With so much competition out there on the internet these days all making big claims about what they can do for you, it can be difficult to really know who you can trust.

Having worked over a decade with hosting companies on the internet, I have had the pleasure (and the nightmare) of working with dozens of hosting companies – both locally and internationally and I can tell you honestly that Hosting Companies are NOT all created equal!

Allow me to share with you an unfortunate incident concerning a church and a web hosting company that happened recently……

One church we had attempted to work with had already engaged a hosting company by the time we were asked to get involved. The hosting company was charging this church nearly $35 per month for LIMITED hosting on a SHARED web server – limited in both size of space they were allocated, and the level of access they had to their own files on the server. This hosting company took advantage of an organization that didn’t know any better by gouging them with elevated prices for their extremely limited services. Unfortunately it was already a signed contract deal by the time they thought to consult with a professional, so I was unable to recommend Host Gator – with full, unrestricted access to their files on not one but TWO of their very own allocated servers, 24-7 live technical support, and many more features for less than $5 per month! That’s a difference of $360 each and every year that the church could be using for other programs, like their street mission or children’s programming. As a matter of fact, it was this incident that inspired me to write this article. Unfortunately it was too late for this church but not too late for you.  I simply cannot bear the thought of seeing other unsuspecting, trusting people get taken advantage of by these vulture hosting companies.

Here is what you need to know about hosting: What it is, why you need it, where to get it, how to get it, and who you can trust.

What is Hosting and why do I need it?

Think about it this way… your web name (URL) is the name of your web ‘home’. The hosting is where you actually build the web home; where the bricks and mortar and all the furniture of your “home” physically reside. A website is made up of content, such as typed web pages, photos and lots of code, all stored up in neat files that are saved and stored on your web server.

A web server is “A computer that delivers (serves up) Web pages.” (cite http://www.webopedia.com/term/w/web_server.html)  The “web host” is the server that hosts (holds) your web site.

Every web server has an IP address, which is the computer coded address of the location of that server. All computers and servers that have access to the internet have an IP address. If you can access the internet on your computer then it also has an IP address.  In order for people around the world to access your website (which is made up of all your web files pulled neatly together and organized properly to make it work like a website) they need access to them from the web server they are saved on. 

For example, when you type a www URL into your address bar (also referred to as the browser) such as www.launchnow.ca and hit enter, it sends a request to the server whose domain name is www.launchnow.ca . The server then fetches the home page of the Launch Now website (usually called index.html) and sends it to your browser so you can view it on your computer.

Any computer can become a Web server by installing special server software and properly connecting the machine to the Internet. There are many Web server software applications available to choose from, such as public domain (free) software, as well as paid commercial packages from Microsoft, Netscape and others however a certain level of technical expertise is required to set up and run a web server. Converting your own computer also means that the world would be able to access your computer, which is why servers are usually separate from working, useable computers.

(If web hosting is something that interests you and you would like to look further into become your own web host either for your own website or to make money hosting other’s websites, Host Gator offers the best web hosting packages I have found on the internet to date. Check their website for more information.) 

Chances are, if you are reading this article then you are fairly new to the game of web hosting and do not have the interest or technical know how to host your own website. That’s ok. This article is intended to provide you with the education to allow you to make an informed decision about hosting your website – what to look for, questions to ask, and what to expect as far as service and delivery. While many web hosting companies are out to gouge their customers by charging incredibly high rates for limited services, I have discovered one of the BEST web hosting companies on the internet today.

Where Do I find a Web Host? Where Can I get Hosting? How do I begin?

Finding a hosting company is easy. Find a good, safe, reliable hosting company you can trust that gives you good value for your money is not so easy. When choosing your hosting company, make sure you know you are getting the most value for your money.

Review the check list below to help you know what to look for when engaging a Hosting Company for your website:

Access:  Are the web files easily accessible?

If you are paying for hosting, you should have full, unrestricted access to your web files on the web server you are paying for. You should have full FTP access (Definition: File Transfer Protocol / FTP allows you to transfer files between two computers/servers on the Internet.) For example, Host Gator will allocate 2 servers to your website. One server hosts your web site while the other acts as automatic back-up storage to protect your website files in cases of issues and outages. Host Gator also provides you with full access to your server – including FTP access to your web server, in a simple to use format, even a non-technical person can understand and use it.

Storage: How much room will the hosting company allocate (give or allow me) to host my website and will it be enough space for my website?

Hosting companies should have the common sense to assign web site packages that are large enough to accommodate the average sized website. You’ll also want to make sure that you are not sharing your server with others, as was in the case of the church, because if the sites you are sharing with have access to the same web server, you run the risk of running out of space and accessing your server means they can also access your web files, which means there is the potential of them infecting (with a virus), damaging or deleting your web site.

Security: Do they have security features in place to protect my data and information on my website? 

Access to your web hosting server should be security enabled. That means it should require a password in order for you to gain entry into your web files, and should have encryption methods (secret codes) in place for your data (information). The hosting company should also have a security policy in place, which lets you know that security is important to them. Check their security policy to see if there is a business continuity program in place. This demonstrates that a deeper level of thought went into their hosting security and keeping your website up and running in times of crisis is important to them. For more information on passwords and security, be sure to read our February article entitled, “Security on Line – What to Know and How to be Protected”.

Customer Service: When I call for help or if I am having problems, will I get a real live person to speak to who can assist me, or will I have to send emails, leave voice messages, or try to figure it out by myself?

Most hosting companies offer only limited customer service availability. If you don’t call between certain hours, you may have to leave a message and walk away without your answer, not being able to continue on with what you were working on before you had the problem or question. More reputable hosting companies provide full live support and even fewer, like Host Gator are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, throughout the year. You can send an email, read through their Frequently Asked questions (FAQ), chat online, or telephone to speak to a live person, the choice is yours.

Ease of Use:  Will working with my web server be simple enough for a non-technical person like me? 

Again, how easy a web server is to work with depends on the hosting company. BEWARE!  Since the church did not have full access to their web server, they had to rely on the hosting company to do all their uploads and downloads for them; in  other words, they had to let this hosting company manage their website – at an additional fee, which of course was added onto the already ludicrous hosting price of $35 per month! Reputable, professional hosting companies never restrict you from your own web files or hold your data hostage for additional fees.  Host Gator has video and article tutorials to help you learn all you need to know, and an easy to use dashboard (like the dashboard in your car) that puts all the web server controls right at your finger tips. 

Reliability:  How reliable is the web host and web server? How frequently will my site experience down times and be unavailable for my clients? 

You need the satisfaction of knowing that your hosting company is reliable. If they are, they will be more than pleased to have recent outage reports available (a report that shows how frequently the server has gone down, meaning off line or off the net).  You can also check to see if the hosting company has earned any legitimate awards for their reliability but again be careful! I’ve seen some hosting companies create their own excellence in service awards, give it to themselves, then post their own award and brag about winning it on their own site. Host Gator has won several awards over the past few years for their customer service, reliability, prices and quality. In the 2 years we have used them for hosting dozens of web sites, we have not had a single outtage due to server issues, which is simply quite outstanding! Host Gator also offers many other benefits, like a credit FREE Google Ad words, there are just too many to list here. 

If you already have a hosting company but would like to consider Host Gator, I strongly encourage you to check them out. They will even help you move your website from it’s current server to their servers FREE OF CHARGE – another feature that most hosting companies either do not offer or will charge you extra for doing.

We hope this article will assist you in understanding why you need hosting, what it is, and knowing what to look for when it’s time to get some hosting for your own website. If you have a website that needs hosting, would like more information on how to manage your web server or want to move your website to a better, more secure, more affordable, and more reliable web host like Host Gator, then you should check out Sweet Spot’s "Workshop #2 – Hosting Your Website" in our Do-it-Yourself Website Building Series, FREE with your free membership to the Sweet Spot Training Centre. 

You can view all Sweet Shot Workshops here:  http://sweetspottraining.com/workshops/