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A Good Web Hosting Provider Is Vital For An Enjoyable Internet Experience

BY: Neil Day
Words: 470

When looking for a web hosting provider it is important to look around and compare what is on offer. It is important to ensure that each potential provider is offering the same features and benefits. It is not unknown for some providers to make basic options like a good quality control panel optional extras and charge monthly fees for them.

There are a number of different types of web host providers. The first main differentiation is if the host uses Windows as a platform or Linux. One of the big mistakes people tend to make is to automatically choose a Windows based web hosting provider as they use Windows at home and assume that it will be more user friendly or compatible. In reality the reverse tends to be true and the majority of hosting providers use Linux servers to host websites as it is more stable and configurable. This needn�t be of concern if you have no knowledge of Linux as generally speaking you will have very little interaction with the server directly and almost all control panels use a GUI (graphical User interface).

The next major differentiation is the type of hosting you�ll want. If you want to host only one or two websites then you can choose a web hosting provider offering a smaller amount of web space and bandwidth . If you intend to host a number of sites then look for a host that offers reseller accounts. Reseller accounts come with more space and bandwidth and a second control panel which allows you to set up hosting accounts yourself. This ensures that you can manage the reseller account yourself and add up to 50 individual websites to your account.

The next option you may want to consider would be a VPS (Virtual Private Server). A VPS is just like running your own server except that there will be 4 or 5 located on each server. You will have access to various control panels and you will be able to modify the server configuration. A VPS is really only suitable for users with a lot of technical knowledge.

The final type of hosting you may find offered by a web hosting provider is a dedicated server. This is the most expensive option as you have a whole server to yourself. You can usually choose managed servers or unmanaged servers. Unless you are familiar with configuring, updating and managing a dedicated server then always choose the managed option where everything will be done for you.

When looking for a web hosting provider you may find free hosting on offer. Almost without exception these offers should be avoided. You will find that many of the hosts will add adverts or banners to your site. If you want your site to be taken seriously this is definitely not a good option.