Types of Web Hosting Services

First, let's examine the types of services available.

Dial-Up Providers There are thousands of local dial-up access providers in the country, each of which also provides Web page hosting for businesses. ISPs either specialize in dial-up access or Web page hosting, and it's a rare ISP that ends up doing both well. Many dial-up access ISPs don't really understand the needs of small businesses, and aren't quick to improve service. After all, their bread-and-butter is dial-up access, and that's where their focus and investment goes. A few large companies have separate divisions for Web site hosting which help them avoid some of these problems. EZ Start focuses on providing superior service and flexibility to its client base.

Developer Hosting A second kind of service is becoming common. Web site design firms 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:

• smaller connection to the internet backbone
• Lack of 24 hour 7 days a week staffing
• Over dependence on a single company

Commercial Web-Hosting 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 surfing and frequenting chat rooms. They provide a wide variety of services to their customers.

Commerce Hosting If you have a very high traffic site, you'll want 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. There are few bargains here, but if you have the need of maximum reliability it is the best way to go. EZ Start can handle these needs for you in the most cost effective manner.

What about hosts outside of my local area?

How do I upload files to an ISP who isn't in my town or who doesn't have a
local access number? All you need local PPP access to the Internet, commonly
offered in most parts of the US around $20 per month for unlimited service.
EZ Start has unlimited providers who start at $15.95/ month.(billed annually)
This service normally includes a single e-mail address. It also gives you a connection
which allows you to use an FTP program on your desktop computer, enabling you
to upload files to an ISP anywhere in the world, so long as you have the correct
username and password.

Example: Let's say you sign up with a Web hosting service in California
and you are based in in South Carolina. No problem. You can get on
the net through your local ISP in South Carolina, and FTP your files to
your site host in California. E-mail sent to your domain hosted in
California is automatically forwarded to your local e-mail address.
You set the return address on your desktop e-mail program to your
business domain name, and no one will know, nor do they care, that
you have hosting in California.

What to Look For

Shopping for a Web hosting ISP is difficult at best, but these are some of the things that we look for at EZ Start.

Bandwidth The host computer is connected to the Internet backbone typically by T1 and T3 lines. A T1 can carry up to 1.5 mbs (megabits per second), while a T3 can carry 45 mbs. Small ISP hosts sometimes have ISDN connections to the Internet, or "fractional T1" connections (part of a T1). Look for T3 if you can, though a T1 isn't close to its maximum capacity. The expense of installing an adequate pipeline to the Internet can be the chief barrier to setting up your own Web server computer in your office; telephone and other charges are pretty stiff, unless they can be shared with other businesses. Another alternative to explore is "co-hosting" your computer at an ISP's location to take advantage of their connection to the Internet.

Space ISPs usually assign you a certain amount of space on their computer. 5 MB is plenty of space for the Web pages and graphics for most business Web sites. But ask if mail, log files, and system programs are counted in the 5 MB; these can sometimes take up considerable space. Web hosts which include mail and log files in the count commonly offer 15 MB minimum. EZ Start's web hosting typically allow 50 mb of server space.

CGI-bin Access Business accounts need to be able to reference programs in a cgi-bin directory, which includes a cgi program which generates the e-mail message sent out by Web page forms. EZ Start typically uses hosts that have cgi-bin access as a standard feature in all their web hosting packages.

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 as opposed to a domain name with a subdirectory designating your site, such as http://www.isp.com/yourcompany/. Most clients want virtual hosting. Sometimes an ISP will offer something called a "vanity domain" such as http://yourcompany.isp.com. Don't bother. Pay $70 to register a real domain name, and consider that an investment in marketing your site on the Web.

E-Mail Services 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 sales@yourcompany.com or info@yourcompany.com. For the smaller business, you probably don't need POP (Post Office Protocol) e-mail boxes on your Web hosting site. The POP e-mail box that you have with your dial-up access is probably enough. But larger businesses may want to havemultiple POP e-mail boxes at the Web hosting ISP.

Dependence How free are you to choose another Web hosting ISP if this one doesn't work out? If your Web site developer also provides hosting, what kinds of contracts lock you into using those services and for how long? I order to provide our clients with the most competitive rates, EZ Start's host services are typically prepaid on a annual basis. However, if you become dissatisfied we will gladly assist you in the transfer of your domain to another ISP, though you may not always get a refund for the service that you didn't use.

Support How many hours a day are technical support staff available? How quickly do they respond? How much help do they provide? If you need 24-hour technical support -- and larger companies and high-traffic Web sites do -- then expect to pay substantially more. People are much more expensive than machines. At EZ Start, service is our top priority. We always attempt to place our clients with hosts that offer 24 hour a day, 7 day a week service

Statistics Make sure that your Web host ISP provides some sort of statistical data on visitors to your Web pages. EZ Start's hosts provide you with graphical views of your site statistics on an hourly, weekly, and monthly basis.

Database & Commerce Capabilities If you plan to take credit card information over the Web, you'll need to have SSL or another form of transaction security. If you plan to display databases on your Web site, be very careful to get an ISP whose operating system is compatible with the system you use to maintain the database. EZ Start's hosts provide frontpage extensions, and Perl scripting for common database tasks. We can also place your site in a high traffic shopping area with full shoppin cart capability and shared promotion expenses. If your site has other special requirements please contact us.

What Should You Expect to Pay?

The best advice is to know the services you really need, and only pay for those. The typical six-page small business Web site with a single response form, for example, can find good virtual hosting with multiple e-mail aliases, cgi-bin access, for $10 to $50 per month. If you need database or commerce capabilities, expect to pay $50 to $250 per month. Setup fees are typically $50-$650, though sometimes higher for special features. EZ Start normally has no hosting setup fees.

The most difficult thing to learn is how responsive the Web host ISP is to fixing problems which arise. How slow is the site during peak hours? Does the ISP host a very high volume site which slows everybody else down?

EZStart's Hosting Placement Service

Much like shopping, referral is often the safest. That is why our clients utilize our Hosting Placement Service to ensure that they will be placed with a reliable host that they can trust. As well as being assured that they are getting the best hosting rate available to them. For information about our Hosting Placement Services please email: dave@ezstart.com

EZStart Internet Consulting