If you are serious about your online business success, the choice is obvious. Why not use a web hosting service that allows you to take full advantage of the Internet's capabilities. You will most likely, not be able to compete and will be losing big money as a result. Here are the essential features you should be looking for in a quality web hosting package:

1) Fast Servers - Quality hardware and redundant OC3 or T3 connections. How fast your web pages load is directly proportional to your income. Don't let anyone tell you a server can be too fast.

2) Domain Name Support & Registration Services - Your web host must allow the use of your own domain name. They should offer free registration and work closely with Internic to get things done fast.

3) No Bandwidth, No Access, or Hit Charges - There is absolutely no reason to use a web host that charges for bandwidth, access, or hit fees. Unless you have an ***** web site. The best hosting services offer unlimited bandwidth with standard packages.

4) Unlimited CGI Access (FTP/Telenet) - You will need CGI scripts at some time or another. Make sure that you have your own cgi-bin and the ability to upload any scripts you want. Never use a web host that limits you to the their scripts only.

5) Unlimited Technical Support - A good web host should have live humans to speak with on the phone. Insist on free, unlimited technical support via both email and telephone. You'll be glad you did.

6) Control Panel or Web Based Administration - Most quality web hosts have some type of interface that allows you to manage your server via the web. This is not necessary, but can be very handy for many who don't consider themselves to be the technical type.

7) Secure Server - If you plan on selling anything directly from your web site, you'll need secure server capabilities. The best offer low or no additional setup fees, and a low or no monthly fee for SSL.

8) Email Services - Your web host should offer full email services. Including, POP mailboxes, unlimited email aliases, and a generous supply autoresponders. Do not pay extra for these features.

9) No Minimum Contract - Don't ever sign a long term contract. It's not necessary. If something should happen and you decide to switch hosts, being locked into a long term contract could be very costly.

10) Money Back Guarantee - A quality web host offers a 30 day money back guarantee. You should insist on it! It is the sign of a professional company that will stand behind it's service.

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Jenny Fine
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Very good advice about shopping for web hosting!

The only point I disagree on is:

My experience has been that any hosting company that promises "unlimited" anything is either hiding limits somewhere in the fine print, or is doomed to go out of business.

The web hosting service I use sets limits on all their packages, but the limits are reasonably high (I've never had to move a client to a larger package yet) and they have generously increased the limits several times over the past 3 years as bandwidth and hard drives dropped in price.

But overall, your advice is excellent.

I also agree with eugene. Nothing is "unlimited" .When was the last time you went and bought a harddrive with "unlimited" space?
Other than that though pretty sound advice for everyone.

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LooseCannon Design
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ummm... yeah... a little obtuse and some-what outdated, in my opinion...

Well, I don't think I've ever heard anyone say a server is too fast
And, really, no one's going to know until they've signed up for the account and have started using their domain. This is where Money Back Guarantee and No long term contract are important.

One of the most common causes(not the only one) of a slow server, is too many websites on it. Cheap hosts tend to do this to maximize profit.

I agree with the first part, but free registration? Absolute garbage.
Hosting is very competitive. So, offering free domains sounds like a great promotional gimmick. And, in some cases it works.
However, it can be very problematic on several fronts. Recently a client of ours had signed up with a host offering free domain. When support from this host became extinct, it was time to leave. Unfortunately, the host had put themselves as the Admin contact, which meant the client couldn't access the nameservers to move away. (Domain Hijacking)
This tactic is even being used by some of the bigger guys such as ipowerweb and earthlink, except for the Admin part. They basically don't give you access to the nameservers, which means you would have to transfer your domain to another registrar in order to change hosts.

As mentioned above, this is highly inaccurate.
Unlimited bandwidth has become another gimmick. It's like buying a house and the owner says. "You get unlimited hydro".
Someone has to pay for bandwidth. If it's not you, it'll be the host. And there's no way a host is going to pay for the extra bandwidth, when it gets out of control. Read their terms of service.

I'm not sure how ftp/telnet gets lumped with cgi.
cgi-bin has become pretty standard now, allowing you to run any cgi/perl scripts that you want. However, cgi isn't the best solution. I'm always seeing hits in my log files trying to dig for a cgi script so they can send out spam. Better to use a php script.
ftp is pretty standard now. telnet is normally used by programmers. However it is also a security risk attached to this. Most hosts disable this. Some will enable it, if you supply identification.

I'm not sure I would say it's not necessary. For the highly skilled, a control panel may not be needed, but for most, it is a must... again, this is pretty much standard nowadays.

Again, some mis-information here.
Even if you're not selling from your website, but you provide a login area that contains sensitive information, then you need an SSL certificate. If you are selling from your website, but customer information and cc details are entered on an SSL page provided by your merchant account, then you probably don't need it.
An SSL certificate is not free, unless you are using the one provided by your host, which isn't really a professional solution anyway. An SSL certificate can cost anywhere from $50 and up per year. Most hosts will install it for free for you. But, if you are on a shared host, you will need a dedicated Ip address to install the SSL on, which will cost a couple dollars per month.



Sorry for the long post, but I hate it when someone comes off as an expert but provide information that isn't accurate

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Hm, cyanide? Are you a follower? :P

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Corey
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A follower ? Following you ? LOL

Well, not on purpose

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First time I caught a post on here from you. Just had to say Hello!

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Corey
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haha Thanks Corey!
A big hello to you too. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods

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Hey.. any one knows a webhost with a 99.8 or 99.9% uptime? with warranty at least? Thanks.

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Airquace Technologies - SMS Marketing, Software Developer - http://www.airquace.com
CH Electronics - Security Systems Provider - http://www.chuanheng.com.sg

My company offers 99.9 uptime guarantee otherwise your hosting for that month is free. We have a web-based server monitoring system that all our clients can view. There are probably hundreds of other hosting companies that offer the same.

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