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Determining Your Web Hosting Needs

If you’re a new Website owner, it can be difficult to predict your Web hosting needs. Here are some tips to give you some idea what your site will require.

• Operating Platform – When you’re considering a Web hosting plan, one of the first things you’ll need to decide on is the operating platform. Basically, there are two options: Unix/Linux and Windows. There are benefits to using either system, so be sure to choose the one that will provide the functionality required for your Website.
• Disk Space – Most sites use less than 5MB of Web space, which is generally enough to accommodate 100 pages — depending on the number of pictures involved, whether you need sound files, video clips, etc. You should allow another 5MB to 10MB of space for email use, especially if you’re planning to use your account for business or expect to receive large attachments. Email attachments generally take up 20 percent more space within the email than they do once they’re downloaded. And if you don’t have enough disk space available with your Web hosting account, your emails may be bounced back to the sender. As a rule of thumb, make sure you allocate at least double your initial Web space requirement to allow for future growth and the various server files and directories which will take up space too. LunarPages and BlueHost offer a generous amount of disk space for their inexpensive, professional and ecommerce hosting plans.
• Bandwidth – Bandwidth, also known as traffic or data transfer, is the amount of bytes transferred from your site to visitors when they browse your site. When someone downloads anything from your site, whether it is a single Web page, several pictures or music files, this is counted as data transfer. You also use data transfer when checking and downloading email or uploading (publishing) your site. So if your site contains many pictures or music, you need to choose a Web hosting plan that will give you plenty of flexibility. Generally, 1 to 3GB of traffic per month is sufficient for a simple site just starting out. Basic hosting packages from LunarPages and BlueHost and JumpLine offer plenty of bandwidth for the average new Website.
• SSL, MySQL and Shopping Cart – If you’re planning to accept credit cards and/or any sort of payment system through your Website, you’ll want to make sure your Web host provides these features. Shopping cart and MySQL technology allows consumers to select and purchase multiple items from your site. And SSL (Secure Socket Layer) enables you to process credit card payments in a secure environment. Both JumpLine and LunarPages specialize in ecommerce Website hosting and offer MySQL, shopping carts and other features for as little as $22.95 a month.
• Control Panel – A control panel lets you do things like add, delete, and manage your email addresses, and change passwords for your account. It gives you the capability and convenience of making basic changes to your account without the hassle of having to go through host-provided technical support. You’ll find that many hosting companies, such as JumpLine, include a control panel as a basic feature.
• Technical Support – Technical support is perhaps one of the most important of all Web hosting requirements. Eventually, something will go wrong with your site. That’s why it’s essential for your Web host to offer some form of support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Most hosting companies, like Ipowerweb, provide online support. LunarPages and JumpLine go a step further by offering offer toll-free phone support.