Web Hosting for PHP

By Matt Hedges

People are reading this article because they look for a good web hosting service. And naturally you would like to receive the best agreement, which you can work with. A web hosting service is a big decision, which will have lasting effects, because you can use it, in order to support your business long into the future.

Today's modern PHP web host site is quite cheap and yet can still offer benefits to satisfy a customer.

The key issue will follow later but basic knowledge of PHP would help proceedings. It is an extremely well liked programming language which can be embedded in HTML. Its popularity was supported by the following characteristics:

a. It is free.

b. It is simple to work and operate.

c. It is able to be considered a fully object orientated language

d. It can be used on a variety of platforms

e. It is very fact on the Linux server, which makes it great in building difficult web applications

f. It is a great tool for programmers of an advanced nature and is suitable to be used on web pages

g. PHP also integrates very nicely with MYSQL.

Before receiving the PHP service to host a web site, first you must take many issues onboard. Firstly, and especially, it can be difficult to get a good PHP service for hosting web sites. The majority of web hosting companies are in the matter for a fast return on their money. They do not want to offer a full service, so it is common to be without PHP for 2-3 days. Equally, you can do nothing about this as support was unavailable, which is often the case. Finding the right PHP host solution can take many attempts to find the best solution. A reason in this is that not all the firms are commonly known or discussed.

These factors make selecting the best PHP provider a very hard task. However, it is possible to find some advice to follow.

A genuine PHP host will have these areas provided:

a. Technical products. Software and programs including Cron, Python, CGI, MySQL, PHP or Perl need to be on offer. Even if you don't know what they are, be happy to have them as they can be very useful later.

b. Bandwidth: Bandwidth is the volume of files (in gigabytes or megabits per second) that are transferred in and out of your server on a monthly basis - and ultimately determines the number of visitors that can view your website in any given month the more bandwidth, the more users. In this case a bandwidth of 75 GB is a good starting point; though many websites can use 1,000GB, 10,000 or more.

c. Cost: Free does not always equal to good service quality, and 'cheap' does not automatically mean that, you have to make do with inferior service. A good price would be around $10 per month, which provides you with satisfying service.

d. Statistics of web use. You would be surprised how important it is to have information regarding how many visits you have and who or what is linking to your site.

e. Script installers that were created with PHP web hosting in mind. Again, these are vital for many firms and need to be considered. This provision should be given to you by your provider at no extra charge to you. If a provider seeks a fee for this service, tell them that this will not be happening.

Turning attention to the free of PHP host provision, they can have many disadvantages related to them. All firms need revenue and if a firm provides this service for free, they may not be able to do it for too long. This income is produced by them, by advertisements placed upon your Web site. Some forms these advertisements will come in include:

a. Banner based advertisements

b. Pop-up ads

c. Advertisement frames

The web site owner would have no control over these advertisements. This would clearly be a bad situation for a great number of firms to be in. Anecdotal evidence tells of the time one firm had advertisements for a rival product appearing on their site and this is not good. Unfortunately, as the service is free, there is not much that can be done to complain about it.

Another problem with free web hosting sites is that, since they usually have thousands of websites running on a single server, they are prone to frequent crashing.

Equally, as there is no charge, it is usually impossible for the PHP host to offer services, even services that a cheap host may be able to offer.

These issues make it advisable to go for the paid option as opposed the free option. Paying a bit of money will be more than recouped by the extra features obtained.

To be fully focused on the best cheap service of web hosting, bear these issues in mind:

i. You should look for balance among the benefits you aim for. This is because when you opt for a low cost service, you have to make some sacrifices which may affect uptime, customer service or even security. So think about it and determine what would be the ideal combination of benefits you would like to have.

ii. Cpanel is a feature that is useful for installing tools like blogs, discussion forums, shopping carts. It is also used for handling MySQL databases and support centers.

iii. Services of support: 24/7 has to be your requirement. You can never predict a crisis so having this support is vital.

iv. How much disc space is available: The amount of content is on your site will impact on the disc space you need. Bear in mind any expansion before deciding what disc space you need.

v. Having a number of email accounts: If you are a business you need email accounts to be available and if your need is not met, don't hesitate to go with a firm that does meet it. As there are so many rival firms, the power is with the buyer to go where best suits them.

The harder part of your research comes now and it is seeking the companies which provide offers such as guaranteeing your money back if you are unhappy after 30 days or regarding uptime guarantees. These can be hard to find as they all cost money to promise. But seek them, because some firms are available to offer this, and with the advantages already mentioned above they can also offer a commendable service at a welcome price.

You should supplement the above pointers, with your own research before you sign-up with a company that satisfies your requirements and is in your price range.

Now if you have gone through the whole gamut of analysis and research, and finally signed up with a PHP web hosting service provider, how do you know, whether you made the right decision? This is simple- if the rates make you happy, because they are so low, you have at your disposal unlimited email accounts, and reliable 24/7 support, you get free statistics about the traffic at your site along with windows and PHP option, then you have taken the right decision!

About the Author:

Published with permission from http://www.webhostingmadness.com, provider of comprehensive reviews of the best web hosting companies on the Internet.