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9 Questions you
should ask your web site host provider...
By Hwen Kim
1. How often do you back up
the files?
The answer you should be looking for is that your web
site host provider backs up every night. You
should also keep a up to date copy of your web
site host provider on your computer to be on
the safe side.
2. What sort of equipment and software are in
place to ensure that my site is up?
Most web site host provider companies
use some combination of equipment and software to ensure
that the servers are up and working. You want to make
sure that the server is hooked up to an UPS (uninterrupted
Power Supply). The UPS is just a big battery that will
provide the server with power for 30 minutes to several
hours. Also most web site host provider
have software and equipment that monitors the servers
and restarts them if they quit serving pages. You will
also want to know if this fails, does the web
site host provider have a way to restart the
server manually.
3. How many domains can I host per account?
If you have 2 domain names, say joestools.com and cooltools.com,
and wanted them to both go to the same site, would the
web site host provider charge you extra
for the domain names or since it all goes to one site
will you be charged just for one. If you plan on hosing
several sites to see which ones will be successful,
you might want to ask the web site host provider
for a volume discount or ask if they have a reseller
package.
4. What are their billing policies?
You need to find out who to contact if you have a problem
with billing and what is the process for resolving problems.
5. What is the procedure for uploading files
to your account?
You want to know if you will have 24 hour FTP access.
Some web site host provider services
restrict how you can upload files to the servers.
6. Do they provide log files or Stats?
A web site host provider usually do
one or the other, either provide you with the raw logs
for you account or provide you with some sort of online
statistics. You will want to make sure that the logs
contain information from search engines on the words
and phrases used, how long the visitor stayed at the
site, entry page, number of page visits, broken links
and errors, and exit page.
7. Do they provide Form to email processing?
Nearly every hosting company will provide atleast a
basic form of this. You will want to know if there are
any limitations on the size of the form. Also you might
want to ask if there is a way to encrypt the form. If
so you could use this for an ecommerce solution until
you are ready for a shopping cart.
8. What exactly is included in the monthly charge?
You want to know what the features of the account are,
but you also want to know if you need them to do something
extra whether there will be a charge for it.
9. How quickly they respond when you have questions?
Before choosing a hosting company call them up or email
them with a question and see how quickly they have an
answer for you.
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