Web Hosting FAQ's - HostingPriceWatch.com

Internet Hosting Services exist for the purpose of storing a clients' web page or web site files and using their internet connection to make the files accessible to other internet users. Files are stored on computers directly or indirectly linked to an internet backbone, widely referred to as servers or web-servers. In essence, a web host provides the physical storage (i.e. 500 MB) and the data transfer (i.e. 5 GB) of clients' web site files. Since each server has a finite amount of hard disk space, there is only a certain amount of space which can be allocated to each web hosting account.

While a hosting company will maintain the integrity of the physical server, as well as any preinstalled software which they provide, it is the users' obligation to maintain the files and applications of the web site itself. There are exceptions to this of course, such as companies who design, host and maintain a given web site inclusively. Value here lies with users who are unable to perform these tasks themselves and are more interested in focusing on the business aspect of their online presence. Web Hosting comes in many different varieties, each serving unique demands of their respective markets.

What type of Web Hosting do I need?

Misleadingly difficult, due to the large number of hosting providers, finding a hosting provider and package to suit ones needs is as simple as knowing the web sites requirements. The majority of new and existing websites are accommodated by shared or virtual hosting. This means that one physical server is allocated into a number of different accounts, each receiving a portion of the servers' resources.

Secondly, Windows- based hosting, which can support some of the Windows formats that Linux based-servers (common to shared hosting) cannot, can either be part of a shared plan or a dedicated server setup.

A dedicated server means that the client rents or leases the use of one entire physical server, with the freedom to choose the operating system, and load applications and scripts as seen fit. Great reliability and user control are some of the benefits of dedicated hosting.

Also, E-Commerce hosting is best tailored for clients who have intentions of conducting e-business via their web site. Common necessities for this endeavor include shopping cart scripts, payment gateways, and SSL Certificates (Secure Socket Layer) to ensure the security of transactions.

Lastly, there are variations and twists on each hosting type, services such as reseller hosting, collocation hosting, managed dedicated hosting, cluster hosting, etc. To help determine what type of web hosting will suit your companies' wants and needs, please visit our page on web hosting types, for a more in-depth look at each hosting type and also some providers offering such services.

Where can I find the best prices on Web Hosting?

Once it has been established which type of web hosting service will be required for your web site, the next step is to compare different hosting providers. It is not always in the best interest of a client to blindly purchase the cheapest plan available that meets your technical needs. Different web hosting providers have varying levels of experience, customer service, physical hardware, and uptime. Of these discrepancies, customer service is probably the most important.

A web hosting client, especially a novice or beginner, would be the most eligible customer of a web host offering 24/7 technical support. By 24/7 support we don't merely mean a company whom you can email at any time of day (everyone), but someone who you can talk on the phone with or chat across the internet with in your time of need. Companies like LunarPages have almost created a market niche by offering such reliable and consistent customer support, building their industry reputation on it in fact. Other companies like ixWebHosting, offer both 24/7 chat and phone support, effectively covering all the bases.

In short, we recommend that all the aspects of different web host's be taken into consideration, not just price, before choosing a web hosting provider. Luckily, we have compiled lists of various web hosting types and providers, which not only are proven to be reliable and great with customer service, but also offer some of the most competitive pricing found anywhere. Please see our pages on individual hosting types for more information.

What features are important in choosing a Web Host?

Depending on what type of web site you want and what types of tasks and functions that will be performed by the web site, the features needed to do so will vary. If one of the functions of the website will be to perform transactions of goods or services, two things will definitely be necessary. First, a shopping cart script which visitors can use to amass the items they desire to purchase, tabulate prices, and apply discounts. Following the shopping cart a payment gateway, preferably integrated, is needed to accept various forms of payment; credit card merchant, paypal, etc... For more on e-business features please see our page on E-Commerce hosting.

Of obvious importance are the storage capacity and bandwidth allowances that will be provided by your web host. For small or personal websites, this should be of little concern, as under normal conditions just a modest amount (1GB storage, 10GB transfer) should be plenty to support the web site. For a business website, where hopefully business / visitors will grow in numbers, an allotment for this growth should be left. Perhaps something like 10GB storage and 30GB of transfer (both liberal estimates) should suffice just fine. There are of course some instances where exceptional amounts of storage space and data transfer are needed. For instance a web site which hosts a large amount of streaming video and/or receives a large number of visitors will exceed the norm in demand for storage and bandwidth. These types of sites could require numbers like 150GB of storage and 2000GB (2TB) of monthly bandwidth. Obviously there are other instances when large amounts of storage and transfer would be needed, and there is also another in these cases. Dedicated hosting allows generous storage space and up to 5000GB (5TB) or more of bandwidth, in addition to the increased performance and reliability of having a full server at your disposal.

Other features that should be considered are the more technical aspects of the web sites requirements, things like PHP, MySQL, ASP, ASP.net, CGI-bins, pre-installed scripts, etc. Don't be flustered by this jargon, all of these terms are actually quite simple, but knowing which ones are needed is also important.

PHP and MySQL go hand-in-hand. PHP is a scripting language which allows for dynamic design of web pages. By this we mean that content on one or more pages can be pulled into the layout of the web page dynamically from an outside source, commonly a database. MySQL is an open-source database for use on Linux/Unix based servers; and works in conjunction with PHP. Say you had a database of products and their corresponding info (price, S&H, availability, specs, etc). If your database was MySQL, you could use PHP scripting in addition to standard HTML in your web site, and, for instance, could make 1 change within the database and any page listing that product / product info would be changed automatically (dynamically).

ASP (Active Server Pages) and ASP.net are essentially the same as PHP. They allow for the creation of dynamic web page design through the use of both databases and ActiveX controls. What PHP is to MySQL, ASP is to MSSQL (Microsoft SQL). When you combine ASP web pages with MSSQL databases you can create powerful and easy to maintain dynamic web pages. We said before that MySQL is for Linux/Unix based servers, in the same fashion, ASP and MSSQL are designed to function with Windows based servers. Note some Linux/Unix based servers will support ASP but not MSSQL.

CGI is the protocol used to write/program one of the many scripts that a host will provide via the CGI-bin. These scripts are useful for adding forms to a webpage, perhaps for customer feedback. CGI (Common Gateway Interface) is designed to allow communication between two different programming types (i.e. HTML and Perl-based server-side applications).

As for PHP and MySQL, all of our shared hosting plans support both. If you desire ASP and MSSQL, our Windows hosting plans will all support both of these. CGI is pretty universally used and accepted; accordingly all hosts (with the exception of dedicated hosting) will provide a CGI-bin containing useful scripts for website design and function.

Once the purpose of these technical features is understood, it is much easier to asses which features one will need in the design and hosting of their website.

When a company offers a "free domain", do I own the domain or do they?

Many web hosting providers now offer free domain names with their hosting plans as an effort to draw in customers. Normally during the signup process you will be asked for your desired domain name, then that will pretty much be it. The rest of the process of linking your domain to your hosting account is automated and customers don't think twice about there new free domain name. There is one question however that begs to be answered; who owns this new domain?

There have been companies in the past, where in an effort to retain customers, would register the domain that the customer picked under their companies' name. This would all but eliminate the possibility of switching to a different hosting provider, as they effectively controlled ownership of the domain name. Where does this leave us; wondering whether or not we are really the owners of the domain which we have painstakingly poured time and money into.

Although this is less of a problem then it has been in the past, it is one that deserves some attention when shopping for a new web host. If the host you are considering doesn't have any concrete information on their website regarding this issue, give them a call or email and make sure that you will have full control of your domain name, free or not.

In addition, some web hosts will provide what they call "privacy features" to their clients. This entails the host providing their information in the WHOIS database instead of the clients, essentially concealing the real owners' private information from the public. This does not mean that the web host owns or even controls the domain, but that anyone trying to bid for or contact the website owner must first go through the respective web hosting company. For instance, a quick WHOIS lookup for this site, hostingpricewatch.com, will pull up the information from our host, hostmonster.com, effectively shielding us from unwanted contacts. We retain full control of the domain however.

Please note that ALL of the web hosts that we list register the domain in the name of the client whom they are serving, and this will never be an issue.

What is the difference between "free domain" and "free domain for life"?

Many web hosting providers now offer free domains with purchase of one of their hosting plans. If you are to purchase one of these such plans, you will receive one of two forms of "free" domains.

In one instance the web hosting company will register your domain for you and pay the initial registration fee, whatever that may be. After 12 months, when it is time to renew said domain name, you will receive an invoice from your hosting company, and from here on out you are paying your domain registration fees.

Another possibility is that you receive "free domain registration for life". If you purchase form one of these hosts, as long as you retain their services for web hosting, they will foot the bill for your domain registration each period. While the domain registration fee is relatively small, this can still be savings for a tight budgeted web site.

What is cPanel?

In efforts to regulate nearly all aspects of a web sites design and settings, cPanel is the web designers' best friend. You can consider cPanel the backend of a web site, where virtually all variable settings and accounts can be modified, created, deleted, protected, etc. Here is a brief list of functions which cPanel governs: domain management, add-on domains, parked domains, sub domains, billing information, email and ftp accounts, file uploading and manipulating, web/visitor stats, CGI scripts, chat rooms, forums, MySQL databases, SSL certificates, shopping carts, payment gateways, page designs/templates, and much more.

Although cPanel has become the most widely used and a popular choice for hosting account control, there are several other packages which offer similar features. Both Ensim and Plesk control panel's also offer great functionality and should not be overlooked when host shopping.

What is PHP / ASP / ASP.net?

For more info on these scripting languages, please see "What features are important in choosing a Web Host?"

I don't know HTML / Java / etc., how can I build a web page?

The most intimidating aspect of building an online presence is the design of the web site itself. Luckily, even for the most inexperienced and novice webmaster, this process is only getting easier. User-friendly software like Macromedia Dreamweaver and Microsoft FrontPage take nearly all of the actual coding out of web design. Drag and drop pages can be very aesthetically pleasing and powerful, with no prior knowledge of HTML or Java necessary. Not to mention that many web hosts now offer web site templates that look professional and are easy to customize with a unique look and feel. You can often take these templates, load them into a HTML editor (Dreamweaver, FrontPage) and fill in the page with your own original text and content. For those looking for a way to facilitate your web site design, you may want to consider web hosts that provide these templates or other forms of web creation scripts.

Another option is to contract a web design firm, where all different types of web sites at all different types of pricing will be available. These firms will typically build and load your web site, then help you maintain the site by making any changes which you submit to them. While this can get rather expensive, the end result is normally an extremely professional site with a unique flavor and brand image.