Web Hosting for Startups

By Matt Hedges

If you want to set up your own website, be it for business purposes or communicating to the world, there are a number of things that first time web site owners should be aware. The modern market place is such that it is infeasible for a firm not to have a presence on the internet. There are so many benefits that come with having a proper structure in place and having strong sales, promotional and marketing channels available which makes them necessary for any startup site. Of course, many new sites or firms do not have a large budget for such items and they need to create their website in a way that promotes efficiency and is extremely cost-effective.

There is no doubt that a website plays a very active role in creating the opinion a consumer has of a company. It is their gateway to the world, it can increase the rate of traffic a company receives and it can help them create their own little niche on the internet. Needless to say, if you are an internet based company, the website has to be a pressing priority.

There are many web hosting companies that offer special packages for the startups. The web hosting packages offered by them are designed keeping in mind the requirements of a new business and of those wanting to share knowledge. The SEO experts of these companies are specially to provide you with potentially strong techniques to drive traffic into your website

Processes that startup firms need to follow for web hosting:

It can be a little tricky to host a website for the first time. Following some of the basic steps that are listed here will enable any new user to make the best decision about what web hosting company is best for them and their needs:

First browse the internet and ask for the free quotes from the various Web Hosting companies offering Web Hosting services for the startups.

Select the one that meets the requirements of your business and meet your budget. Find out the services, facilities and supports provided by the company. Check out the products and the prices. Compare them.

* Having chosen your firm, sign up online. Go through the join up process and offer up the details that they request, which may include name, address ad credit card details.

After applying, wait for the approval which may take a day or two.

* Wait for the official confirmation and having a hosting account set up for you and then go about hosting your very own website on the World Wide Web.

What goes into a Startup package provided by Web Hosts?

There is a growing number of firms who provide startup packages with the new website owners in mind. These new owners may be businesses or they may bloggers. The new owners don't usually have high demands or expectations but they also usually have a limited budget. These are the key factors that the web hosting companies keep in mind when they offer startup packages.

What should be in the typical Startup package provide by Web Hosts:

There are a number of common occurrences which a web host may offer in a package designed for a new startup company although the actual offer may differ between different sites.

* Web Management system - This will include a base amount of between 20MB and 50MB disk storage space. It should also include a minimum of 10GB each month for data transfers, the ability to have complete FTP and anonymous FTP access. In addition to these services, there should also be the provision of Static IP Address and Secure Server (SSL) Transaction Encryption.

* Email Features - Every web hosting package should feature email facilities. The majority of packages for startup firms have roughly 10 email accounts, which are commonly POP/Web accounts. There should also be the facility for email aliases and forwarding, the opportunity to have PGP Email Encryption, Personal SMTP Mail Server and lastly be equipped to provide an auto response facility within the email.

* E-Commerce - If you are looking to provide a shopping facility on your site, the following features will be vital. Having Password Protected Directories and Service Side Includes (SSI) can make your life much easier. As can having access to PHP4 Server-side Scripting and SSH-Secure Shell.

* Technical Support - Most new customers require the facility of 24 hour support, which can be offered through ticket support and it is common for firms to state they guarantee 99.9% uptime each year.

* Website Monitoring - Some of these packages include Wusage 7.0 Graphical Statistics, Raw Access Logs which can be downloaded and DailyData Backups.

Additional Software - The package may also include some additional software like Enhanced Support for FrontPage Extensions and Web Based Control Panel.

Hardware & Network - Many of the startup packages include Dual- 1 Ghz Pentium IV Servers, Custom Red Hat Server OS, Apache Server Software, 10-T1, 5-DS3, and 1-OC3 Network Connectivity and Uninterruptible Power

Advanced Features - Many of the startup package these days come with the advanced features which includes CGI Bin, Custom MIME Types, Unix Shells: bash, csh, tsh, Perl, C, C++, Java JDK, Python & TCL Compilers, Emacs 20.4, Pine, vi, elm, Joe, Pico & Cron Tab, .htaccess, Custom Error Documents and 30-day Money Back Service Guarantee.

Key issues for Startup companies:

People starting a new business and those who are planning to host their website in the world web should always be aware about the goal of the website. They must be clear about what their website wants to archive. This clarification is essential before going ahead with hosting the website on the web world. Here are some of the important tips that the startups can keep in mind before hosting their website.

* Many visitors to websites have short attention spans so the start-up website needs to be attractive and able to grab peoples attention very quickly. Thinking about what will bring people to the website will help the owner make the website more attractive to visitors.

* Good use of search engine optimization facilities can be vital for any startup website and these should compliment the existing content on the site.

* You should have an idea of how you want your site, company or products to be promoted on the internet.

* Being attractive to search engines is good but a firm needs to provide engaging content to keep customers coming back to the site.

* Think of how many other sites are starting up just now. You need to ensure your firm stands out from the rest of them.

* If you need a guaranteed performance from your web host then do not go for a shared web host service as they cannot offer performance guarantees.

* Make sure the web host company is able to offer speedy connections.

* Ask if there is any back-up system in store in case your web host provider loses power.

* Be sure to ask questions of their customer support service.

* If you need a secure server for order processing, ensure this is offered by your firm. Also enquire if they have an online Web Site Manager or do they provide an online support manual.

While starting a new website, there are various pitfalls that one needs to avoid. A well structured and search engine optimized website can bring the right traffic and growth for the company. It is recommended to seek the help from the professional Web hosts who can tactfully recognize the requirements of the startups and provide the most efficient services.

About the Author:

Republished with permission from http://www.webhostingmadness.com, a publisher of hosting company ratings, comparisons and detailed articles about the web hosting industry.