Buying Low Cost Web Hosting
Be sure your host allows easy upgrading later on. If you need
more storage space, or more bandwidth capacity, or add on
features such as shopping carts or database capabilities, your
host should be able to accommodate you without any downtime or
the necessity of moving your site from one location to another.
That way you only pay for services you actually need, and you
will have the flexibility to expand your account as greater
needs are required. If you need additional services later, you
can buy them then.
**Personal Web Sites and Business Web Sites**
Normally an entry level web hosting package will include up to
100MB of storage space and 10GB of monthly transfer capacity.
This is more than enough for most personal sites or small
business sites. Personal web hosting packages like this are
available for as little as $1.95/mo. with no initial setup fees.
If you plan on uploading a lot of photo images, chances are you
will need more space. In that case you should look at a more
substantial hosting package.
Another thing often not included in a personal package is
database support. You may intend to run a forum, shopping cart,
photo gallery, or one or more of the hundreds of low cost
programs you can add to your site. If so, be sure to check if it
requires a database. Often the database required is MySQL.
In that case make sure your hosting package offers this feature.
You may find it more beneficial to go with a Business hosting
package.
The cost is not that much more, and you will have the
flexibility you need to expand your website as required. A
Business hosting package is designed for more established
projects and business web sites.
A business plan will include ample storage space, and a
significantly larger monthly data transfer limit. It should also
include MySQL (database) support. Good business hosting packages
will include as much as 1000MB of storage space, and 50GB of
monthly transfer.
Business hosting packages should also allow you to create
subdomains at no extra charge. You may not need this useful
feature now, but chances are you will want to expand your site
later, and using subdomains is a good way to do it.
Some also offer free utilities to help you design and build your
site without having to use html. This eliminates the need to use
clunky ftp programs to upload your pages every time you make a
change. And you can access and work on your site from any
computer with an internet connection.
Another important feature is a control panel to give you the
ability to manage e-mail, FTP, databases and track visitors.
This allows you to make changes to your website configuration
without ever having to talk to your web host technical support
department. The most widely used program for this purpose is
cPanel.
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