A lot of businesses today utilize the Internet so they can compete better in the market. Yet the ultimate trick, though, is to fulfill this goal without spending more of your time and money.

This is becoming far easier, somehow. All you need to do is ask someone to build and maintain your site. Or you can take advantage of the falling prices of web hosting packages, which can already allow you to create a sophisticated website all on your own. The web hosting services will then provide you of servers and computers for all your files.

Majority of the small businesses are into shared servers, where your website gets to share the server space with other companies worldwide. They normally cost from $10 to $50 every month. This is good for starters, but as your business grow, you need to go for dedicated servers.

Fortunately, these too are fast decreasing in price. From a rate of $200 monthly, you can now pay for as low as $100 per month, and it will even get lower. Good, isn’t it? Wait till you hear that along with the vast opportunities dedicated servers present are the challenges you need to hurdle.

Dedicated servers are known for their speed and security, which are lacking in shared servers. With the latter, if one of the sites get the most traffic, your website will eventually slow down. They are also prone from being hacked. Moreover, technical support is better given if you’re into dedicated servers, and it has greater storage capacity so you can basically explore all sorts of media and text files for your website.

Another great advantage of dedicated servers is that you can avail of and manage business e-mail products such as Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange. These types of business e-mail programs allow you to send group messages, organize and track tasks, or set appointments.

But dedicated servers are far complicated to handle. If you don’t have any excellent know-how in web development, more so in web servers, you’ll likely not achieve the kind of results you want. You can hire someone to do that, yet that’s another expense for you. This, as an owner, should be something you need to consider.

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People who invest in things usually don’t keep their pertinent papers at home. Instead, they keep it in a safety deposit box in banks or somewhere doing that kind of services. These documents include certificates of titles, contracts, deeds, and the like. They keep them protected and secured in safes. You can do the same thing when you’re investing in server equipment. In web hosting, there is this term “co-location” that means your equipment is stored safely. It is a way in which to keep your website’s tools protected and secured.

In co-location programs, you invest for your website equipment and take care of the maintenance and upgrades while the co-location providers give you a safe, protected, storage facility. This program is best for webmasters because they not only have their equipment safe, they are also assured of a comforting accommodation for them.

However, what can you definitely get out of co-location? What are its benefits and disadvantages?

Advantages

Co-location has various advantages over virtual web hosting services. It gives you supreme level of management on your website. You have the power to upgrade and maintain your server whatever time you want to because you are the owner. You have all the discretion. You assume full responsibility on the success of your online business because you have the direct control over the functionality, speed, and accessibility of your site. Providers keep your equipment safe by giving the best server area packed with fire-safety devices, temperature control, backup systems, 24/7 security, fast Internet access, and excellent bandwidth. They even offer a control web page where you can see the condition of your equipment as well as of the people who can open your server. What a hassle-free task.

Disadvantages

Despite the big advantage of co-location, the one big disadvantage of it is the cost. No wonder why people still don’t subscribe to this program. Only a few who can afford do. Still, virtual web hosting is where people turn to. It’s not the fees that are hindering people, but the expenses you shed in investing on the equipment. Subscribers should be able to come up with enough resources to be able to buy the expensive servers. One thing is that you may need somebody to play as your web site administrator for your site.  That’s more money to be spent for hiring one.

Well, typically, co-location is for business-minded people and determined web programmers only. If you might be thinking of subscribing, weigh the advantages and disadvantages. You don’t want to spend a dime on something you aren’t sure of.

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The best things in life are free, they say. Fortunately, if you’re a webmaster, you can take advantage of free web hosting service. There are a lot of them over the Internet. This free hosting is ideal for beginners who want to have their website published and call it as their own. Of course, it will be perfect seeing your creation in the Web for free!

But before that, let’s define free hosting. Free hosting is a lot different to virtual web hosting services. It is a free service where you can upload and publish your personal website. Free hosting companies even offer place for commercial websites but, of course, with a few limitations. They usually give you your domain name taken from theirs like www.freehosting.com/yourname or http://yourname.freehosting.com. It’s a lot opposite to paid web hosting services that give you a slot for your own domain name like www.yourname.com. Free hosting service carries with it a number of advantages and disadvantages. Let’s try to check them out.

One major advantage is that you will be able to publish your website online without taking money out of your pocket. After all, it’s for free. Aside from that, they can maintain your site. All you have to do is upload it, sit back, and relax. They even provide you with templates for easy building of your website. They provide pre-installed CGI scripts and offer FTP capabilities for you to create a site without sweat. You need not have technical expertise in creating a website because they lay it out for you. You can have a functional, professional, and commercial-looking website in no time.

Despite those nice offers they have, free hosting services have few drawbacks. True, they give you a good-looking web site for free but with limitations. Later on, they will present to you some offers that you have to pay to keep your site running. Limitations may include database support, software compatibilities, and all-day-long technical support. You also have those banners and text ads, which can be annoying sometimes. You cannot upload a lot of images and other media files. Most of all, expect a lot of downtimes because you’re sharing servers with more than a hundred other sites all over the world.

Free hosting is excellent if you want to publish your website without hassle. Along the way, though, it may be advisable if you can also look for paid hosting sites that you can afford. You can get larger space for your files and you can be assured of better technical support.

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Some people aren’t lucky enough with their web host providers. They don’t get the kind of service they need after being lured by too much promises. Fortunately, they’ve already opened their eyes and saw the truth behind all these. So subscribers of “not so good” web hosting providers decide to discontinue their contract with them, aiming to find a better one. If you are one of them, before you think of leaving, might as well read the following steps in ensuring everything is in place.

1. Create your own backup. Before telling your provider that you will switch, make sure that you have backed up all of your things. Before you cancel your subscription, get ready first—take all you need. Copy all your files, images, design templates, scripts, and databases. Keep a list of all your software, configuration settings, security information, drivers, and others. Also, don’t forget your usernames and passwords if you have any. Even if your potential new host may have different settings, it might help.

2. Get a new web hosting provider. Find a new web host. Before you cancel your old one, get a new one first. But before all that, ensure that your host can support whatever media and text files you have with you, along with the software and scripts. Else, your website will not be running properly even though it’s fully up. Also, make a background check on the reputation of your new host. You can ask friends and families, read and participate in online forums, read some testimonials, and gather online reviews.

3. Check the registration of your domain name. Make sure that you are the registered owner because if not, you will have a hard time dealing with your old web hosting provider. The administrator of your old host might not allow you to transfer or you will have to wait until such time that they will permit you. Anyways, there are web hosting companies that help subscribers to transfer from one host and move to theirs. Should worse comes to worst, at least you have something to rely on.

4. Relocate your site. Your new web host will give you a domain temporarily so you can test. You can upload all your files, scripts, and databases into their servers. Update everything—from the links, scripts, and configuration settings—and see to it that they all run perfectly. Make your e-mail system work too in both old and new. While making your tests, post an announcement in your old site that you are moving and provide alternate e-mail so later they will get used to sending mails to your new address.

5. Renew your domain name registration information. Updates and changes will take a number of days or even weeks before they will be published in the Internet. So do re-register the earliest time possible. Moreover, make sure that it’s your name being signed up.

6. Withdraw your old web hosting contract. Usually, stipulated in contracts are agreements that all your site’s contents belong to you. Check out yours if it is written there. However, if it does not bear those words, it means that everything is a property of the web hosting provider. Should this be the scenario, just make a formal letter stating that you will move out. Make it in a polite manner. It might work!

Now, get ready to go!

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Have you had nightmares that your website is not running all the time? Your web host doesn’t seem to work the way you expect it to. Clients try to shift to other web hosts for some reasons. Among those are promised features not implemented,  poor technical support, overpricing, and poor performance in e-mail service.

If you have those problems, then it’s high time you think of looking for another web host. But you should be careful this time. To help you out, here are some basic tips:

Take everything you want to take with you for the transfer. For sure, you have made backups for all the media and text files you used in building your site. If not, you must do so before you permanently leave your current web host. This is because if you leave your web host, they will surely erase all your files to make way for new clients. You can copy your files, the databases, images, design templates, and other files necessary for your transfer. Include e-mails and profiles of past and frequent clients too.

Make sure that your new web host caters all your needs. Check if they provide support for your software and other services. Check if they offer enhanced features that will help your website run smoothly. Make a list of everything that you need and ask them if they can fully support them. If your site is running with scripts and in new versions of software and databases, make sure that they can execute and run them. For those important types of systems such as online payments, online billings, and others, guarantee that they have solid and well-protected technologies as they usually deal with confidential information.

You also have to bring with you the information regarding your domain name registration. Normally, to change and transfer on to a new web host means a transfer on you domain’s server. You have to know where your domain name is registered. If you forgot, you may access http://www.whois.sc. It will help you find where you registered your domain name as well as the domain server. Look for your registrar, and if you find it, make some necessary adjustments prior to changing web hosts.

Read up as to what to do when you change domain name servers. This will be of help to you. You may change web hosts but rarely change registrars for your domain name. Do not wait for the time that you have to evacuate. Make it ahead of time, so when it comes, you’re definitely ready to leave. Also, inquire from your new web host as to which is your domain server. This is to settle whatever issues that may arise concerning about both past and present domain server provider.

It’s okay to leave, but do so with grace. Be prepared.

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