Tuesday, July 29, 2008

When Do You Need Dedicated Hosting?

By Matt Hedges

You must have a dedicated server if the requirement of resources of your firm is more than what is offered to you by the shared host. Also, it is a must for running an application which otherwise cannot be run on a shared host. In short, dedicated server is very much required for hosting multiple websites.

The commercially available web hosting packages are unknown to most people who intend to start an online business. The majority of them are unwilling to buy a package costing excess of $100 annually; though purchasing it is dependent on individual budget. Initially this may be a good business strategy for them as being novices in the online businesses, they maybe unaware of the numerous features of the web hosts. Also new things about affiliate marketing and e-commerce may be learnt. Apart from these, basic knowledge about hosting control panels, domain name server alterations, FTP for file uploading and many other things are also learnt.

Reputed web host companies are better than ordinary ones.

Due to the lower cost, the small hosts are inefficient, and you are prone to make mistakes while working o it. Keep in mind that irrespective of which company's web server you choose, a good customer care department is a must. A new webmaster might have a lot of questions that need to be answered, and not all of them might be related only to the server. He might want to know the process of building a website, or even the amount of bandwidth available to him with the service he bought, etc. However, an important question which is generally ignored by new webmasters is asking how he can register his website URL in his own name, so that no one else can claim that using that URL is illegal. When you choose a web host, make sure that you read the terms and conditions in full, even the minutest detail. Give special emphasis on the part of registration of the domain since if you have a unique domain name, it will impart professionalism to your online business, and will help you build reputation in the market. Be extra alert about the web hosts that provide incredible services at a dirt cheap price since they may lock your domain illegally, without you knowing about it. Most often, their terms of service are so vague that it becomes extremely difficult to comprehend what they are intending to say. What's more, for unlocking the domain, you may have to take recourse of the law, so be cautious on this front.

These reasons compel a business owner to opt for a dedicated server. Keep in mind that not every small company sells his services at a dirt cheap price. You may be charged less for services from genuine companies as well. With a dedicated server, you won't be required to upgrade the server whenever the traffic increases. Most dedicated servers have enough pre-configured bandwidth to handle higher traffic as well as PPC campaign customers. Also, they provide backup for database, and give you multiple e-mail accounts, which enables the webmasters to have multiple IP addresses.

Dedicated servers are also important because many sites have a huge number of hits everyday, like MSN, Google, etc. A dedicated server handles traffic to your site very well. Besides, they allow you to install add-on applications like server side scripts, pythons, PHP Scripting, RSS feeds, etc. A dedicated server enables you to have full control over your business. After setting up the website and ensuring that the programs you have installed are working properly, you just have to bother yourself about the annual maintenance of the site, like creating attractive content to gain popularity among the search engines, and paying the server bills in advance for avoiding the deadline of payment. It is generally recommended that you must pay the bill in advance for at least 2-3 years, since many companies offer attractive discounts if clients' make the payment for a long period of time upfront. Some of the other schemes that are included for people who pay advance fees are having free PPC credits for running ads without incurring any cost on valuable networks like Google AdWords and MS-AdCenter. So if you want to avail of some unavoidable benefits from the web hosting company, then you can opt for paying your bill for 2-3 years in advance. It's very much worth it since the benefits will far exceed your expectations.

Upgrading the server - responsibility of the company.

While buying the dedicated server, many people think little about the options available to them for the purpose of upgrading their server. Remember that the server will be needed to be upgraded sometime in the future for sure. Since you are basically leasing the server, you have the right to get the upgrade done from the host company. But if you didn't consider the upgrade before committing to the host company, you might find yourself fighting a battle with the host company over this issue. So going through the upgrade policies of the host is a must before buying the dedicated server from any company. Many parts of the server need to be upgraded over time, besides being maintained properly. So check whether the host company is able to provide you with regular upgrades as and when required. It is very important to do so. Most of the times, the hard drives and the RAM need to be upgraded. Most of the host companies do not hesitate to provide this upgrade to the clients' but some of them unnecessarily create a fuss over this.

The companies are well aware of their duty of providing proper upgrades to the customers as and when required by them for their online business. For example, if an upgrade is needed, it's the duty of the web host company to suggest you the best time to shut down the site and upgrade it, and the selection has to be shut that business operations are not unduly affected by the maintenance timings. Also, such things are foreseen, and not carried out suddenly when the traffic to the site increases. The web hosting companies must offer you their full co-operation for you to meet the demands of the customers, else those companies should not be considered at all. In short, communication is the keyword in such cases. You must shell out time to decide what would work for you and what wouldn't, depending on your requirements. Failure to comply with this will result in the customers not being satisfied with you, and if they leave, you will deny yourself huge revenues. So prior to buying a dedicated server, some ground work from your part is essential as well.

About the Author:

No comments:

Blog Archive