Tips for finding a Web Hosting
Provider
Selecting an appropriate Internet Presence
Provider for your Web Site is not a simple task. Recently, there has been an
explosion in the number of companies offering Web hosting services. Rates and
requirements vary wildly.
We will try to explain and clear up some of the myths and unknown facts of
this industry
Resellers
The best kept secret among the web hosting industry.
There are only roughly 200 - 300 ISP's dedicated to web hosting that actually
own their own equipment. Everyone else is a "reseller" While this
may not be a bad thing, it can have its complications, let me explain:
The cost of one server can range from $500 to $2000 or more, they usually have
upwards of 30-100. Access lines: one T-1 cost's on the average $1,800 a month,
a T-3 is $45,000 a month, that's right, on the average $45,000 a month. Now
how many $20.00 a month web site plans will they have to sell to just cover
their costs? They need to sell in volume, so they recruit
"resellers".
These resellers in turn to make money must sell in volume so most also recruit
"resellers" and so on and so on, to the point where it's almost a
multi-level marketing plan.
The bad part is after the 3rd or fourth "level" they have no
administrative rights, what this means is that when you have a problem or want
a CGI script installed or an email account added this "reseller"
must contact the person above him, and so on up the chain of command, just to
see if your request is allowed, then get them to take care of the request.
Support? They will have to contact their provider to give you the answer to
your question.
The only way to find out if they are a reseller is to ask, and if you find
them to give you an honest answer, consider going with them. At least you'll
know they probably wont lie to you when problems do arise.
Server hardware
Does it matter what type of hardware the server is? Materially, no. However,
you may have business or personal reasons for a preference. UNIX has an
enviable record of reliability. In fact, there are UNIX-based presence
providers who will guarantee 99%+ uptime.
The primary reason to opt for NT server is still database access. If you want
or need database capabilities, it is simpler to implement those database
capabilities in an NT server environment.
If the provider hedges on what there server is running find someone else,
chances are they are just a reseller, and or has no knowledge and can offer no
real support.
Monthly charges
Prices vary greatly from provider to provider. Computer equipment and internet
access fees have dropped dramatically over the past two years. Today's average
cost is $19.95 - $40.00 a month for a virtual Web site (www.yourdomain.com)
with around 20 MB storage, 500 MB - 1,000 MB data transfer (bandwidth) with
E-mail. Features vary. Ask.
Domain Name
Make sure that you are the Administrative contact on the InterNIC application.
If you ever want to change service providers, your domain name can go with you
if you are listed as the Administrative contact. When you want to move the
domain, you simply contact the new service provider who, in turn, contacts
InterNIC. InterNIC then E-mails you (the Administrative contact) a form to OK
the transfer. Transferring a domain incurs no charge from InterNIC. Some
providers charge for domain transfer.
Web Site Size.
Sales Hype:
Unlimited storage space-$9.99 a month.
350 megs-$19.99 a month.
Web pages themselves are very small. An average business web site is 2-5
megs. RSH Web Services has over 475 HTML files that total to under 6 MB of
disk space.
All ISP's know this. they are counting on the fact that 90% of all web sites
are smaller than 10 megs.
If you need this size of site make sure you get it in writing and read the
fine print.
On the other hand, Multimedia, graphics, sound, animation, movies, etc.
generally is quite space-intensive. One movie segment of a couple of minutes
can easily run upwards of 10 MB. A 20-second sound byte is often in the range
of 200 KB.
If you do exceed your storage limits what are the charges that are incurred?
Rates vary widely. Charges generally vary from $0.50/MB to $2.00/MB over the
allowance. There are some providers who offer no extra space charges, if your
space utilization goes over the limits of your plan, you automatically get
bumped to the next higher plan. This can be a nasty surprise. For instance, if
you sign up for a $19.95/month plan, and the next plan offered is $50/month,
getting bumped up costs you $30/month. Be sure to ask.
Bandwidth
Providers will advertise various types of communications lines: Analog, T1,
T3, OC-3, OC-12, Shared, Dedicated.
It is a very complex process to determine if they're telling the truth. Just
like the used car salesperson, there are unethical sales people and
advertising practices in every field of business.
Also they might be on a OC-3 but sharing it with 200 other web hosting or ISP
companies.
Management practices, not raw bandwidth, determines the performance you will
get from the access lines and provider. For instance, I could get a OC-12
line. That sounds great!. But if its a shared line with 50 other ISP's, or I
connect it to a 486-33 machine as the server, the bandwidth won't help much.
Likewise, I could get a gigantic server, but load it with a few thousand very
interactive Web sites, (Yahoo, cNET, chatrooms...) and performance would
suffer.
Performance results from a blend of available bandwidth, server management,
and Web site design characteristics.
Bandwidth - Data transfer limits or restrictions:
This is the volume of information that moves to and from your Web site. Limits
vary from 200 MB/month to "Unlimited" transfer.
No one has true unlimited bandwidth, this is another sales pitch, the average
web site gets roughly 20-100 hits a day, ISP's on the average normally
allocate 1000-1500 hits a day per web site, go over this and you will get
charged or asked to upgrade your services. Try this: tell them you have a site
that averages 70,000 hits a day, watch them cringe.
If you know your goal, method of operation, and the provider is not giving you
a sales pitch, these bandwidth limits are not a problem.
Typical line designations and what they mean:
33.6 / 56.6 - this is a standard analog phone line transmission rate. Fine for
a single user.
ISDN - This is a 128 K digital line. With roughly five times the capacity of a
28.8 line, a dedicated ISDN line can handle 10-20 concurrent users on an
average site (no heavy graphics concentration) with little problem.
T1 - 1.544 Mbps (1 Mbps = 1,000 Kbps)- 50 times the capacity of the standard
28.8 analog phone line. Each T1 has 24 "channels" (i.e. voice
circuits or lines) each carrying transmissions at 64 KB.
T3 - 44.5 Mbps (28 times the capacity of the T1) Each T3 has 672
"channels"
OC-3 - 155 Mbps (100 times the capacity of the T1, more than 3 times the
capacity of the T3)
Security:
There are many valid reasons for needing secure portions of a Web site. While
password security is standard with most Web servers, some providers disable
password security. Some providers don't allow customers to use it all. Some
have very low limits. Does the provider offer a secure server environment?
(SSL) If you are considering on-line transactions, you should offer that
capability via a secure server. Secure servers greatly reduce consumer and
seller fears of "stolen" information. If this an issue with your
site, ask the provider about the password and SSL policy.
E-mail:
E-mail capabilities are also different. Some advertise E-mail accounts but all
they they do is redirect mail to your local ISP email account. Some hold the
E-mail until specific times when they send and deliver. This could create
surprises if you are unaware of the polices. You should at least expect a full
send and receive account with a Domain Name Web Site.
Support:
Support comes in all flavors --- E-mail only, phone support, newsgroups, chat
groups, etc. Support is more important if you are just starting out, but
support is important to everyone. The Web still holds frustrations, and good
support people can keep those to a minimum.
Long Term Contract:
There are a few presence providers who offer greatly discounted rates on the
condition that you sign a twelve-month contract. In a fast-moving technology
area, twelve months is a long time. Often, the discounted rate is only the
same as any number of providers who have no such 12-month minimum. The minimum
may be fine, or it may be an indication that the provider needs money
"up-front" to keep going. You have to ask how you would feel about
committing to a one-year contract on any service without first trying it. And
this type of commitment is worse, because wholesale changes in the technology
infrastructure can occur within a matter of months. Also if you decide to
leave, will you get a refund? Get this in writing!
CGI, Java, Front Page:
Is CGI supported, Is Java supported on the Web server? CGI and Java is already
becoming a requirement for an advanced Web site. double-check. Front Page
extensions are very popular, and is a good indication if the ISP is keeping up
with new standards.
Adult Sites:
Does the provider allow adult-oriented sites? This is important for two
reasons. If you personally disapprove of adult-oriented material, you may not
want to do business with a provider who offers such services. On the
operations side, adult sites can have enormous hit rates that can easily
consume a whole server.
References:
Don't be afraid to ask for references. That Web site is your business. Your
customers ask you for references. You may be more comfortable getting
references as well. Just be sure to find references that have something in
common with your situation. If you are just starting, it does you little good
to talk to a happy customer named "UNIX Aces" as a reference.
Likewise, if you are an experienced Web developer, you may have little in
common with "Ken and Karen's Wonderful Web Page."
Connection:
There is no requirement that one service provider handles your connection,
E-mail, newsgroups access, and Web site. Geography doesn't matter here. You
can have a local connectivity provider in New York with a Web site presence
provider in California. In fact, this may make sense for support hours. You
are not limited to having one service provider. I would recommend
disentangling these functions. Find a good local connectivity supplier (ISP),
and then look for a presence provider who specializes in Web presence sites.
You generally get more capabilities for less money, and bandwidth will not be
tied up with dial-up accounts!
Conclusion:
Treat this like a business deal, not a toss of the coin. Your Web site is your
image to the wired world. What seem like trivial issues may be enough to
dissuade your visitors from returning. Do things right and, like any business,
you will prosper.
However, unlike any other business, Web services and quality may be totally
unrelated to charges.
Shop carefully!
There is no reference for our services on this page, our intent was not to
sell you on our services, but to give you some general information on this
industry so you could make a more informed decision. If you would like to know
about this industry or our services please see the rest of this web site or
e-mail us.