Ugh!!'s Greymatter Honeypot » web hosting

What sort of host are you on?

Owen — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 10:15:17 +0000

It’s easy for people with a technical background to forget that some terms may not be clear to others. This morning I was speaking to someone about hosting and well, they were getting confused with some pretty basic terminology. So I pulled up an article called A Sundry of Options for Web Hosting that lists the types of web hosting options available and what they mean. In a nutshell you can have:

Free Hosting – At the bottom of the pile you can get hosting that need not cost you a cent. There are usually limitations as to what you can run here though and possibly conditions like advertising on your site. Still, a good way to learn.
Shared Hosting – If you want to be independent, shared hosting is the next step up. This is the best options for most website owners though you need to realise that you’re sharing resources with other websites so choose a host with a good reputation.
Reseller Hosting – Most hosts now offer this option. This means that you can host multiple sites on your service and even charge for your services. Worth exploring if you have more than one site or want to generate an income from your online activities.
Dedicated Hosting – At the top end of the scale, Dedicated Hosting lets you have your own machine with which you are free to do whatever you want. This gives you full control and the best performance, but it also the most expensive of the 4 options.

If you’re interested in website hosting and what options are available, the website I found the article on, Web Hosting Geeks, has reviews and comparisons you might be interested in .. and other articles about hosting too.

Looking for a new webhost?

Owen — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:02:51 +0000

I’ve been looking through Web Hosting Geeks; a website that tries to put together the best web hosting reviews you can find on the web. The top 5 on the list seem to be:

Inmotion
BlueHost
WebHostingPad
HostMonster
JustHost

I do know a couple of them, but I was surprised with the rest as I don’t recognise the names. Looking through these reviews is always a good opportunity to catch up on which companies are making a name for themselves in the industry and to find out what new companies are making a play for a position.

The website also has another couple of interesting sections including a number of articles that explain the ins and outs of web hosting, the different options that are available and what to look for when you come to choosing the right host. The main thing to keep in mind is that particular web hosts tend to focus on certain features at the expense of others (usually cost vs features vs support) and it’s important to know what features you’re after and what sort of cost you’re ready to pay for. For example, BlueHost is particuarly cheap; however there tends to be resource constraints if you try to put too many busy sites on it.

Check it out. Pretty interesting.

Do you really need a .COM domain?

Owen — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:00:20 +0000

An interesting post on Web Hosting Geeks blog talks about the importance of having a .COM domain. It makes some interesting points, particularly about how people tend to remember the main part of a domain name and automatically put a .com at the end of it. The main advice the blog post gives is to make sure you examine all alternatives and try all options before you discard the idea of using a .com domain. I would tend to agree if you’re offering a generic service; however if you do have something that is regionalised then having a country based top-level domain is probably more effective. A website aimed at the UK market for example, if better suited with a .co.uk domain; though I’m sure opinions vary on this.

It’s interesting reading this web hosting blog as there are always some good thoughts and even some tips and tricks for people who run their own website. The bulk of their website consists of a comparison service that ranks different hosting providers and the services they offer. It’s a good idea to check it out before signing up for web hosting as you can see what the strengths and weaknesses of a particular host are. The website also includes a number of customer reviews for each host; which can help you understand how existing customers of a particular host perceive the service they are getting. For example, I do know some people running on BlueHost and here is the BlueHost hosting review page for this service.

Choosing a domain name

Owen — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 23:01:57 +0000

Choosing a domain name is actually a pretty big deal. Think about the amount of effort you put into naming a pet, a child or a house; why should a domain name need any less consideration? In the same way that someone’s name may affect the way other people treat them, your domain name will have an impact on how your website is perceived, and more importantly, how search engines will perceive it.

I came across a great article on Web Hosting Rating; a website that specialises in web hosting providers; which talks about different factors to keep in mind when choosing a domain name. It talks about things like associating the domain name to something your business does, making sure the TLD you choose matches the website and trying to get a short name. There are a number of great articles on the site, so if you’re looking for some web hosting services, check them out.