Personal web hosting like any other type of web hosting covers a certain amount of ground rules. The only difference between a business web hosting and a personal web hosting may be the payment arrangements like secure server for credit cards payment. Other than that, the checklist remains the same as for the business web hosting.
The checklist given below will guide you in choosing the right host:
1. How much time does it take for the domain to be put on the net? It should be less than 36 hours.
2. Can I host other sites through my domain? It should be possible for you to use alias domains, provided they lead to the main page of your domain.
3. Am I the owner of the domain name hosted? The answer should be YES, without any other conditions.
4. Will it be possible for me to update the information of my website/ domain? All rights to your domain, i.e. billing, technical, administrative, etc, should be given to you. And YES, the web host should be able to update your website's information at your request.
5. Can I modify my web? The answer should be basically YES, though some websites will ask you to route the changes through them. This might be inconvenient for those who can do it themselves and have a lot of updating to do.
6. What is the protocol for the setting of html directory permissions? Most web hosts will allow you the use of the Control Panel to set permissions and modify your web design.
7. Do I get web mail usage through my domain? Most web hosts will have squirrel mail accounts in their packages. With this facility also comes the forwarding of the email and auto-responders.
8. Can I access my cgi and perl scripts? The answer should be YES.
9. Do you have prompt and efficient technical support/ service support? The answer should be YES, round-the-clock 24/7.
10. Do you use advanced search engine optimization tools above metatags? The answer should be again YES. Today servers use sophisticated SEO tools. However, you should definitely have your ‘keyword' and ‘description' metatags attached to your main content page for easy access over the web.
Other factors include payment and billing details, traffic space so called bandwidth, and disk or storage space. You should be expecting an annual billing in addition to a monthly billing. Web hosting companies do offer an annual billing for a discount rate, and some saying you should be careful to avoid one-year period packages as this will block your shifting in case you are unhappy with the web host. This is not always true because, in today's competition between web hosting companies, many reliable companies do offer 30-90 days money-back guarantee in case you are not satisfied.
As regards the traffic space or bandwidth the minimum you would need would be somewhere around 25 GB/month, while for storing a simple personal website, the storage requirements should be minimum of 500 MB disk space. I would consider 1 GB or more of disk space to avoid extra fees in case your needed space gets bigger in the future. But it all depends on what kind and how big of files you put up on your web site. Hence, do not go after web hosts who offer you 15 GB or more of disk space for extra fees because you would never need so much space. Even with complicated business websites, you would not use more than 10 GB.
The best is to research the feedback of the web host before you decide which one to choose, and the above questions will definitely guide towards a wise decision.
Personal Web Hosting Services
So you've decided that you want to put a web page online. It could be about yourself, your family, a hobby you like or just a internet-brochure for a small business. Whatever the case, you've decided that the features and most importantly the cost of business web hosting is just too much and unnecessary in your case. Well, not to worry. Personal web hosting is the ideal solution.
Personal web hosting does not, in any way, imply that you get low quality hosting. These days, with CPU and storage prices so low, you can probably serve the needs of a medium-sized business with a personal web hosting plans. In fact, you should not even compare business vs personal web hosting because, technically speaking, the definitions are meaningless. The only major differences in web hosting plans are between shared hosting, such as most personal hosting accounts and some business hosting accounts, and dedicated servers, in which case you rent your very own server (yes, an actual machine) on the data center of a major hosting company.
Now that we've got this out of the way, bear in mind that the biggest challenge for the beginner web master is that personal web hosting plans usually have less technical support than business plans. Of course, you can always use forums or just search engines to find the answers to your first problems or questions. And as a beginner web-master, you're unlikely to come across very sophisticated and challenging issues.
However, personal web hosting is not just about minor disadvantages to business web hosting. There is also a major advantage. Most personal hosting companies offer some type of website building interface as well as website templates, specifically designed and developed for small websites. Most of the times, you can change the complete look and feel of your site just by clicking a button on a web form. And it's become almost standard that these templates offer some sort of content management, user navigation (menus on the left, right or top) as well as libraries of pictures. So, for most people, this alone is enough to make them choose personal hosting plans rather than business plans, even if they're on the same price. In computers, it's not always less vs more, it's feature A vs. feature B. Always make sure you understand what your needs are before proceeding.
As a final note, don't forget to do your market research before you buy a personal web hosting plan. Especially if you choose to use an in-house website builder by the hosting company, it'll be impossible to migrate your site to a different host, should you find the specific company unreliable or unsupportive.
Both Michael S. Lee & John Roberts are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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