So you've finally got your head together and decided to launch yourself into cyberspace with your very own web site. Affordable web hosting sites are a dime a dozen these days but does cheap also mean poor quality? Not all web hosting companies offer a good quality hosting service and it may be worthwhile to pay a little extra for a better range of site options. So how do you decide if an affordable web hosting service is worth the hard earned money you pay them?
If you already know your web hosting requirements it's not that hard to find a reputable company with reasonable fees, but a novice can easily be hoodwinked into paying money for a poor quality web hosting service. A poor rating in the search engines can destroy your business. Here are some easy questions to ask yourself before you make that all-important decision:
Question 1: Do You Need a Unix or Windows Platform?
Which one you choose will depend on your personal needs but Unix platforms are the most common and do have the advantage of offering excellent security. A Unix platform will also give you a wider range of available features. In the event that you need a feature specific to Windows, for example ASP, (see question 3 below) or will be using an Access database then a Windows platform would be necessary to operate your web site.
Question 2: Do You Need Frontpage Extensions?
This will depend on the software you are going to be using to manage your web pages. If you will be using Microsoft Frontpage to manage the pages on your site and you use any Frontpage components like a hit counter then you will need Frontpage Extensions from your web hosting company. Look for an affordable web hosting firm that offers them.
Question 3: What is ASP and Do You Need It?
Active Server Pages or 'ASP' is a feature much like CGI that lets you generate dynamic web pages with Active X scripting. If you intend using Visual basic or Java Script scripting languages as a feature on your web site then you will need Active Server Pages.
