Website creation, web design, scripting, database, eCommerce, search engine optimization, keywords, control panels, FTP, email clients, bandwidth, disk spce, IP addresses, DNS, domain names, etc. These terms and phrases are related to the web hosting industry and can easily be found in many web hosting providers' glossary and knowledgebase. All of this can be very overwhelming to a new website owner or something new to web hosting. There seems to be a web hosting solution for almost every problem related to the Internet, but not all of the problems are within the boundaries of web hosting support.
Support Tickets
Many people become confused with what their web hosting provider should be able to help. When you visit the support section of most web hosting sites, you will see a menu that lists a variety of categories in which you can file your complaint or inquiry. Many of these categories appear to represent your problem, but that is not always the case.
For example, if you are having a problem editing your website's template or installing a third party plug-in onto your website. You may assume that it is a scripting issue. However, in all actuality, it is not a scripting issue that is directly related to your web hosting account. Your web hosting company may advise you to consult with a web design professional. Many people will see this as a lack of support even though that might be the best solution they can offer. Support ticket categories are perhaps the leading cause of confusion and frustration.
Terms and Conditions
A more accurate way to assess the boundaries of your web hosting provider support capabilities is to refer to its Terms of Service. Very often you will be able to find information about what the support staff is able to help you with. A good rule of thumb is - if the problem cannot be solved within your control panel, then the web hosting company probably cannot help you with it.
Phone Support
The easiest way to find out whether or not your problem can be solved by your web hosting company is to call them and find out in real time. Instead of waiting for an email response you may find it more time-efficient to speak with a customer service representative on the phone (or a Live Chat). This will eliminate confusion and frustration that results from information "lost in translation" via email.
Share |
Showing posts with label Free Web Hosting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Free Web Hosting. Show all posts
what kind of hosting do you need
There are many web hosting options available nowadays: free web hosting, shared hosting, dedicated server, and the list goes on. All these options serve the same purpose, which is hosting your content so that it can be accessed and viewed by people on the Internet. The major difference is how each is structured as well as the benefits they offer.
Let's have a closer look at each of them.
Free Web Hosting
What can be better than a free web hosting plan? This is a great option for someone who wants to create a homepage or small website to share with friends and family. While free web hosting has received criticism for its lack of features, security and customer support, there are a few reliable free web hosting providers that you can trust. However, keep in mind that free web hosting is more geared for giving you a taste of having and maintaining a small, personal website. If you want to establish a powerful web presence with an online business, you will need to consider a paid hosting service that offers more control, security and reliability.
Shared Hosting
As the name implies, shared hosting is an environment where you are sharing space on a web server with other users. As clients are sharing the cost of the server, this is the most affordable and popular solution for personal users and small businesses as companies to set up blog, e-commerce and other advanced applications. However, when hosting on a shared server, you are exposed to all the activities of your neighbors. If someone makes a huge scripting error, the entire server can suffer. If someone experiences a sudden burst in traffic, your site might run slower. If the server goes down, so does your website and ultimately, your business.
Dedicated Hosting
When your business takes off and requires more than the typical sharing server resources, it's time to move up to the dedicated server. Now you're in the big leagues with an entire server dedicated to your hosting needs. However, without any experience, succeeding with this hosting option is nearly impossible - those who require a dedicated server but don't know a thing about server administration can get by with managed hosting. In this scenario, the hosting service provider handles all the management tasks which frees you up to focus on other areas of the business. Keep in mind that a managed service requires is generally more costly.
What is the Best Hosting For You?
The best advice we can give about hosting is to know what you're getting into. Free services are geared for personal sites, shared hosting is suited for small businesses and a dedicated server is designed for larger hosting needs, yet is far more expensive. By knowing what your site requires, it will be much easier to determine which is the best solution.
Let's have a closer look at each of them.
Free Web Hosting
What can be better than a free web hosting plan? This is a great option for someone who wants to create a homepage or small website to share with friends and family. While free web hosting has received criticism for its lack of features, security and customer support, there are a few reliable free web hosting providers that you can trust. However, keep in mind that free web hosting is more geared for giving you a taste of having and maintaining a small, personal website. If you want to establish a powerful web presence with an online business, you will need to consider a paid hosting service that offers more control, security and reliability.
Shared Hosting
As the name implies, shared hosting is an environment where you are sharing space on a web server with other users. As clients are sharing the cost of the server, this is the most affordable and popular solution for personal users and small businesses as companies to set up blog, e-commerce and other advanced applications. However, when hosting on a shared server, you are exposed to all the activities of your neighbors. If someone makes a huge scripting error, the entire server can suffer. If someone experiences a sudden burst in traffic, your site might run slower. If the server goes down, so does your website and ultimately, your business.
Dedicated Hosting
When your business takes off and requires more than the typical sharing server resources, it's time to move up to the dedicated server. Now you're in the big leagues with an entire server dedicated to your hosting needs. However, without any experience, succeeding with this hosting option is nearly impossible - those who require a dedicated server but don't know a thing about server administration can get by with managed hosting. In this scenario, the hosting service provider handles all the management tasks which frees you up to focus on other areas of the business. Keep in mind that a managed service requires is generally more costly.
What is the Best Hosting For You?
The best advice we can give about hosting is to know what you're getting into. Free services are geared for personal sites, shared hosting is suited for small businesses and a dedicated server is designed for larger hosting needs, yet is far more expensive. By knowing what your site requires, it will be much easier to determine which is the best solution.
what is web hosting
Web hosting is a service that allows organizations and individuals to post a website or web page on to the Internet. A web host, or web hosting service provider, is a business that provides the technologies and services needed for the website or webpage to be viewed in the Internet. Websites are hosted, or stored, on special computers called servers.
When Internet users want to view your website, all they need to do is type your website address into their browser. Their computer will then connect to your server and your webpages will be delivered to them through the browser.
Most web hosting companies require that you own your domain name in order to host with them. If you do not have a domain name, the web hosting companies will help you purchase one.
The basic features of a web hosting plan include:
Disk Space
All web hosting accounts offer a certain amount of disk space that you can use to store your web files. It is recommended that you have some sort of estimates on what you need for various tasks - the amount of space you need for your emails, web files, databases, etc. By breaking down your usage, you can better estimate how much space you should go for.
Bandwidth or Data Transfer
Very often web hosts talk about bandwidth and data transfer as the same entity. However, they are in fact, different.
Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be transferred at one time.
Data transfer is the actual amount of data transferred.
Think of it this way. If bandwidth were a tunnel, the bigger the tunnel the more cars can pass through it. Data transfer would then be the number of cars allowed to go through the tunnel in a given time period, say a month.
The less bandwidth you have, the slower it takes your website to load, regardless of your visitor's connection type. Visitors will have to wait their turn. The less data transfer you have, the more often you will find your website unavailable because you have reached the maximum amount of data allowed to be transferred.
To determine what is sufficient, you need to take into consideration the size of your website and the number of visitors you have in a month's time.
Email Accounts
Email accounts are a common feature of web hosting, especially if you are hosting a domain. There are three main types of email accounts: POP3, forwarding, and aliases.
POP3 accounts are the traditional inboxes. You have space on the server to store your emails, and at the same time, you can use an email program to download your mail. Each login and password combination usually equates to one account.
Forwarding mail accounts are useful if you are employing the service of another company to filter your emails for you. Rather than storing your emails on your mail server, emails are redirected to another email address.
Aliases accounts are similar to forwarding mail accounts. Some hosts allow you to setup a catch-all alias, which is often used to collect emails sent to addresses not recognized by your mail server.
FTP Access
After you have created your web pages on your computer, you need to transfer those files to your web server. The files are transferred to the server by use of FTP.
FTP is also the protocol of downloading your web files from the server to your computer, ie. backing up your website files.
When Internet users want to view your website, all they need to do is type your website address into their browser. Their computer will then connect to your server and your webpages will be delivered to them through the browser.
Most web hosting companies require that you own your domain name in order to host with them. If you do not have a domain name, the web hosting companies will help you purchase one.
The basic features of a web hosting plan include:
Disk Space
All web hosting accounts offer a certain amount of disk space that you can use to store your web files. It is recommended that you have some sort of estimates on what you need for various tasks - the amount of space you need for your emails, web files, databases, etc. By breaking down your usage, you can better estimate how much space you should go for.
Bandwidth or Data Transfer
Very often web hosts talk about bandwidth and data transfer as the same entity. However, they are in fact, different.
Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be transferred at one time.
Data transfer is the actual amount of data transferred.
Think of it this way. If bandwidth were a tunnel, the bigger the tunnel the more cars can pass through it. Data transfer would then be the number of cars allowed to go through the tunnel in a given time period, say a month.
The less bandwidth you have, the slower it takes your website to load, regardless of your visitor's connection type. Visitors will have to wait their turn. The less data transfer you have, the more often you will find your website unavailable because you have reached the maximum amount of data allowed to be transferred.
To determine what is sufficient, you need to take into consideration the size of your website and the number of visitors you have in a month's time.
Email Accounts
Email accounts are a common feature of web hosting, especially if you are hosting a domain. There are three main types of email accounts: POP3, forwarding, and aliases.
POP3 accounts are the traditional inboxes. You have space on the server to store your emails, and at the same time, you can use an email program to download your mail. Each login and password combination usually equates to one account.
Forwarding mail accounts are useful if you are employing the service of another company to filter your emails for you. Rather than storing your emails on your mail server, emails are redirected to another email address.
Aliases accounts are similar to forwarding mail accounts. Some hosts allow you to setup a catch-all alias, which is often used to collect emails sent to addresses not recognized by your mail server.
FTP Access
After you have created your web pages on your computer, you need to transfer those files to your web server. The files are transferred to the server by use of FTP.
FTP is also the protocol of downloading your web files from the server to your computer, ie. backing up your website files.
Is your free web hosting provider promising you things it can't deliver
Even the most respected free web hosting provider can make promises it can't keep. While some of these promises seem harmless or insignificant, some people might argue that it is never right to mislead your customers.
Here are some of the common "misleading" promises broken.
Promise to provide Unlimited Disk Storage.
No web hosting company can provide an unlimited amount of disk storage. It is not possible. Many web hosting companies are relying on the fact that no customer actually need a huge amount of disk space. If you do, they'd advice that you've outgrown the free web hosting services and need a more expensive dedicated hosting plan.
Promise of Free Domain Names.
Domain names are not free. When you register for a domain name, a registration fee is required by the domain registry. This fee is to ensure that you have rights to use the domain name for the duration of the registration term.
If a web hosting company is giving out free domain names, it's usually under one of the following conditions:
You are beholden to the web hosting company if you want to continue to use your domain name, or
Instead of having your own domain name (ie. yourdomain.com), you're given a subdomain or subfolder under the company's domain name, ie. "http://www.thehost.com/subfolder/.../yourID"
Problems with 1) is that if you should decide you want to move to another web hosting company, you have to pay a penalty that's most often more expensive than the original cost of the domain name.
Problems with 2) includes an unprofessional, not to mention hard-to-remember, domain name, and it is not transferrable.
Promise of Free Web Hosting.
Many free web hosting companies will offer you web hosting services for free, but with forced ads plastered all over your website. Some web hosting companies will provide you with the option to remove the ads, but with a cost. Imagine how unprofessional your website would look with ads in the header, sidebar, footer, etc.
So, the next time you see a web hosting company offering free domain names, free web hosting and unlimited storage, you know what to expect - promises will be broken.
Share |
Here are some of the common "misleading" promises broken.
Promise to provide Unlimited Disk Storage.
No web hosting company can provide an unlimited amount of disk storage. It is not possible. Many web hosting companies are relying on the fact that no customer actually need a huge amount of disk space. If you do, they'd advice that you've outgrown the free web hosting services and need a more expensive dedicated hosting plan.
Promise of Free Domain Names.
Domain names are not free. When you register for a domain name, a registration fee is required by the domain registry. This fee is to ensure that you have rights to use the domain name for the duration of the registration term.
If a web hosting company is giving out free domain names, it's usually under one of the following conditions:
You are beholden to the web hosting company if you want to continue to use your domain name, or
Instead of having your own domain name (ie. yourdomain.com), you're given a subdomain or subfolder under the company's domain name, ie. "http://www.thehost.com/subfolder/.../yourID"
Problems with 1) is that if you should decide you want to move to another web hosting company, you have to pay a penalty that's most often more expensive than the original cost of the domain name.
Problems with 2) includes an unprofessional, not to mention hard-to-remember, domain name, and it is not transferrable.
Promise of Free Web Hosting.
Many free web hosting companies will offer you web hosting services for free, but with forced ads plastered all over your website. Some web hosting companies will provide you with the option to remove the ads, but with a cost. Imagine how unprofessional your website would look with ads in the header, sidebar, footer, etc.
So, the next time you see a web hosting company offering free domain names, free web hosting and unlimited storage, you know what to expect - promises will be broken.
Share |
Free Website vs. Facebook - which first
Free Website vs. Facebook - which first?
So you've decided it is time to establish an online presence for your business. Your buddy suggests getting your own website; your teenage nephew says, Facebook Pages is free and not to mention the millions of users you can reach!
Now which one do you choose, your own website or a Facebook Page?
Creating a Facebook Page is easy. Signup. Write. Post. Tada! Your page is now accessible to millions of potential customers.
Facebook Pages, or any social networking sites give you an extra reach you don't get with your website. It can help you promote your business to a massive audience without costing you a dime. It allows you to develop your company image and get creative with your audiences and customers.
However, to develop a long term business strategy and loyal customers, you need your own website, and here's why:
Problems with social networking sites:
No ownership, no control. Social networking sites can change its policies, lose data, or one day goes out of business, all at their own discretion.
Not everyone is on social media networking sites. For example, the majority of Facebook users in the United States are female between the ages of 18-25. (reference: http://www.checkfacebook.com/)
A social media networking site URL doesn't deliver the professionalism a website URL does. Would you buy from an online business that only has a Facebook Page and not their own website?
Your website should always be the foundation of your company's online presence. It plays an important part in how your business is seen online.
If the main reason why you would consider a Facebook Page and not your own website is because setting up a Facebook Page is free, then maybe you should know that setting up your own website with your own domain name is not as expensive as you'd think. Many free web hosting companies offer free web hosting services if you purchase a domain name from them. Take advantage of the competitive web hosting market, look for a free web hosting company that also offers free email services, a free website creator and applications to help you build your website, and most of all, no forced ads.
Your own "http://www.yourbusiness.com" , complete with a decent-looking website and @yourbusiness.com email addresses - now that's the kind of online presence that your business needs, first.
Share |
So you've decided it is time to establish an online presence for your business. Your buddy suggests getting your own website; your teenage nephew says, Facebook Pages is free and not to mention the millions of users you can reach!
Now which one do you choose, your own website or a Facebook Page?
Creating a Facebook Page is easy. Signup. Write. Post. Tada! Your page is now accessible to millions of potential customers.
Facebook Pages, or any social networking sites give you an extra reach you don't get with your website. It can help you promote your business to a massive audience without costing you a dime. It allows you to develop your company image and get creative with your audiences and customers.
However, to develop a long term business strategy and loyal customers, you need your own website, and here's why:
Problems with social networking sites:
No ownership, no control. Social networking sites can change its policies, lose data, or one day goes out of business, all at their own discretion.
Not everyone is on social media networking sites. For example, the majority of Facebook users in the United States are female between the ages of 18-25. (reference: http://www.checkfacebook.com/)
A social media networking site URL doesn't deliver the professionalism a website URL does. Would you buy from an online business that only has a Facebook Page and not their own website?
Your website should always be the foundation of your company's online presence. It plays an important part in how your business is seen online.
If the main reason why you would consider a Facebook Page and not your own website is because setting up a Facebook Page is free, then maybe you should know that setting up your own website with your own domain name is not as expensive as you'd think. Many free web hosting companies offer free web hosting services if you purchase a domain name from them. Take advantage of the competitive web hosting market, look for a free web hosting company that also offers free email services, a free website creator and applications to help you build your website, and most of all, no forced ads.
Your own "http://www.yourbusiness.com" , complete with a decent-looking website and @yourbusiness.com email addresses - now that's the kind of online presence that your business needs, first.
Share |
Free Web Hosting - Getting Started
Domain name. Hosting. Content. These are the three essentials to putting your website on the Internet. With all the different domain name extensions, registration terms, hosting packages and techical jargons (ie. FTP, SMTP, PHP, etc.) - the simple vision of your own website online has now turned into something mind boggling, confusing and intimidating.
Let's help you break the entire process down into simple, easy-to-follow (and understandable) steps.
1. The purpose of your website
The first thing you need to do is make a list of why you want a website. Do you want a website because you want to share your writings or photos with friends or family? Or do you want to sell your products online?
2. Decide on a domain name
When you've determined the purpose of your website then it'll be easy to come up with a suitable domain name (ie. name for the website). Don't fall into the "free" trap - many free web hosting service providers gives you a free website name. But what you don't realize is, your website name will be a derivative of "http://www.serviceprovider.com/subfolder/.../yourMemberID". Not exactly the most user-friendly nor professional name now.
A common misunderstanding is that you can get a domain name for free.
While completely free web hosting services exist, domain name registrations are not free. In order to use "http://www.yourname.com", you need to pay the .COM Registry registration fee. This fee guarantees that your name will be yours to use for the duration of your registration term.
If the .COM version of your desired name is not available, you have the option to get the .NET, .ORG, .BIZ, .US, .INFO or even .CA, .UK, etc. The list goes on and on... Most people usually go for the .NET version if the .COM is not available. It's completely up to you. If your website is about sharing information, then you should consider .INFO. If your website is for your business, then a .BIZ would be good, too.
3. Your needs
Will you be expecting a lot of visitors a day? By a lot, we're talking about in the thousands. Do you have a lot of photos or files to share with your visitors? If yes, then ample bandwidth and disk space will be on your shopping list.
If you're setting up an online store AND will be accepting credit card information from your customers, then you'll need to consider advanced security options (ie. SSL certificate). For more information on setting up an online store, click here (link to "Free Web Hosting and Ecommerce" article).
If this is your first website and you're just experimenting, then your list will be shorter - all you need is a free web hosting plan. A free web hosting plan will offer you the basic necessities to have a website on the Internet without any of the fancy bells and whistles.
4. Find a reputable free web hosting service
Once you have an idea of what you need, you need to find a reputable web hosting service. There are many places you can go to find a service provider. You can do a search for "free web hosting companies" on Google, but do keep in mind that just because a company is listed on the first page of Google doesn't mean it's 100% safe and legit. It's always best to shop around or ask people for referrals and references.
Basic things to look for in a free web hosting service plan:
It allows you to use your own domain name. Again, you don't want a website name that's "http://www.notyourcompany.com/notyourfolder/.../yourMemberID"
There are no forced ad banners
It comes with web hosting storage (for beginners, 100MB is more than enough)
It comes with bandwidth/data transfer (for beginners, 1000MB is ample)
It comes with email services. With your own domain name, you'll want to be able to setup @yourdomain.com accounts
Once you've found the free web hosting service that best suits your needs, then you can go ahead and start designing your new website and enjoy the fun and joy that a website can bring.
Let's help you break the entire process down into simple, easy-to-follow (and understandable) steps.
1. The purpose of your website
The first thing you need to do is make a list of why you want a website. Do you want a website because you want to share your writings or photos with friends or family? Or do you want to sell your products online?
2. Decide on a domain name
When you've determined the purpose of your website then it'll be easy to come up with a suitable domain name (ie. name for the website). Don't fall into the "free" trap - many free web hosting service providers gives you a free website name. But what you don't realize is, your website name will be a derivative of "http://www.serviceprovider.com/subfolder/.../yourMemberID". Not exactly the most user-friendly nor professional name now.
A common misunderstanding is that you can get a domain name for free.
While completely free web hosting services exist, domain name registrations are not free. In order to use "http://www.yourname.com", you need to pay the .COM Registry registration fee. This fee guarantees that your name will be yours to use for the duration of your registration term.
If the .COM version of your desired name is not available, you have the option to get the .NET, .ORG, .BIZ, .US, .INFO or even .CA, .UK, etc. The list goes on and on... Most people usually go for the .NET version if the .COM is not available. It's completely up to you. If your website is about sharing information, then you should consider .INFO. If your website is for your business, then a .BIZ would be good, too.
3. Your needs
Will you be expecting a lot of visitors a day? By a lot, we're talking about in the thousands. Do you have a lot of photos or files to share with your visitors? If yes, then ample bandwidth and disk space will be on your shopping list.
If you're setting up an online store AND will be accepting credit card information from your customers, then you'll need to consider advanced security options (ie. SSL certificate). For more information on setting up an online store, click here (link to "Free Web Hosting and Ecommerce" article).
If this is your first website and you're just experimenting, then your list will be shorter - all you need is a free web hosting plan. A free web hosting plan will offer you the basic necessities to have a website on the Internet without any of the fancy bells and whistles.
4. Find a reputable free web hosting service
Once you have an idea of what you need, you need to find a reputable web hosting service. There are many places you can go to find a service provider. You can do a search for "free web hosting companies" on Google, but do keep in mind that just because a company is listed on the first page of Google doesn't mean it's 100% safe and legit. It's always best to shop around or ask people for referrals and references.
Basic things to look for in a free web hosting service plan:
It allows you to use your own domain name. Again, you don't want a website name that's "http://www.notyourcompany.com/notyourfolder/.../yourMemberID"
There are no forced ad banners
It comes with web hosting storage (for beginners, 100MB is more than enough)
It comes with bandwidth/data transfer (for beginners, 1000MB is ample)
It comes with email services. With your own domain name, you'll want to be able to setup @yourdomain.com accounts
Once you've found the free web hosting service that best suits your needs, then you can go ahead and start designing your new website and enjoy the fun and joy that a website can bring.
Changing Web Hosting Service Providers
There are many reasons why individuals or companies want to change to a new web hosting company. It could be as simple as not enough storage space or bandwidth, or it could be due to its customer service, or lack thereof.
Easier said than done? Changing to a new web hosting company may sound like a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be that complex - there are just a few things to keep in mind.
Keep your web hosting account with your existing host open
It is recommend that you keep your existing web hosting account active until you have completed the transition steps (ie. new account setup, file transfer, email creation and setup, DNS modification and propagation).This will ensure that your website and domain email accounts will be running during the transition.
Choose a suitable new web hosting provider
Considerations include:
a) Type of OS (Windows vs. Linux) - it depends on the technologies your website requires. For example, if your website requires ASP, MSSQL, MSACCESS or other Microsoft-specific technologies, then you will need to find a Windows-platform web hosting plan.
b) Bandwidth and disk space requirements
Make a backup copy of your existing website: download old account files
Ideally, files should be downloaded in the same tree structure in which you want to upload it later. Also look for any file or chmod permissions that you might to set on any folder or file. This is a fairly easy task and can easily be accomplished by FTP.
However, some free web hosting providers do not offer FTP access. This is especially true if you're currently using a free Flash/drag-and-drop website creation service (ie. Weebly.com, WIX.com).
If this is the case, you will not be able to download your existing web files and will have to re-create your new web files. You should check to see if your new web hosting provider offers a free website creator.
To avoid running into the same problem in the future, make sure your new web hosting provider offers FTP access.
Setup new (same) email addresses
To ensure that emails are properly received, it is important to keep the same email addresses, including email aliases and forwarders.
DNS changes and propagation
Once you have uploaded your web files to the new web hosting server and re-created your email accounts, you can go ahead and make the necessary domain name server (DNS) changes.
DNS is usually obtained once you have signed up with the new web hosting provider. You will need to replace your existing DNS settings with the new one - this is usually done via your domain management panel (your domain registrar).
The new DNS will take anywhere between 24-48 hours to propagate, therefore the old web host is responsible for website and email in the meantime. This is why cancelling the old service should be the very last thing to do.
Cancel your old account.
Once your new account has been activated and your website and email services at your new web hosting provider are up and running, you can proceed to have your old account cancelled.
Easier said than done? Changing to a new web hosting company may sound like a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be that complex - there are just a few things to keep in mind.
Keep your web hosting account with your existing host open
It is recommend that you keep your existing web hosting account active until you have completed the transition steps (ie. new account setup, file transfer, email creation and setup, DNS modification and propagation).This will ensure that your website and domain email accounts will be running during the transition.
Choose a suitable new web hosting provider
Considerations include:
a) Type of OS (Windows vs. Linux) - it depends on the technologies your website requires. For example, if your website requires ASP, MSSQL, MSACCESS or other Microsoft-specific technologies, then you will need to find a Windows-platform web hosting plan.
b) Bandwidth and disk space requirements
Make a backup copy of your existing website: download old account files
Ideally, files should be downloaded in the same tree structure in which you want to upload it later. Also look for any file or chmod permissions that you might to set on any folder or file. This is a fairly easy task and can easily be accomplished by FTP.
However, some free web hosting providers do not offer FTP access. This is especially true if you're currently using a free Flash/drag-and-drop website creation service (ie. Weebly.com, WIX.com).
If this is the case, you will not be able to download your existing web files and will have to re-create your new web files. You should check to see if your new web hosting provider offers a free website creator.
To avoid running into the same problem in the future, make sure your new web hosting provider offers FTP access.
Setup new (same) email addresses
To ensure that emails are properly received, it is important to keep the same email addresses, including email aliases and forwarders.
DNS changes and propagation
Once you have uploaded your web files to the new web hosting server and re-created your email accounts, you can go ahead and make the necessary domain name server (DNS) changes.
DNS is usually obtained once you have signed up with the new web hosting provider. You will need to replace your existing DNS settings with the new one - this is usually done via your domain management panel (your domain registrar).
The new DNS will take anywhere between 24-48 hours to propagate, therefore the old web host is responsible for website and email in the meantime. This is why cancelling the old service should be the very last thing to do.
Cancel your old account.
Once your new account has been activated and your website and email services at your new web hosting provider are up and running, you can proceed to have your old account cancelled.
Basic Features of Free Web Hosting
Looking for a free web hosting solution is an imperative decision. Try to identify a reliable web host can be a daunting task especially with so many service providers and options available nowadays. Throw in the feature sheets and promises, the task can be that much more intimidating.
But it doesn't have to be. Let's take a look at some of the most common features a good free web hosting provider should offer:
Disk Space and Bandwidth
Disk space refers to the amount of storage space assigned to you by the free web hosting provider. This space will be used to store your web site files, including text, images, audio, etc. files you use for your website.
Bandwidth refers to the amount of traffic that is allowed to access and leave your website. Access means every time a visitor types in your website name in their browser. Leave means every time a visitor receives something from your website, whether it be viewing a photo, listening to an audio clip or downloading a file.
For example, if your website has a lot of graphics (ie. photographs) then you will require higher storage and greater bandwidth.
Website Creator and FTP
If this is your first website and you have limited or no scripting experience, then look for a free web hosting provider that offers a free website creating application where you can create your website simply by choosing a template and adding in your own text and images.
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It is the protocol for transferring your website files from your computer to your free web hosting server, or vice versa. This allows you to upload your finished website files (including images and other multimedia files) from your computer to your service provider's server. It also allows you to download your files from your web hosting server back to your computer. A good free web hosting provider should offer 24/7 unrestricted FTP access.
Email
Yes, your free web hosting provider should provide you with email services - so that you can setup @yourdomain.com email accounts. In addition to a webmail interface (so you can login and manage your emails using your web browser), the email service should also include POP3 and SMTP access so you can setup and access your @yourdomain.com emails using your mobile devices.
Support and Uptime
You should always choose a free web hosting service with free, reliable telephone and email support.
While no host can offer a 100% guaranteed uptime (think problems out of their control, ie. city power outage), they should provide "just-in-case" measures to limit website and email downtime to a minimal. These measures may include 24/7 server and network monitoring, redundant hardware and network configurations, and onsite backup power supply. While you might not completely understand the technicalities of these, look to see if your free web hosting provider has these listed somewhere on their website. If not, ask them about it.
Pricing
If you're looking for a free web hosting provider, then you should expect to pay absolutely nothing for all the basic features listed above. You shoudn't have to compromise pricing with banner ads. Any free web hosting providers that forces ads on your website is a no-no.
But it doesn't have to be. Let's take a look at some of the most common features a good free web hosting provider should offer:
Disk Space and Bandwidth
Disk space refers to the amount of storage space assigned to you by the free web hosting provider. This space will be used to store your web site files, including text, images, audio, etc. files you use for your website.
Bandwidth refers to the amount of traffic that is allowed to access and leave your website. Access means every time a visitor types in your website name in their browser. Leave means every time a visitor receives something from your website, whether it be viewing a photo, listening to an audio clip or downloading a file.
For example, if your website has a lot of graphics (ie. photographs) then you will require higher storage and greater bandwidth.
Website Creator and FTP
If this is your first website and you have limited or no scripting experience, then look for a free web hosting provider that offers a free website creating application where you can create your website simply by choosing a template and adding in your own text and images.
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It is the protocol for transferring your website files from your computer to your free web hosting server, or vice versa. This allows you to upload your finished website files (including images and other multimedia files) from your computer to your service provider's server. It also allows you to download your files from your web hosting server back to your computer. A good free web hosting provider should offer 24/7 unrestricted FTP access.
Yes, your free web hosting provider should provide you with email services - so that you can setup @yourdomain.com email accounts. In addition to a webmail interface (so you can login and manage your emails using your web browser), the email service should also include POP3 and SMTP access so you can setup and access your @yourdomain.com emails using your mobile devices.
Support and Uptime
You should always choose a free web hosting service with free, reliable telephone and email support.
While no host can offer a 100% guaranteed uptime (think problems out of their control, ie. city power outage), they should provide "just-in-case" measures to limit website and email downtime to a minimal. These measures may include 24/7 server and network monitoring, redundant hardware and network configurations, and onsite backup power supply. While you might not completely understand the technicalities of these, look to see if your free web hosting provider has these listed somewhere on their website. If not, ask them about it.
Pricing
If you're looking for a free web hosting provider, then you should expect to pay absolutely nothing for all the basic features listed above. You shoudn't have to compromise pricing with banner ads. Any free web hosting providers that forces ads on your website is a no-no.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
