So you have an idea about a product or service. You haven't seen this product or service on the Internet or if you have it has been few and far between. This niche product or service has the potential to provide you with a nice income. If only you had the PHP script to provide this service on your website.



There are many software companies providing PHP scripts for many products or services that you would like to provide for new or existing customers. These PHP scripts can cover such categories as news publishing, classified ads, web hosting, and link directories to name a few. Before you decide on a PHP script for your particular product or service there are a few things you should ask yourself.

Is Free PHP script always the best script?

There any many software developers offering free PHP scripts to users in exchange for leaving their name and link on the software after your have installed on your web server. This not only allows the developer to get free advertising, but it also allows the developer to gain thousands of loyal customers. This seems like a good tradeoff at first glance. When you install this software on your web server my guess is that you expect the software not only to work but to work well and for a very long time.

Research the product - For many reasons developers stop improving on a script after the first version or two and for someone that has installed this software for the long haul this could be devastating turn of events for you because you would like to provide the users of this script with feature updates that will allow you to compete with competition. Free PHP scripts great but make sure that you do your research. While no one can predict whether a developer will stop making improvements on a products there are things you can do that will allow you to make a fairly educated guess and select a stable company or developer.

There are many Open Source PHP scripts that have been developed that have an active user base and active developers working to improve the script. These are the type of free scripts that you want to use. Developers and Software companies that sell their scripts have a vested interested to continue to improve upon their product. They realize that the better the script the more money that there is to be made from the script. While selling a script usually sends a message of stability and commitment by the company or developer this is not always the case.

Let's review some things we can do to lessen the risk of using a script that won't serve your present and future needs:

Active User Forums - Check the software support area of the developer or Software Company's website. Is there a user forum? If yes, how active is the forum? If you find that the developer or company does not have a user forum or the forum is not very active this should send up red flags. This usually means that not many people are using the software or the software is not very stable or reliable. Of course there are exceptions to the rule but this will generally give you an indication regarding the stability and/or popularity of the script.

What do others have to say about the script - When researching a script the opinion of others is important also. Of course you would not want to base your decision solely upon the opinion of someone else but that may be a good start in gaining information regarding the script.

Do a Google search - Try doing a search on the developer or Software Company.

This does two things:

1.It allows you to find others that may be using the software, or forums that may be discussing the software. If the software is good others will be more than happy to lend their opinion, if the software is buggy or unstable you will get an opinion also.

2.Find security bulletins that could alert you to any security holes in the software. Believe me this is something you would want to know because there is nothing more frustrating than getting your site off the ground and headed to profit to find that your site has been hacked forcing you to start over again.

Your choice of a PHP script will ultimately come down to what your needs are or what you can afford. Whether you decide to purchase a PHP script or use a free script the above points should assist you in the selecting the script that will not only serve your requirements today but tomorrow also.