Web Hosting News

So, you’ve decided that your current host doesn’t suit your needs and you need to choose a new one. Well, don’t worry - it happens all the time. Many webmasters upgrade their hosting services once their Web sites become popular, usually because their current hosting firm cannot provide an effective level of scalability or technical support.
Before you move, it’s extremely important to make sure you have copies of everything related to your site. Double-check that all content, including Web pages, databases and scripts, are properly archived. But don’t archive your Web sites just in case you switch hosts - always back up your data at regular intervals in case you experience unexpected data loss or hardware failure. This will also ensure that all your data is archived and compressed in its original directories, which is very important if you want to retain the full-working integrity of your Web site when you move.

Once you have archived your site, make arrangements to purchase your new hosting services. Make sure that any new solution you select includes basic services that approximate and surpass the service you where obtaining with your previous provider. Perform a search with our advanced search utility to make sure the companies you are considering offer exactly what you’re looking for. It makes no sense to replace your present hosting service with another Web hosting solution that equally cannot fulfill your technical requirements.

When your new solution is activated, upload your archived Web pages, database and scripts to the new host. You will be allocated an IP number from the new hosting company. Take time to debug and test the new site from the individual IP number.

After your site is entirely debugged and you verify that all site functionality is operative, transfer your domain name service (DNS) servers over from your old host to your new host.

During this DNS transition period, which is referred to as the “propagation period,” your Web site will be resolved by both your new and old host, as new DNS information about your Web site filters through the Internet worldwide. It typically takes about 1-2 weeks for the transfer to fully propagate around the Internet; so keep your old site running in case you get visitors whose ISP’s name servers haven’t updated fully.

It is imperative that you retain both your old and new hosting services during your hosting solution transition. You will need to check your e-mail from both hosting providers, since some regions of the Internet will direct e-mail to your original host, while other regions will start sending mail to your new server during the transition.

This same situation will occur with your site’s Web server during the period of propagation. For this reason, you must ensure that both hosting services are operating simultaneously during your solution transition.

Once a week or two have elapsed, cancel the account with your previous hosting company. Make sure to only pull the plug on your old account when e-mail stops arriving from your old server.

To ease the transition, you may want to select a hosting service that approximates the features of your previous hosting company. With a wide range of hosting control panel and automation software packages available, it is now easier to transition Web sites.

Transitioning from one new host to another can be a simpler task if you select the same operating system platform and control panel. Some hosting companies make transition from one control panel to another easier by employing a tool that actually automates the transition from a competitor.

Designing a Web site can be a challenge for a novice. Building a Web site on a “do it yourself” basis requires some basic knowledge of programming.

As a start, Web development necessitates a familiarity with HTML, the set of “markup” symbols or codes inserted into a file intended for display on the Web. HTML indicates the type of information, rather than the exact way it is to be presented, leaving the actual presentation up to the browser software that converts the contents to a suitable format for viewing. A browser translates text in an HTML document on the fly whereas text embedded in images and graphics must be localized.

Designing a Web page also requires the capability to design, edit and manipulate images for inclusion. A designer needs some type of graphical editing package, such as Adobe Photoshop on their computer in order to include images, which can be displayed in GIF, JPEG or bitmap format on a Web page.

Other items such as Flash animations, sound and video can also be included on Web pages through markup. To include these items on a Web page, specific editing tools are also needed to create and prep the material.

Because of the hard work and special skills required, designing and building a Web site can be a challenge for a novice who is burdened by knowledge and time constraints. But a variety of tools and services can alleviate the pressures and time requirements associated with Web design.

Many hosting companies now offer completely integrated Web site building and hosting solutions. Homestead Technologies Inc., for example, offers a complete, non-technical Web site solution that allows consumers to build and maintain their Internet presences. Homestead offers an all-in-one package that includes Web site building software, ad-free hosting, e-commerce capabilities and marketing services.

Using Homestead’s browser-based tool, users can select templates and add content to a Web site, without any extensive knowledge of programming or image editing. Many other notable hosting companies provide site-building tools, including 1&1 Internet, IpowerWeb and Hostway.

Another increasingly popular option that more design-savvy users are selecting is the use of Web site templates. Web site templates are pre-made Web design products that can be easily customized to reflect a company’s branding. Web design templates are often used to build personal Web pages or huge corporate sites, online shops, offline presentations and even to design interfaces for software.

Web site hosting templates are normally available in both Photoshop and HTML format. Most Web site design templates are designed to suit the needs of beginners without making them spend months and months studying HTML and learning how to operate Web design software.

With a site template, all a user needs to do is to open the template file with Web design software such as Macromedia Dreamweaver in order to add customized content. Image templates are also provided in native Photoshop format so that a designer can change static image elements such as image-based text. Site templates are an excellent choice for the savvier designer since many are also beginning to include animated components such as Flash.

Site templates are also popular among many professional Web designers that are looking for new ideas but are constrained by tight schedules. Some of the best templates are available from perfectory.com and boxedart.com. Web site templates normally retail at a minimum of $25 to $30.

It’s the role of any reliable hosting firm to take full responsibility for its hardware, software and operating environment so that webmasters can focus solely upon running their business.
If a hosting company is truly committed to this objective, their technical support must be stellar. Customer care therefore is always a major consideration before you chose a Web host.

Since it is a major loss leader, many hosting firms don’t invest in the labor and equipment required to maintain their operation. It is thus the task of wise webmasters to size up the expertise of a hosting company’s support staff before making the fateful decision concerning where to host their Web sites.

Determining whether technical support is dependable is important, because if anything goes wrong with your site, who are you going to call? In an ideal world, it would be your knowledgeable customer care representative. However, in the real world, we know that knowledgeable customer care is hard to find.

Hosting companies claim that they have technicians working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year in their operation centers maintaining mission-critical systems. While this in fact may be true, the most unqualified people in the hosting industry sometimes work in support call centers. Due to the unprecedented demand for IT professionals, many Web hosts can’t find employees that are formally trained in Operating System and network technology. Other firms allot so much money to advertising and marketing that technical support becomes a secondary priority. In both instances, customers suffer because they cannot access immediate or useful assistance. So before you select a host, make sure that you put their support to the test.

First, call up technical support and ask them to walk you through the basic routines needed to maintain your site. Ask the technical support technician whether he or she is available at the office at regular intervals. Ask the technician whether he or she went through a corporate or professional training program in order to qualify for the job. If the technician is assisting you with a Windows NT-based request, make sure to ask whether he or she has a MCSC, or Microsoft certification. Ask the support technician how long he or she has been working with the company.

Determine whether technicians are knowledgeable by listening and assessing their tone of voice. Do technicians at a certain company put you on hold often? Then they may only be employed to answer telephones or e-mail and relay support requests to someone more qualified. Also ask support technicians basic questions about where the company is located, where they are located and the company’s address. This might give you an indication if a hosting company’s support services are outsourced, or whether support representatives are working out of the firm’s server farm or head office. Ask the support representative outright whether he or she is employed on a contractual basis. Also determine how sophisticated customer tracking and billing is by asking the technician to pull information about your account.

This will give you an indication whether the company has automated systems to track technical inquiries. Further, ask the technician whether the firm provides an online “knowledge base” or “technical support center.” If the company does, make sure to inspect its support documentation to determine whether it is specific to the service.

Many hosting companies now offer technical support documentation in hard copy format. You should attempt to determine whether the hosting firm will allow you to download a PDF file with all of its documentation enclosed.

A prospective Web hosting customer should also determine whether a hosting company offers true 24-hour support by e-mailing or calling the hosting provider after hours.

These tests will give you a strong indication whether the technical support is reliable or questionable. Remember that you’ll have to trust any host you select to deliver timely and useful support on issues that can affect your income.

A good, shared Web host must provide reliable and reasonable quality of service. Many times, a consumer will sign up with the least expensive provider only to experience many technical difficulties and the inevitable and frustrating experience of changing Web hosts. To avoid this experience, it is best if the consumer chooses the right hosting company. Ensuring that a shared Web hosting firm has the following characteristics will increase the probability of consumer satisfaction.
Quality Server Technology The use of quality server technology is important. Since shared hosting services utilize multiplexed equipment, consumers must ensure that the server and server technology used can accommodate the number of users on your particular server.

System Administrators Make sure that knowledgeable system administrators are operating your hosting company’s technology.

Network Redundancy Your shared hosting package must have multiple connections to the Internet. Network redundancy ensures that if one Internet connection goes down, traffic can be re-routed through another connection.

Network Connectivity It is important to find the fastest Internet connection possible. Since you are competing with other users for resources in a shared hosting environment, you should ensure that you have at least T3 connection that is using less than 50 per cent of available bandwidth.

You should also consider the following factors before selecting any type of shared hosting solution for your Web site. By considering these factors, you will save money in the long run by selecting a solution that grows with your business.

Purchase only what you need Select a Web hosting solution that corresponds with your business needs. Only purchase services that your site will require to provide your specific content. Don’t sign up for an all-inclusive account with a hosting firm if you won’t use most of their services. This will unnecessarily increase your costs.

Select a scalable solution Make sure that your hosting solution can grow as your site grows in complexity. Ensure that you can upgrade your site to accommodate increased bandwidth and other demanding resource requirements such as server-side scripting, database support and multimedia streaming.

Find prompt tech support Only use a host that provides prompt and knowledgeable customer care. A dependable host should offer 24x7 toll-free technical support rendered by experienced and professionally trained technicians.

Check references Before you commit to a particular hosting firm, ask for references. Make sure to canvass other webmasters running sites with similar specifications. Browse their Web sites and measure response times at both peak and non-peak periods.

Watch your billing and keep your receipt Many hosting firms are notorious for their horrid billing practices. Check your credit card statements to ensure that you are not being overcharged or billed at an incorrect frequency. Most purchases occur online, so make sure to print out your receipt. Most companies will require you to remit that receipt by fax in order to cancel.

Back up all your data Do not depend on your host to recover any data you publish on the Web. Most hosting firms are only equipped to recover files in the event of a system failure. Ensure that you have a copy of any data that you post to the Web on your own hard drive.

Own your own domain Make sure that your Web host will not hold you hostage to their service by exercising administrative control over your domain name. Your host should only be listed as a technical contact. You should exercise administrative control over the domain name from the point of purchase.

Do extensive background research Find out whether a host is real or whether it resells hosting solutions. Also check what payment processor the host uses to run credit card transactions. Determine who owns the hosting company and whether they possess the technical expertise required to run it effectively. All of these factors impact upon the credibility and reliability of the host and the services you provide your customers.

Obtain assurances You should obtain assurances concerning service quality before you sign up for hosting services. A quality Web host should assure some form of service quality and compensation if you experience an interruption in service.

Understand your obligations Before you sign up with a Web host, you must understand what your obligations are concerning payment for service and permissible behavior. Certain hosting companies will not permit high traffic content, such as adult material. Other hosting companies will permit such content, but only if a special hosting service package is selected.

Establish an exit strategy Always have a backup plan in case your host goes belly-up or experiences an unrecoverable failure. Redundancy should always be a priority if you are running an Internet-based business. Remember that any service outage can completely compromise your source of income.

Benifits of reselling web hosting services

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Leveraging private label hosting Private label Web hosting allows resellers to offer a full suite of professional hosting services while maintaining their own corporate look and feel.

Recent drops in price now make it an attractive option for even low-end resellers. Private label hosting allows resellers to utilize the services of an outsourced, higher-tier service provider while reaping the benefits of a fully customized look and feel. Private label solutions provide resellers with the cloak of complete transparency, allowing resellers to provide services without reveal their top-level supplier.

Private label hosting gives resellers the ability to superimpose their own corporate identification and brand on an existing hosting platform. The benefit to resellers using such a solution is that they can quickly deploy a full suite of services with their own brand’s look and feel, customized content, marketing programs and customer communication programs, while the hosting infrastructure and back-end is fully maintained by the higher-tier hosting company. Private label hosting is extremely popular with high-end resellers whose core competency is not specifically information technology services.

Such solutions are highly popular amongst system integrators and even telecommunication carriers who do not want to build out their own hosting platforms. Most outsource their hosting requirements to wholesale providers of Internet and application hosting services, who specialize in meeting the needs of their small and mid-sized business customers. Private label hosting is characterized by its turnkey nature, and by extension most solutions are built upon a set of integrated operational systems.

A customer service team provided by the higher-tier provider who specializes in the back-end technical operations, quality assurance and day-to-day operations and maintainance characteristically backs private label solutions. The most advanced private label solutions will offer: i) branded, customized user interface; ii) branded, customized content; iii) unified billing systems; iv) unified user profiling, including security and authentication; and v) central data collection, storage and reporting.

Private label solutions are therefore thought of as superior control panel systems that are more advantageous than dedicated or private virtual servers due to several reasons.
Firstly, private label hosting extends the reseller’s brand thereby deepening customer relationships and loyalty.
Secondly, private label solutions are advantageous because of its automated allocation of service provision. Automated allocation permits resellers to increase revenue per customer while concurrently reducing the cost to serve customers. Automated allocation is also responsible for greater retention of existing customers because such platforms allow the user to allocate their own resources on demand.

Our company and I wanted to write this message for professional courtesy in regard to our recent purchase of two of your dedicated servers. We want to let you and anyone who will listen that it has been a very painless experience and your staff has been very helpful.

Thanks, Mike Thomas

I just wanted to let you know how pleased and impressed I am by cheetahsolutions. Setting up an account could not have been easier, faster, or more trouble-free, and all of the included features make this a very complete, economical package without all of the usual “nickel & dime” add-ons. As a webmaster, I will be referring all of my clients to you. Control Panel is great for administering all aspects of my account.

Thanx.
Ashton Knight

I have been so impressed with your support and help center I just had to drop you a line. I used the tutorials to help me through many control panel tasks even though it is very user friendly, it helps to have a video tutor.
Great Job!
Heather Thomas

I have never seen such high level of web design services before. These guys are Responsive, Professional, Communicative, Helpful, Affordable and Fast…to sum it up, they Rock!!!

Well I have been with rothe-cs.com now for almost a year.. or longer.. not really sure… (laughing) all I know is hannah Stewart is a fantastic women and has not only helped myself .. but everyone that I have sent to him. Straight up.. no sales pitch, just simple customer satisfaction… and the technical department has been amazing with help and maintaining such a great place to have a site hosted. I have recommended this company to everyone I know and will continue to do so. Cheetah Solutions… I think the name speaks for it’s self (fast)… but for the people individually, bravo ladies and gents…