space for your web site. This includes all of the files associated with your web site. When your web address is typed into a browser, the web host displays your pages.

Question: Is it true that a good web host will cost me a lot of money each month?

Answer: Although the old adage "you get what you pay for" still holds true, there are many quality web hosts that are reasonably priced. You can expect to pay $20 - $50 a month for up to 50MB of space depending on the company and your specific needs.

Question: I have been considering hosting my site with a free hosting company, but I'm a little concerned with their reliability. Can you shed some light?

Answer: NEVER host an ecommerce web site with a free hosting service. These services are highly unreliable and could care less if your site goes down. Their main concern is with their advertisers. As long as their ads are up and running, for the most part, they could care less about you or your site.

In addition, sites hosted with free services look very unprofessional. If you've taken the time to get your own web site designed and your own domain name, why would you risk your success and host with a free service? It's just not worth it.

Question: I'm at my wits end. I've been to so many hosting companies and am completely overwhelmed. I have no idea what company to go with. Can you please tell me what I should be looking for in a good host?

Answer: Selecting a quality hosting company can be an intimidating process. Your first consideration should be the company.

   • Do they offer fast connections?
   • Do they have a back-up system in place to protect your data in case there is a power outage?
   • Do they require you to make payments in advance?
   • Do they require a long-term contract?
   • Do they charge set up fees?
   • How is their customer support? Test them.
   • Do they provide you with free access to a secure server for order processing?
   • Do they offer shopping cart software to process your orders?
   • Do they provide you with an online Web Site Manager?
   • Do they provide you with an online support manual?

Ask for references. Talk with some of their customers and ask them if they have been satisfied.

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