Web Hosting and Domain Registration.

The Internet is arguably the biggest technological wonder of the 20th Century. Something that started as a small private network of interconnected military computers has grown into the largest public communications medium of the planet.

Leaving aside those of us who are involved with the internet professionally and know everything there is to know about routers, backbones, IP addresses and DNS servers, as well as those of us who still don't have an email and call the internet "that new thing" - the rest of the internet community has a vague idea of how it operates. Most people will say that it is "the global computer network" or that "the internet is it the network of all the web-sites around the world" which are, both, a good (partial) description of what the internet is.

Since this page is mainly about web-site hosting and domain registration we will provide a brief explanation of the internet infrastructure and some of the internet standards involved in the operation of a typical web-site. To facilitate this explanation and put it in everyday familiar terms we'll use a commercial complex (Mall) as an example.

Let's suppose you want to buy sneakers. You know that there is a mall in your city which has at least 5 stores that sell shoes and in particular one shop called SneakerWorld which specializes in sneakers. So you go to the mall, look up the stores in the mall directory and comb the shops one by one looking for sneakers, likely starting with SneakerWorld as your most promising destination. Piece of cake.

It's really not much different with the internet!

The stores are the web-sites that you, me and thousands of other users are visiting when we browse the internet.

These web-sites have to "live" somewhere. In the case of the example above, the stores are located inside the mall. They rent or lease the space from the mall and in exchange for that, the mall provides them with a convenient central location from where to run their business, a storage area, electricity, water, janitorial services, etc. To continue our real-estate analogy - the "mall" is the web-site hosting company. Just like the mall the hosting company provides a way for the web-sites to operate: it provides space on their server computers to store the data of the websites and it provides various programs and services such as email server software, database server software, which operate on the web-site data and present it to the user in an easy-to use format.

How did you find the stores? Well you went to the mall, you looked in the store directory and saw a map which showed you how to find the stores that sell shoes. That was easy. But what if you were new to the city and didn't know where the mall is located? Or how does business mail reach the store? By address. The store has a unit number inside the mall building and the mall has a street number and address.

This is very similar to how data reaches it's destination on the internet: each website has a name and an address. For example this web-site's name is startupaide.com. The name is easy to remember but just like the shops in the mall - every web-site on the internet also has an address (called an IP address). The name of the web-site (e.g. startupaide.com) is called a Domain Name or a URL, which stands for Universal Resource Locator. A URL and a Domain Name are not exactly the same, the domain name (startupaide.com) being a part of the entire URL string (e.g. http://www.startupaide.com/index.html) but we won't focus on the technicalities and will use them interchangeably in this article.

When using the internet e.g. when writing emails or when browsing, we, humans usually go by the site name, just like we would in real life. When you explain to your buddy where you bought the sneakers you will say something like "the SneakerWorld store, past the food court, on your right". Even if you actually memorized the store's mailing address you probably wouldn't use "#3002-8245 West Main Boulevard" as your explanation?

The postal office, however, would. Much the same - computers, when they communicate use the web-site IP address to ensure that your data reaches it's destination and they use your computer's IP address to transfer the data from the web-site to you computer. The IP address is just a long sequence of numbers and it may be linked to a web-site name (the Sneaker World store in the mall has a name and an address) or it may not be linked to any well known name. Your house has an address but unless you are Donald Trump living in his Mar-A-Lago Estate, your residence (and your home computer) are only known by their address.

The computers that translate the human-readable domain names into the numeric IP addresses are called Name Servers (NS). They use a system called DNS System (Domain Name System) to determine the address of a particular web-page from its URL name or the address of a computer from it's domain name vice versa. To do the translation between IP address and domain name the NS servers use a database of records called WHOIS records (and yes, it is pronounced "Who Is", not "w, h, o, i, s") The WHOIS databases are like a global address book of the internet. And like the real-life address books - it is not one centralized system, there is many copies of it scattered around the internet and maintained by the NS servers.

The address book is useful when you know what or who EXACTLY you are looking for. If you need a service but don't know which company privdes the service you're better off using the Yellow pages. The internet search engines (Yahoo!, google, msn, infoseek, lycos, altavista) are your "Yellow Books". Given a search term (e.g. "best sneakers prices") they will come back with a list of web-sites which contain information relevant to your querry. Search engines started as "dumb" indexing services. Early search engines would index all pages containing the word "best" and the word "sneakers" and the word "prices". They would not try and determine whether the context of the page is actually related to your search query, i.e. back in those days you would get lots of pages back which would contain these 3 words but the contents of the page would have noting to do with well-priced sneakers.

The first search engine which came back with a promise of relevant content delivered in response to users' queries was google and that is what sky-rocketed google to the position of top (not to say "exclusive") Search Engine of the world.

Yet another similarity of IP addresses and domain names with the real world addresses is that even if the Sneaker World store owners decided to move their store to a different location, it would still be called Sneaker World. Only the address would be different. Same applies to IP addresses and URL names: you may move your computer around the internet. You may take your laptop with you and go to a coffee shop which has wireless internet and your laptop's IP address at that time will be different than when you're plugged into the cable modem at home. We, may decide to change our host company an then our web-site's address will change but not the name! You will always see our web-site if you enter startupaide.com in your browser! This setup makes it easy for both humans (who prefer to memorize words ratherthen sequences of number) and computers (who are better at working with numbers) to find and transfer data around the internet.

Unlike us, humans - organizations like stores, banks and institutions typically do not move too often. Some actually never move. The Taj Mahal, the Eiffel tower and the White House will always stay where they are. When we design maps we use landmarks like these as base points in all our measurements and calculations. Similarly - there are computers on the internet which never change their IP addresses. These computers (which are called top-level routers) and the connections between them constitute the backbone of the internet. The routers know where to send the data so that it always reaches it's proper destination. The internet routers is what ensures that when you send an email to your friend in Canada your email will travel from your computer in Seattle to his computer in Vancouver, Canada and not to somebody else's computer way in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

The main routers and the internet back-bone operate like a freeway connecting two cities. In order to get from Vancouver to Seattle you need to hit the freeway. There are many routers all over the net and it is not always necessary to go to the internet backbone, just like it is not necessary to go on the highway to visit your friend who lives two blocks down the road from you.

Well that's about it. This of course is an over-simplification of all the technologies that make the internet work but it provides enough information for you to get the big picture. If you are interested in reading a more in-depth explanation of these topics you may search knowledge bases like wikipedia.org or howstuffworks.com for articles on how the internet works.

The first thing you need to consider when selecting a web-host is - how involved do you want to be with the design and maintenance of your web-site? If the technical aspects of your web-site are not of interest to you and you have sub-contracted a company or another person to develop and maintain your web site then your task is reduced to ensuring that your hired web-developer is competent enough to select a sound hosting solution at a reasonable price. Many entrepreneurs go this route and, honestly - it is a very wise decision, especially if web- and database-design are not your forte.

Another possibility is to host your site with a company which provides a complete hosting solution. What this means in plain lingo is that your host will be involved with all details of your web-site from web-design to SEO services.

An example of such a company would be sitesell.com and their flagship product "Site Build It!". With their unconditional 1-year guarantee clients have nothing to loose and everything to gain from the full spectrum of their services. While a typical hosting company is similar to a residential rental building: "Sign the lease, pay the damage deposit, here's the keys to your (unfurnished) unit, good luck", products like Site Build It! (whose slogan is "Build a Web-Site that Works") see it through that you actually get an operational web site out of your hosting contract. Sitesell will help you optimize your site for easy indexing and top-rankings by search engines and will provide you with tools and advice on driving traffic to your web-site.

This is a great promise and based on all the information on their web-site and all the testimonials from their happy clients they obviously keep it and we would strongly recommmend Site Build It! as the host of choice for everyone who is starting an online business and in particular to folks who do not intend to be involved with the technical details of operating their web-site and just want it "to work".

If the sole purpose of your web-site is to establish an online presence for your offline brick-and-mortar business then a standard web-hosting might be a more suitable solution for you. With most hosts it will cost you under $8 a month to host a simple 2-3 page web site (or even less with the big guys like GoDaddy or One And One) and if you go with a flexible host like HostGator you may pay month by month and cancel your account at any time without problems.

If however you are starting an online business and you want your web-site to get as much traffic as possible, to rank high in the search engines and to drive lots of online sales - then Site Build It! is a much better option for you. Of course the prices are much higher with these types of hosting, but, hey - you get what you pay for. For about a dollar a day you'll be getting a site which actually works (or your money back - remember?). A site which offers a good product, has traffic and is visible in the search engines will inevitably generate sales! Really, it is a no-brainer - would you rather pay $30 or $40 a month and get a site that drives in a thousand dollars or more in sales every month or host your site for 5 bucks a month and have 0-visibility and 0-sales? The choice is yours of course, but in our humble opinion, especially given their unconditional money-back guarantee, Site Build It! is definitely something to think about.

Rolling your own: "Who's your (web-)master!"

Are you sure.? Yes, No, Cancel...

If, nevertheless, you plan to develop and maintain your web-site on your own (and let me, just for the record, state here once again, that it is both HARD and TIME CONSUMING so don't say you haven't been warned!) you should "talk the web-talk", know the current technologies and typical price-ranges for the services and most importantly - know how to read the fine print (Terms of Service Agreement, Customer Agreement or whatever the host decides to call that document, whose link appears at the bottom of their sign-up page next to the the check-box "I have read and agree to the Terms of this Agreement").

Customer Service vs "Customer Service Agreement"

Aside from the various features of the hosting plan (and we won't concentrate on these details in this article - check out our reviews section, all hosts listed are more than reliable and offer a full range of features as far as the technical side goes), which may make your plan more or less expensive, the price of hosting will also depend on the length of your contract. As is the case with the majority of service providers, most web-hosts want to lock you into a longer term contract (1- or 2-year terms are most popular, with 6-month and 3-year contracts also being offered by some hosts). Similarly, to protect themselves from possible future claims all service providers make their customers sign a Terms Of Service Agreement (TOS) or a Customer Agreement. You must read it.

You MUST read the Terms Of Service Agreement of your future host very carefully. What, I already said this earlier? Well let me repeat this one more time:

You MUST read the Terms Of Service Agreement of your future web-host very carefully.

Yes, you, because nobody will do it for you.

Yes, that really dry legal stuff where you have to go back and re-read every second sentence until it starts making sense.

Remember: you're signing a long-term contract with a body, which collects your money (in advance!), in exchange for a promise to provide you with a service at their sole discretion and hence, ultimately, your host has way more leverage than you in this relationship.

Another thing to consider is that in many cases your host will also be the registrar of your domain name. This is not a practice which we would recommend, for reasons described below, but many people do it this way because when you sign up for a hosting package the host usually offers to cover the doman registration yearly fee as part of the package so many people go for this option to save a few bucks.

Well, nothing wrong with saving a few bucks but make sure you don't loose your sanity in the process. While having web-hosting problems can be pretty bad, having problems with your domain name if REALLY bad. If your domain is held hostage by an unreliable or unconscientious hosting company, releasing it may be a lengthy process and in the mean time you are stuck with them hosting your web-site (or your web-site is down because of a dispute you are having with them and they won't let you change your Name Servers or terminate the contract, etc). So... read the TOS.

If there is anything in their agreement which is not clear - ask them. If you just need to ask a quick question it's ok to call them on their support number but if you want a written account of your conversation then write them an email, so that you have a record of their response. If it takes them 1 week or more to respond to your pre-sale email (and that's at a time when they are fighting for you as a customer and are supposely most eager to show you the best that their web hosting company has to offer) - think how responsive they will be later, once you sign up with them for a 12 or 24 month contract. And in general our advice would be to stay away from companies which do not provide a contact phone number. There's way too many situation which could arise in web-hosting which need an immediate reliable two-way communication channel and if a company does not provide one they they don't deserve you as a customer.

Lately more and more hosts are offering the online customer support chat as a communication option and this is actually your best channel for asking all types of pre-sale questions, as it combines the benefits of immediate response and having their response in writing for future reference (most chats ofer the option to email you the transcript of your chat to an email of your choice at the end of your cat session. Provide a public email address (e.g. at yahoo or gmail so that it is easier to prove in the future, if need be, that you have received this transcript as a legitimate email. Pulling an email out of your local mailbox may not be as convincing as you have full access to the contents of your local Inbox and technically - you could have fabricated a fake email and put it in your own Inbox.).

While you're shopping around for a host...

Wow. Lot's of stuff to consider, huh? Yes, I know that you want that web site TODAY(!), you have this great idea, you are an artist at heart and your inspiration is not willing to wait a whole week for customer service response emails. I have felt the rush many times - when you want to get all the little details out of the way and to just dive right into the "real work", test you ideas, see how things look and feel.

Trust me - signing up with the first web-hosting company that pops up after you type "web hosting" in google is a very, very bad idea.

And hey - you don't have to sit on your hands and do nothing while waiting for responses. By all means - go ahead and create your new web-site: on you laptop or deskop computer, then upload it to your ISP's members' web-pages section or to one of the free hosting providers.

Since these days web-hosting is becoming less and less expensve (typically under $8 per month), one might wonder why should one spend time and effort reading this really dry legal stuff and emailing the host's customer or technical support with questions? Don't like the host - switch to another host, it's as simple as that! Well... no it isn't. And if you realy are thinking this way it is yet another indication that you have never read "the dry stuff" and that you really should. (...and most likely that you have never dealt with web hosting before).

Depending on the terms of your contract you may be ineligible for a refund of the remaining months on your contract. Even if we take a very inexpensive plan, let's say $4/mth for the sake of example - cancelling a 24-month contract on the third month will mean a loss of over $80. Not the kind of expense that will ruin your business but definitely not anything you will want to happen, not to mention all the headache of moving your web site to a different host.

If you are the type of person who highly values flexibility - pay month for month! Most hosts offer this option, it may be a little bit more expensive but you may move your web-site to a diferent host at any time. Some hosts don't offer this option - check out the reviews section to find out which ones do.

Know what you need today, but keep in mind what you might want tomorrow

Speaking of moving your web-site to a different host, here's a few more things to consider: the dirt-cheap hosting plans are usually loser products designed to attract new customers. In other words the host does not make money on them and may even be losing a little bit on each such plan. The idea is that a good portion of the new customers will add other features to the plan which is where the hosts will make their money. Another aspect of these deals is that many are promotional offers which expire in a few months or a year and after that customers are automatically billed higher prices. A typical example is the very popular domain transfers deals for $3.99, $2.99 or even less - a ridiculous amount since it normally costs upwards of $6 or $7 dollars to maintain the domain on a yearly basis. Which is exactly what the customer will be paying (actually, in most cases more than that) at his next domain renewal date.

And finally - if you're thinking of designing a web site first, hosting it somewhere, until you find your perfect host and then moving it there - make sure your temporary host and your "perfect" host both use the same web control panel. The only way this can happen is if both hosts use a standard control panel, e.g. cPanel. If one or both use a proprietory control solution your move could easily turn into a manual file copy disaster.

Web Hosting Features at a glance

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Summary