Web Hosting for PHP
August 21st, 2008 by Adam
Many folk are viewing this content as they wish to find a good web hosting service. Naturally, they would like the best offer available to them. For any firm or person, choosing the right web host is a massive decision, which can have an impact that lasts a long time. This is due to the fact it will be a feature in your business for a long period of time.
In the modern age the PHP style of hosting a site is now very inexpensive and offers many benefits which will please a user.
Before moving on with the main issue, a little information about PHP would be helpful. It is a very popular server side programming language that can be embedded into HTML. Its popularity has been aided by the following features:
a. It has no charge.
b. Easy to learn and use.
c. It should be viewed as a fully object orientated language.
d. It is not tied to one platform.
e. It has a rapid pace on the Linux server and this can be used effectively in utilizing and constructing complex web applications.
f. It allows advanced programming and is very easy to integrate with web pages.
g. PHP also integrates very nicely with MYSQL.
There are many things to consider before choosing a PHP server host for your site. Be aware it can be difficult to get a decent PHP web host service. This is because a large number of firms just want to make money. They will not offer a complete service in their package and it is common to be without PHP for a few days.However, it is impossible to fix as you cannot contact the support, as often happens. You will be lucky if you find the right PHP host first time. This is because it can be easy to overlook a number of firms, including good ones.
The above facts may present a daunting picture, where selecting the right PHP web hosting service provider is concerned. But there are some tips following which one can land up with the right solution very easily.
A good PHP web hosting company will provide the following features:
a. Technical products. Software and programs including Cron, Python, CGI, MySQL, PHP or Perl need to be on offer. Even if you don’t know what they are, be happy to have them as they can be very useful later.
b. Bandwidth: Bandwidth is the volume of files (in gigabytes or megabits per second) that are transferred in and out of your server on a monthly basis – and ultimately determines the number of visitors that can view your website in any given month the more bandwidth, the more users. In this case a bandwidth of 75 GB is a good starting point; though many websites can use 1,000GB, 10,000 or more.
c. How much it should cost. Free does not always mean the best and low in price doesn’t equate to low in quality. It should be possible to get a satisfactory service for $10.
d. Web Statistics: Getting accurate web statistics like the amount of traffic your web site is getting, and the sites that are linking to you, are information that you need to have.
e. Script installers that were created with PHP web hosting in mind. Again, these are vital for many firms and need to be considered. This provision should be given to you by your provider at no extra charge to you. If a provider seeks a fee for this service, tell them that this will not be happening.
Next up are PHP host sites who offer free products and services. The price may seem great but there are sown points to them. As firms need to make money to survive, how can a company with no revenue stream last long? To bring money in, many offer advertisements to companies and place them on their users’ sites. These advertisements can be placed in the following formats
a. Banner based advertisements
b. Adverts that pop-up on screen
c. Frames including advertisements
You would have no control over these advertisements. This is not a satisfying solution for small to medium sized business. In fact there have been instances, were users of free PHP web site hosting services, have complained that they were having there competitors’ advertisements running on their websites! You can imagine how distressing such a situation could be. You cannot even complain to your service provider, because they are being able to provide you with free services, only with the help of those advertisements.
Another problem with free web hosting sites is that, since they usually have thousands of websites running on a single server, they are prone to frequent crashing.
Furthermore PHP web site hosting companies, that are offering free services are generally not able to offer the range of features, that even a cheap web hosting company can.
These factors suggest choosing the paid option is the way to go. Although it may cost a bit, the benefits will make it worthwhile.
To be fully focused on the best cheap service of web hosting, bear these issues in mind:
i. Attempt to balance the price of the service with the services. A cheaper option may lose you some services but can you live without them? If not, then you have to pay. If you can live without guaranteed uptime or support options, you could cut these out as long as you know what is vital for you.
ii. If you want to have blogs, shopping carts or forums then installation tools would be good and this is where Cpanel could be handy. Cpanel can also assist with running centers of support and controlling MySQL databases.
iii. Support services: You should opt for nothing less than 24/7 support services. It is an essential feature as you never know when you can meet a crisis for which you will require expert help.
iv. Disc space: The amount of disc space you require will depend upon the amount of information your site will be managing. However, it’s always better to have enough space keeping future requirements in mind.
v. Accounts for email purposes: Do not hesitate to get rid of a web host firm that provides cheap or shoddy email accounts. There are many rival firms who want your business so feel free to go with them if you want.
There is always more research to be done and it still matters at this stage. You should look for firms providing offers. Does a firm with 30 day money back guarantee sound appealing to you? Would you be more interested in a firm that provides a guarantee of uptime? These firms are not always easy to find as they all require a level of money to make these promises. However they are available and if you can find them, they could be a good reason for choosing that firm.
You should supplement the above pointers, with your own research before you sign-up with a company that satisfies your requirements and is in your price range.
Can you ever be sure you made the right choice? If you are happy with the cost, the uptime, how many email accounts you have, the level of support that is available to you, if you can have access to vital statistics and having the option of PHP and Windows, then yes, it is possible to be happy with your choice.
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