Web Hosting

Just like you need space to build your shop or office, you need 'web space' to build your website on. For this, you will need to rent web space from a Hosting company for a month or better, a year.

There are a growing number of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and specialized companies hosting Web sites, their services being as varied as their prices. Many companies offer bare-bones services, which are geared toward personal sites and are usually too limited for commercial purposes. Web Hosts are those hosts that rent space on their server and alias to your domain name. Most virtual hosts also offer FTP access (to post and update your site), CGI bins, access logs, multiple POP accounts (mailboxes), and so on. We consider these other functions necessary for a successful commercial Web site, so we speak of and recommend only these types of services.

Choosing a Web Host

So, how do you know which web host is right for you? Well, you will need some information to make that decision. You will find most of the answers on the websites of these companies so you can compare them and make your own choice.

Click here for a detailed article on what features to look for in a web host.

Comparing Web Hosts

The following is a checklist to aid in your search for the perfect host. Each aspect of this checklist is addressed in more detail later in this chapter.

1. Find a list of host candidates and begin your virtual host study. E-mail them inquiring about your special needs and specific pricing. (Do this even if you have no special needs.) Here is where you'll cut your list dramatically—only consider those who respond within a day, and in a friendly manner.
    
2. Visit their sites, looking for information on their companies. Note the speed of their servers. (Many things can affect speed, such as your own dial-up connection, so check a few times, during different times of the day to make sure it is running smoothly; if possible, have others check the server from their systems as well.) If a server is slow, or is down, chuck it off your list now!
    
3. Find their client lists and visit some of their sites, noting the speed of the server to make sure they don't run their own sites high speed, and run their clients on bogged-down servers. Note: You want your pages to appear as if you are running your own server, and so will a good service provider. Therefore, a provider should be hesitant to give you a list of clients. However, many small companies like to be listed on a provider's client list (since they see that as additional traffic), and any good business person will have at least a couple of clients who don't mind acting as professional references.
    
4. E-mail a few of their clients, asking them if they are pleased with their host. Oh goody, we've eliminated a few more.
    
5. Now, think of an annoying question and give the remaining candidates a call on their technical support phone numbers—use 800 numbers if possible. Choose a question to which you already know the answer, but act like you're absolutely clueless ("if I turn my computer off, can people still see my pages?"), or read through the next chapter, and ask a technical question about software, hardware, and so on. This is, of course, the main reason you're using a provider. Note how long you are waiting on hold. If you have to leave a message, do not tell them you are a new customer, just leave your annoying question and wait to see how long till you get your reply. How friendly and helpful are they?
    
6. Pick your favorite. Ask whether you should register your domain name or if the host will do it. It's easier to have them do it, but it could cost extra.

If this all seems like too much trouble, consider the trouble of having your system go down once a week, or missing an important deadline because your inhospitable host won't answer your phone calls, or finding out that every time you turn around there's some added charge. When we started with our first small site, we simply used our dial-up access provider as our host—let's just say it didn't turn out very well. So take our advice, spend the couple of days now, and save yourself endless amounts of frustration. Alternatively, you can also choose a host who is strongly recommended by a friend of yours.

Selecting a Package

Most web hosts will have a number of packages suitable for different types of businesses. Each package will list a different amount of hosting space, bandwidth, email accounts, databases and other features. You will need to estimate how much space your website will need. An easy way to do this is to place your entire website (which you have created on your computer or got designed from a website designer) in a folder and determine the total file size of that folder. Similarly, you will need to determine how many email accounts you will need. You might need one for your personal use like yourname@yourdomain.com and some others for administrative purposes like sales@yourdomain.com, admin@yourdomain.com, payments@yourdomain.com etc.

Setting Up Your Account

Once you have chosen which package you need, click on the 'Order' button found below the chosen package and fill up your details and make the required payment. If you have decided to purchase your domain name from the same company, you will not need to do anything else. You will receive an email containing further information, your FTP username and password, Control Panel details etc.

If you have registered your domain name elsewhere, you will need to change the 'Domain Name Servers' of your domain to that of your hosting company. Your website is likely to get started within 2-3 days.

Uploading Your Website through FTP

So, how do you set up your system to post and update your site? For a while now, I have used an FTP client, called CuteFTP (CUTFTP), which is very simple and intuitive. A similar program, WS_FTP is also available.

1. If you don't have your FTP software, install CUTFTP from your CD now. (Installation instructions are in Appendix I.)
2. Open the FTP program.
    
3. Open the site manager from within the program (in CUTFTP it's in the FTP drop-down menu).
    
4. Choose Add site.
    
5. Enter the required information. Don't forget to enter your password.
    
6. That's it!

For further details on using CuteFTP or WS_FTP, click here.