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Web Hosting can be pretty confusing at first for many people. Even those who have their own webhosting accounts may not fully understand the different features of their web host provides. Picking a good web host makes all of the difference in whether creating a website is difficult or easy as 1-2-3.
It is most important when setting up a real estate website or blog that you carefully research all of the web hosting options available to you and what you really need. Every web host out there promises great and wonderful things, but not all of them can actually deliver. Some may actually be missing very important things you need to run a real estate blog, such as MySQL. Researching the right web hosting can also save you money – there is no sense for example to get a dedicated web hosting server for a site that might only expect to receive 40,000 visits a month – in most cases a shared web hosting package is all that you would need.
When Choosing Web Hosts, Here Are Some Things to Consider:
1. How Much Does it Cost? Cost is not the most important thing about web hosting, but you will want to keep in mind that running a website is a long term investment, even if that investment may only be $5-$10 a month.
2. How Much Traffic Can I Receive? Some web hosts allow you an unlimited amount of traffic, others will put a certain restriction on your traffic, causing the sites to go down. Other web hosts may charge you extra in addition to your monthly fee if you happen to go over your traffic limits.
3. MySQL: MySQL is required for running a blog or website that has more functionality than just basic html code. WordPress for example is a popular blogging platform where you must have a MySQL database in order to run WordPress on your webhost.
4. File Access: Most web hosts provide you with a way to upload files to your server, though not all do. Being able to upload files to your server on your own with an ftp program can make it much easier to make changes and updates to your website.
5. Domain Names: Many web hosting companies include 1-2 free domains with each hosting package. However, not all web hosts do that, and if you have more domains you will need to pay for each yearly annual domain registration. You will also want to consider private domain registration, since that will protect your name, address, and contact information from appearing for the general public to see.
6. Windows vs. Linux Hosting: I personally like Linux hosting, but some people decide to use Windows instead. Learning about the differences can make it much easier for you to set up and run your website. It’s important to know that just because you have a Windows operated computer, it does not mean you need Windows hosting!
7. Special Bonuses: Many web hosts provide special bonuses along with their services they provide. They may include PPC ad credits for sites such as Google, Yahoo, or MSN. Some web hosts provide easy one click installation for popular programs such as Joomla or WordPress or even website templates. These special incentives shouldn’t be the main reason you pick a web host, but they can be a nice added bonus.
8. Admin Interface: If you’ve ever used a web host with a horrible admin interface, you’ll understand why a good one is so important. Being able to navigate to the different options and settings for your site and make changes quickly and easily makes all the difference in the world. A confusing admin interface will make updating and changing your website slightly more difficult.
There are tons of different web hosts available out there – taking some time to research what the different features are and comparing them side by side can help you make the best decision for you – and your website. Have any tips for choosing the right web hosting? Share them in the comments below.
8 Comments
You can add to your list, simple script integration making it easy to install WordPress in your space.
Cheers
I did a lot of real estate work for a firm on their computers and they learned the hard way that a inferior hosting company can cost you money.
There site was down more than it was up and this hurt their search engine rankings. Plus the customer service was terrible.
Personally speaking, I wouldn’t touch windows hosting even if you gave it to me for free. I tried it once, and it was ghastly. You cannot set up wordpress, simple blog scripts don’t function, and if you want to switch to Linux afterwards, then you’re in even bigger trouble.
I think number 2 is especially important, if you have no room to run a very high traffic blog on your host, there’s no reason to join it. You need a good amount of space and bandwidth to run a good blog.
A good list, but needs more elaboration. Like number 8 – Admin interface.
There are some differences between cPanel/WHM and Plesk for example.
Some webhosts use Plesk. Some use a custom build, like Dreamhost.
My hosting package is kind of weird. I used BlueHost which I am happy with except for the fact that they would only let you register for a max of 3 years. So I then had to go to GoDaddy and register it for the longer period of time I wished (10+ Years) and then host it at BlueHost. I had to double pay, but I really like BlueHost’s customer service and the ease of use with WordPress.
Yes, some cheaper hosting can have more down time increasing the chance that your site is down when Google bot comes around.
Thank you so much for your useful info. Choosing the right web hosting is very important for a person when creating a website. I think you should choose GoDaddy. It’s one of the best and cheap web hosting I have ever known.