Small Business Web Hosting Checklist

On the Internet today there is an enormous amount of information about web hosting. There are thousands of different hosting providers offering an even larger number of plans, while this is good for competition, it also makes it hard to decide on which host and plan will suit your needs best, especially when you do not understand all the web hosting related terminology. So what should you do, choose the cheapest plan? Choose the company with the highest profile?

In this article I will try to help your decision easier by explaining the most common terms you will come across when searching for a web hosting provider for your small business.

Space
Space is measured in MB (Megabytes) or sometimes in GB (Gigabytes). One gigabyte equals 1024 megabytes, so when a company quotes 5GB space, compared to a company offering 5000MB, you will actually recieve more space with the first plan.

The space your site will need depends on its requirements, does your site have many images? Images use a lot more space than the webpages themselves, to have an idea of the space your site will require you will need to add up the sizes of your website files. If you are unsure of the space your site will require, you can start with a plan offering lower space and upgrade at a later time if need be.

Programming Language Requirements
Is your web site written using only static html? You will need to check this, if your site uses any of the following languages, ASP, Cold Fusing, Perl, Php, Java or any other programming language, you will need to choose the hosting plan that supports the programming language used. If you are unsure of which language was used, ask your site developer about it.

Web Server Operating System
Check the scripts that your site uses see which operating system or service they require to function, while some scripts require Apache, other scripts will require IIS running on Windows to function.

Allowed Traffic Per Month
Initially a new site may need very little traffic but as your site grows in popularity, so will the amount of visitors to your site. Be sure to choose a plan which offers a reasonable amount of traffic to allow for future expansion in your visitor base. Also check that the plan you choose allows for upgrading in the future if the need arises.

Databases
Will your web site use a database? If your site requires a database be sure to choose a plan that supports the database type you intend to use for your site. Some common databases are MySQL, SQLServer, PostgreSQL or Access. Again check your script requirements, or check with your web developer to type of database you will need.

Customer Service
It is very important that the hosting provider you choose answers technical questions promptly. Take note of which means they have for you to contact them. Do they have phone support, do they have a ticketed email system for you to ask questions?

SSL
Does your site have the need for secure pages, for example an online shopping cart where customers can purchase products from you online? If you require SSL, check that the plan you choose providers for it. It is common to pay an extra fee for this service, also keep in mind that you will also need a digital certificate on your site to prevent browsers showing an alert when visitors enter your secured site.

Frontpage Extensions
If you site is built using Frontpage extensions you will need to check that the plan you choose supports this.

Parked Domains, Sub Domains
If your site will require sub domains such as sales.yourdomain.com or news.yourdomain.com, the hosting plan you choose will need to allow you to create sub domains. If you have several domains pointed to the same web site, you need to check that the plan supports parking of additional domains.

Control Panel
Finally any provider you choose should provide a web based control panel to allow you to manage your web sites quickly and efficiently.

Article Written By David J. Smith, owner and operator of Webhost-Advisor.com