From small "mom and pop" home-based businesses to mega- stores, people ask
this question in business every single day. Even if you only operate a small,
local business, if you don't have a website (or at least email) people honestly
look at you funny.



A few years ago, website hosting was one of the largest expenses connected
with setting up a website. Now, with dramatic drops in pricing, website hosting
can actually present the least costly component of operating a website.



However, before you run out and sign up for $2-a-month website hosting and
wake up tomorrow filled with regret, take 5 minutes right now and learn the main
points to consider when evaluating any website host.



Total Storage

How much space do you get to store your website files? If you operate a small
website with a handful of pages and only a couple of pictures per page, you can
get by with 5-10 MB (megabytes) of disk space or less. However, if your site
contains dozens of pages and hundreds of pictures, you may need a hosting plan
with 10- 25 MB of space.



Data Transfer / Bandwidth

Here's where many people fall down and get run over by the Internet bus!
Bandwidth represents the total amount of traffic the website host allows you to
receive.



Successful sites that get a lot of traffic eat up more bandwidth than sites
without many visitors. Honestly, bargain website hosting companies don't want
you to get much traffic because your bandwidth costs them money.



If you plan to do any business online, make sure you get a bare minimum of at
least 1 GB (gigabyte) of data transfer per month.



Email "Aliases"

Most web hosts allow you to set up email addresses connected with your
domain, such as jim@thenetreporter.com, and have them forward to your email
account, like yourname@aol.com. The ability to set up email aliases forms an
integral part of any online business. Make sure your hosting company allows you
to set up at least 5 email aliases.



Website Tools

If you want to do anything more than let people look at static web pages, you
will need to have certain tools available. The two most important tools are CGI
and website statistics. These allow you to run scripts and see who came to your
site and when.



Tech Support

Make sure you understand any company's technical support policies and hours
of operation. Don't wait until Saturday afternoon to discover your only help
option is to wait and email them Monday morning.

bout the author:

Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the co-
author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how to use free articles to
quickly drive thousands of targeted visitors to your website or affiliate
links...

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Published on: 2003-12-07 (1308 reads)