One of the most important decisions you'll make for your business Web site is selecting which Web hosting service will display your Web pages to the Internet. With a good Internet Service Provider (ISP) you don't have many problems; with a poor ISP you have much pain. So how do you go about shopping?
Types of Web Hosting Services
First, let's examine the types of services available.
Dial-Up Access. There are thousands of local dial-up access providers in the country, each of which also provides Web page hosting for businesses.
Developer's Hosting. A second kind of service is becoming common. Web site developers commonly host the Web pages for the businesses which are their clients, often on a computer in the corner of their office. They often provide good service, since they are customer focused. The downsides may be: (1) price, (2) smaller connection to the Internet backbone, and (3) dependence, which we'll discuss below.
Web-Hosting Only. Increasingly you find companies which specialize in business Web site hosting. They allow no dial-up access (site owners gain access to their Web pages via FTP), which doesn't allow bandwidth (speed of connection to the Internet) to be compromised by access customers frequenting chat rooms. They provide a wide variety of services to their customers. This is where the bargains are to be found. How do you find them? Look at ads in the Web developer magazines at your local newsstand.
Industrial Strength Hosting. If you have a very high traffic site, you'll need to look to the largest national companies which provide mirror sites on both coasts, 24-hour staffing, redundant connections to the Internet backbone, and substantial prices. No bargains here, but you have the expectation of maximum reliability.
Virtual Hosting. These days nearly every ISP offers what is called "virtual hosting" or a "virtual domain." This allows you to have your own domain name such as http://www.yourcompany.com rather than use your ISP's domain name with a subdirectory designating your site, such as http://www.isp.com/yourcompany/. You definitely want virtual hosting. Sometimes an ISP will offer something called a "vanity domain" such as http://yourcompany.isp.com. Don't bother. Pay $100 to register a real domain name, and consider that an investment in marketing your company on the Web.
E-Mail Aliases. Once you have a virtual domain, ask your ISP how many e-mail addresses you are allowed. Many ISPs allow you to set up multiple "aliases" such as This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Also ask if different aliases can be forwarded to more than one e-mail address. The POP e-mail box you have with your local access ISP is probably enough. But larger businesses may want to have multiple POP e-mail boxes at the Web hosting ISP.
StarApple will check the dependency and support of your hosting company _ if you've have choosen another hosting company independant of our hosting services.
We can make the call for you, if your site is down due to hosting issues.
