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Page 14
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Choosing a Web Host
Unless you've got a hefty computer server in your house (along with a
fat pipe to the Internet) you're not going to host your online store
yourself. Some other business needs to do this for you. And there are a
zillion choices.
As you compare Web hosting companies, be wary of the rock-bottom price
hosting companies. There are some good, cheap ones. But if they're that
cheap, will they really provide customer service?
Reliability This is the big one. Your entire business is sitting on the
host company's servers - they must guarantee virtually 100 percent
uptime. And they must stand behind that in writing. A reputable host
will offer some kind of refund if it falls beneath its uptime guarantee.
Bandwidth
As shoppers browse at your
site (and make purchases!) they transfer bytes of data from your site.
This is referred to as "bandwidth." The more bandwidth a host company
offers you, the better. Hopefully, you'll need a lot of it.
But be careful: Web hosts give you a set bandwidth allotment, and then
charge you based on how much you go over. Sometimes these extra charges
are buried in the fine print, but make sure you know what they are - a
sudden spike in traffic could result in a huge bill.
Tech Support This is another big one. You want phone access, 24
hours a day, seven days a week. Run, don't walk, from hosting companies
that offer "free e-mail support." The phone support should be included.
Also, before you buy, you should actually call them at 9:30 Sunday night
and see if A) they pick up the phone, and B) they can really answer
technical questions. In the middle of a busy season you'll need a live
human to handle a problem, and 24/7, high quality phone support will
make a huge difference.
Software Tools: PHP, Perl, CGI Bin
Directory, etc.
Some hosting companies include a full range of these
software tools (which are necessary for a site's full functionality).
But some hosts offer a few of these tools, while charging extra for
others. Because Web hosting has gotten so competitive, you should expect
a full range of these tools included as part of a reasonably priced
package. It's also important to know: what are the host's database
options? Do they include support for your database software as part of
the monthly hosting fee, or is this extra?
E-mail options
At this point, most decent packages offer a
plethora of e-mail options. All of them, of course, enable you to have
own e-mail address at yourname@yoursite.com, with enough e-mail boxes
for you and many employees. The host should also offer virus and spam
protection, and options like AutoResponder, which lets you send
automated messages to your customers. You should also be able to forward
your e-mail to any of your other e-mail in-boxes (those not hosted by
the host company.)
A really good host will offer an important e-mail extra: a basic e-mail
marketing package, to help you reach your customers.
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Page 15 |
Online Money-Making Opportunities
Several Systems to make real money via
Internet
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