I've had to change web hosts a number of times. In fact, I spent most ofthis week changing from one host to another. Believe me, it is a major ... I have made sure that my site is always rea I've had to change web hosts a number of times. In fact, I spent most ofthis week changing from one host to another. Believe me, it is a major pain,although I have made sure that my site is always ready to move if necessary.One thing I've become is very aware of the difference between a good hostand a bad host. To put it simply (and obviously) a good host makes it easyfor you to create and maintain your web site. A bad host gets in the way andmakes you angry, unhappy and gives you an ulcer.The key point to remember when evaluating hosts is the most importantquality is responsiveness - of your site and support people. Your siteshould be up virtually all of the time (unfortunately computer crashes dohappen but they should be rare and far between) and it must be fast. Inaddition, all good hosts react in a timely manner to support issues andquestions. You can tell when a host is going bad from the failure of thesekey areas - unresponsive technical support, slow servers or constantdowntime.This article is intended as a kind of checklist - what is essential,essential if you need it, optional and not important at all? Look it over,then when you go to find a good host pull out the article and make sure itmeasures up.Essential QualitiesThere are a few attributes which are common to all good hosts.Reasonable support - This is something you won't know until you've startedusing a web host and hopefully you will not need much support. However, whenyou have a question, concern or problem, it's essential that the you have away to contact the support staff. Just as important is the handling of theissue needs to be fast and efficient. I wouldn't insist on a phone number,but an email or form interface with quick responses is essential.Even if you don't have any particular reason to contact support, it's a goodidea to send off a message occasionally just to see if they are on the ball.Access to control panel - You should not use a host unless it gives youaccess to a well defined control panel. What does this do for you? It allowsyou to control the features of your web site (account) from your webbrowser. For example, using the menu you should be able to upload files,protect directories, add autoresponders and so on.Excellent automation - This is perhaps one of the more important features ofa good host. Automation. You should be able to access everything you wantfrom a well designed menu and do virtually anything without involving ahuman being.Control of creating protected directories - Sometimes it doesn't seemimportant, but sooner or later you will almost certainly want to create aprotected directory. This is a directory (or folder) on your web site whichrequires a username and password. Any good web host will allow you to dothis directly from your account menu.Error pages - I would not host my site anywhere I could not create my own401, 403 and 404 errors pages. I like the idea of letting visitors know in anice way when there is a problem. The better hosts allow these files to bemaintained from the control panel, although some simply allow you to edityour .htaccess file directly. Reasonable performance - A web site must load quickly. It's hard enough toget page sizes down to the point where they load reasonably quickly withoutyour web host slowing things down. Domain Parking - It's incredible useful to be able to park a domain on yourweb site. This can be useful for having several closely related domain names(internet-tips.net and internet-secrets.net for exmaple) as well as to justreserve domains for future use. A good host should be able to allow you todo this for at least a dozen domain names.Good stuff to have if you need itTelnet access - Being able to access your site from Telnet (command line) isuseful to me, but most webmasters will never need this function. This isespecially true if functions such as CRONTAB (scheduling tasks) can be donethrough the control panel.Custom CGI scripts - If you are paying for a host, then you should make sureyou can install your own CGI scripts. This is not important, of course, ifyou don't plan on including any of your own scripts.PERL Support - If you use PERL routines, then this is essential. Again, thisis not absolutely necessary if you are not using PERL.SSI Support - Server Side Includes are a very nice way to make it easy tomake changes to your web pages. Again, you either need it or you don't.PHP Support - PHP is a great server-side scripting language (far superior toASP). If you can get it on a host (and most paid hosts support PHP) then youare doing well.MySQL Support - MySQL is database tool. This allows you to get input fromvisitors, store it on your web site and allow your visitors to retrieve itlater.Unlimited autoresponders - I think most web hosts offer unlimitedautoresponders with the feeling that they will not be used much. They alwaysseem surprised to find that I've used them at all. Autoresponders are agreat way to automate your web site, so it's a good idea to get them. Ifyour host doesn't offer them and you wind up needing them, then you willneed to purchase them from somewhere else.Direct access to server logs - You can get along without accessing serverlogs, but it sure makes it easier to tell how you site is doing. Upload from the control panel in addition to FTP access - I almost alwaysuse FTP access to upload (and download) files from my site. However, thereodd occasions when I've used the control panel upload. Not essential, butnice to be able to use once in a while.SSL Support - This is needed if you want to run secure web pages from yoursite.Subdomains - A subdomain is a domain in the format of subdomain.domain. Forexample, wallpapers.internet-tips.net is a subdomain. These are very usefulfor separating functional areas of your site. A good web host will allow youto have as many of these on your site as you want. FrontPage Support - Well, if you use FrontPage then you will obviously needto be able to upload pages. Personally, I would just as soon use FTP, asit's usually faster and better, even when using FrontPage for sitedevelopment.Not incredibly useful to most peopleWeb hosts like to say these things are important, but in reality they aremostly bells and whistles.Search engine submission - All web hosts will boast in their promotionalmaterials that they will submit your site for you to the search engines. Youshould be doing this anyway, so it's not incredibly useful that a host willdo it for you.BGMAILBOX and everyone.net support - These can be nice services, but theyreally are not necessary for most people. I think the main reason why Iwould want these in a host is simply to know they are available.PERL modules - A few hosts will install PERL modules for you. This is a wayto extend the functionality of PERL, and it's not very useful to mostwebmasters. However, if you do find a host which will let you do this, thenyou can be sure you can do almost anything. Article Tags: Good Host, Control Panel Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com .
Top blog stories
A review of Idmobile.com
Idmobile.com offers both pay-as-you-go and contract plans. Pay-as-you-go plans are ideal for customers who don't want to be tied down to a long-term contract, and they can purchase bundles of data, minutes, and texts as and when they need them.
Idmobile.com offers both pay-as-you-go and contract plans. Pay-as-you-go plans are ideal for customers who don't want to be tied down to a long-term contract, and they can purchase bundles of data, minutes, and texts as and when they need them.
AO.co is a trusted expert in TVs, washing machines, clothes dryers and other household appliances. AO.com is one of the largest retailers in the UK and it specializes in electronics, clothes and home furniture.
At Three, we believe phones are good. They just make life better. Easier. And more fun. But
we all need to find a balance that works for us. Our mission is to help our customers use
their phones to live their best lives.
We make your life easier
Since 1992, we’ve been helping customers get the best deal on their dream phone. We firmly believe in giving you the highest quality, for the lowest price. That’s why we work with three of the UK’s leading networks to do all the haggling for you,...
At Halfords, we're all about the journey. With more than 700 stores with over 10,000 colleagues, we're the UK's leading retailer of automotive and cycling products. We are also the leading operator in MOT, tyres, car servicing and car repairs - pleasing more than 750,000 customers every year.
It's important to us that everyone gets great customer service and can enjoy our products, no matter their level of sight. So, if you're blind, partially sighted or struggle to see or read the screen, we’ve a range of features to help you get the most from our products and...
Look iconic, without the hassle— using Nasty Gal discount codes, you can shop your favorite pieces for way less by simply entering one of our promotional codes (of your choice) at the checkout. From delivery offers, to promo deals, we keep ‘em coming, so you always have the offer you...
The Covid-19 has caused the school and universities to shut down around the world creating a major issue in Learning and Education. As this virus spreads through the interaction and if social distanci... The Covid-19 has caused the school and universities to shut down around the world creating a major...
Why its Important to Manage Your Holiday Calendars?
A printable calendar 2021 is a prominent online platform where you download printable calendars of your choice. These calendars can be customized as per our client requirement with photo, text, logo, or any other image. If you are thinking of planning a dream vacation tour with family and kids but...
Because of the Chihuahua's little size, these little canines require taking care of more frequently than a lot bigger canines. The tiny Chihuahua requires taking care of consistently and regularly, while the bigger ones don't need to take care of as frequently. When choosing the size of a Chihuahua it...
You don't need to be told that there have been major health and medicine advancements in the past few decades. What used to be a death sentence or at least a lifelong condition can now be managed, dea... You don't need to be told that there have been major health...
Dog food is specially formulated and made for ingestion by canines and other similar dogs. Dogs are generally considered to be carnivores with an omnivorous tendency. Since the diets of dogs are not human foods, it requires a specific nutritional supplement that is specially formulated for feeding canines. These types...
The nutritional value of dog food lies in the ingredients, containing a mix of vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients that make up the necessary diet. If a dog does not receive the proper nutrients from its food, it could develop various diseases that may become fatal. Dog food is...
Buying a puppy is an exciting time, but it’s important to be responsible in your research to make sure you purchase a healthy dog that has been raised ethically and supports good practices. A person can have plenty of choices when he or she decides to buy a puppy for...
Are you looking for English Bridles and Western Bridles? You can get here many types of Types of English & Western Bridles. The styles and purposes of horse tack vary slightly between disciplines, but only in terminology and decorations. The simplest type of bridle, the snaffle bridle, holds a single...
Every smallest dog breed has some common behavior problems that are often misunderstood or mishandled by dog owners. If you are a dog owner then, you show know about these problems and think about the... Every smallest dog breed has some common behavior problems that are often misunderstood or mishandled...
A very important question that is asked by many people who are about to get a new pet is how dog walking helps the dog to stay healthy. Dogs can be very healthy animals if they get regular exercise but most of the time, dogs just end up getting overweight...
We keep a wide range of equine laser therapy machines for sale which are well-suited to treat almost all kinds of ailments in horses. We also provide training to personnel so that they can become proficient in laser therapy for horses. Contact us to examine our equine lasers for sale...
EasyCare's EasyBoot Cloud is a prime example of the very best in therapeutic horse boots. Continue reading to learn how your horse can benefit from the EasyBoot Cloud. Does My Horse Need Horse Boots?... Can your horse benefit from the use of a therapeutic horse boot? If your horse experiences...
Search topic
The EasyBoot Cloud: The Best Therapeutic Horse Boot
EasyCare's EasyBoot Cloud is a prime example of the very best in therapeutic horse boots. Continue reading to learn how your horse can benefit from the EasyBoot Cloud. Does My Horse Need Horse Boots?... Can your horse benefit from the use of a therapeutic horse boot? If your horse experiences...