Web Host - Features

When searching for the right web host you will be assaulted with huge lists of features that the host provides. Many of these items are not important and should be included by default in even the most basic of hosting plans. However, there are a few features that you should pay close attention to.

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Domains

Most web hosts will give the option to either register a domain name at the time of signup or let you bring your own domain name. Additionaly, check to see how many domain names are supported for an account. If you later choose to own another domain name, it would be nice to be able to add it to an existing plan without having to pay an addional charge.

Sub Domains

A sub domain is what appears between the "http://www" and the domain name. For example say example.com has a sub domain "ex" then the address would be "http://www.ex.example.com". Sub domains do not place a burden on the web server, yet many hosting plans will limit the number of sub domains allowed per account.

Databases

Forums, calendars, customer orders, and many other items use databases to function. If you plan on having multiple of these items on a server be sure that the plan you sign up for provides a sufficient number of databases.
The most common database for a web server is MySQL, which is a free open-source database system. MSSQL, PostgreSQL and GNU SQL are also popular SQL servers.

PHP Version

PHP has gone through many revisions, especially in the past year. Be sure that the PHP on the server is up to date, otherwise PHP scripts may not function properly. PHP is currently in the late stages of 4.x and will soon be moving on to version 5.x.

Hot Link Protection

Hot Link Protection allows you to prevent other persons from linking directly to media files located on your web server. When someone tries to link directly to your image it will deny the request, preventing them from using up your bandwidth. This is particularly useful for web sites that host a large quantity of media files. Visitors on your site will still be able to view the media as usual.

FTP Access

There are two basic types of FTP access to a web server. First is the password protected FTP that is common for webmasters to utilize for managing their web files. Though some web hosts may provide a web interface to upload files without having to use an FTP program, not having direct FTP access to your web files can be burdersome at times.
Anonymous FTP is the other type of FTP access. You can post files to a publicly accessible directory and users may directly connect to your server with anonymous FTP to access these files. No password is required for this type of FTP access.
Note: Depending on the plan's specifications, file transfers over FTP may or may not count against your allotted monthly bandwidth.

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Web Host - Domain Information

A domain name defines the base address of your web site(s). Most often a web site's main page is located at the domain name, as is the case with our site, Tizag.com. This is what people first see when they visit your site, and it is what they have to remember if they wish to return. Taking these facts into consideration, it is obvious why you should take great care in choosing a domain.

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Choosing a Domain

The domain name for a web site should be permanent and easy to remember. If a web site was changing its domain name every year, how would its visitors find it when it moved? Also, it is not easy for a visitor to remember a domain name that is not easily spoken outloud, such as www.saf4azk.com. There are a few important items to consider when choosing a domain name:

• Use existing words - If possible use a combination of english words for your domain name, like squirrels-are-great.com, but try to keep the total domain from becoming too long.
• Make up a unique name - If you create a unique name like Lycos or Tizag, you will have a greater chance of getting a shorter domain name.
• Domain Extensions or Types - There are many domain suffixes to choose from for a given name, i.e. .com, .net, .org, .nu, .us, etc. We will talk more about the domain endings later.

An excellent web site to register your domain at is Go Daddy. There you will be able to search for available domain names, as well as register them for a reasonable price.

Domain Types

After you have chosen a name, there are many different types of extensions to choose from. Say you chose "mysite" as your name, you then have the option of registering mysite.com, mysite.net, mysite.org, mysite.us, mysite.biz, mysite.cc, and many more lesser known extensions. Below is a referrence of the correct usage of certain extensions, however people tend to follow these guidelines less and less with each passing year.

• .com - Stands for company/commercial, but it can pretty much be used for any web site.
• .net - Stands for network and is usually used for a network of sites.
• .org - Stands for organization and is supposed to be for non-profit entities.
• .us, .nu, .co.uk, - Are country specific domain extensions that may require the register to be a citizen of the given country.
• .biz, .info - These and other like them are domain types that have been added because there are barely any short and intelligible domain addresses left to register.

If you are trying to decide the right type for you, just follow this rule of thumb: In the United States try to get a .com or .net. In other countries, if you cannot get the .com, then using your country's domain extension is a viable solution.

Registering a Domain

If you would like to register your domain, head over to Go Daddy or search google for a domain registrar. In the past some domain registering services would charge as much as $35 a year, like register.com, but competition from other firms has driven down prices to around $8-$15. These prices make it much easier and cheaper for companies and individuals to secure all domain extensions that include their name.

Buying Existing & Expired Domain

Sometimes it is not easy to come up with a domain name and it may be easier to just buy an existing domain from a willing seller. The value of a domain name can vary greatly and if you expect to pay more than $50 for a domain, we suggest spending some time researching the actual worth of the domain to see how lucrative the purchase really is. A good starting place for buying and selling names is Domain Name Forums.
A cheaper, yet harder way to get a decent domain name, is to check out the list of expired domain names. These are domains that people have registered more than a year ago and had opted out of renewing their ownership. What does this mean to you? Well it means these domains are now available to the public and you can head over to DotDNR (choose Expired Domains) to begin your search of this potential gold mine.

DNS Information

DNS stands for Domain Name System. When someone types in your domain name, www.example.com, your browser will ask the Domain Name System to find the IP that hosts your site. After you have registered a domain name you will have to input the IP address for your server before your domain name will function properly. Many domain registrars will ask you for the IP during registration, while others will require you go in and manually enter the information after they have been paid.

source: tizag.com