Web Hosting Box

The web hosting industry appears to be incredibly complex to most novice webmasters, especially those that are not familiar with crucial web hosting terms. One of the most basic web hosting terms is “web server.” Web servers are the focal point of web hosting. In fact, web hosting is simply a service in which you remotely lease web servers for your web site’s use. If you have been struggling to figure out what a web server is and why it is needed then you may want to continue reading.

The Main Purpose of a Web Server

A web server’s main purpose is to store web site files and broadcast them over the internet for you site visitor’s to see. In essence, a web server is simply a powerful computer that stores and transmits data via the internet. When someone visits a web page on your site their browser communicates with your web server, sending and receiving information that ultimately dictates what appears on the visitor’s computer screen. Thus, the main purpose of a web server is to store and transfer web site data upon the request of a visitor’s browser.

How Do Web Servers Work?

Every web server and computer that is connected to the internet is assigned an IP address that identifies that device on the network. Even standard computers are assigned IP addresses when they connect to the internet. An IP address is almost like the return address on a postal package. When you visit a web site, a request is sent out from your IP address to the IP address of the web server. The web server then responds by sending data to the requesting IP address, and this is the process through which all data is transferred to your computer from a web site. More than ninety percent of the web sites on the internet are currently utilizing a leased web server that is being provided by a web hosting company. Web server capabilities differ depending upon the type, size and provider of the hosting plan.

Why Are Web Servers Needed?

Without web servers the internet as we know it would cease to exist. Web servers are an integral part of the way the internet works. The web hosting industry is simply used to lease out web servers, providing average business owners and individuals with the opportunity to use high-tech servers that make it possible to expand their outreach to the entire world. Without rental web servers the internet would be a fraction of the size it is today, as most web site owners can afford to buy their own web server in cash.

Web servers are the gateway between the average individual and the world wide web, yet surprisingly web hosting plans start at only a couple of dollars per month. Now that you’re familiar with web servers you can begin shopping for a quality web hosting plan without the usual confusion that most novices experience.

Running an online shop requires a great deal of knowledge and preparation. So much so that many people give up before achieving any real results. One of the first pit stops you’ll encounter when establishing your online business is the decision of which hosting plan would be suitable for your situation. Many people start with the cheapest web hosting plan in an effort to gauge their success before making a substantial investment in their online business. The problem with this method of progression is that it greatly hinders one’s potential for the very beginning. Instead of starting with an incompetent web hosting plan, and planning to upgrade after success is achieved, it makes more sense to start with a competent hosting plan and plan for success from the beginning. Nonetheless, if you’re determined to try your luck with a shared web hosting plan, then there are a few things you should know in regards to shared hosting and eCommerce.

SSL and Shared Hosting

An SSL certificate allows you to use SSL protection on your eCommerce site. Once you have SSL protection enabled on your site you can place a seal on your checkout page that let’s your customers know that you are utilizing SSL protocol. Many customers simply will not buy a product or service from you online without knowing that your site is protected via SSL. SSL is a file transfer protocol, and in order to use this secure file transfer protocol you absolutely need an SSL certificate. The problem with shared hosting is that you cannot have several SSL certificates with most shared hosting plans. This means you cannot have more than one secure eCommerce site on your shared hosting plan, even though the plan may advertise “unlimited domains”. In order to secure each online shop you would need a new hosting account for each site, which could become more costly than simply purchasing a dedicated or VPS hosting plan.

Shared Hosting and Dedicated IP Addresses

Another potential downfall to a shared hosting plans in regards to eCommerce is the fact that you are sharing an IP block with other webmasters. This means you have to worry about the actions of websites that you are not affiliated with, as there are some cases when entire blocks of IP addresses can be disabled for spamming and other illegitimate activity. In some cases you may even share an exact IP address with other websites. Even though your sites are not related to these sites in any way, there is a distinct possibility that your search engine ranking could be affected by the action of these sites, since you share an online identity with them. In the world of eCommerce, a lower search engine ranking equates to lower sales and less profit.

Limited Server Resources

Another aspect of shared hosting that makes it generally unsuitable for a successful eCommerce site is the overall lack of server resources. Since you will be sharing a server with other users, your site will not have access to as much bandwidth, disk space and other resources that contribute to the functionality of your site. This means your site’s visitors may have to deal with slow page loading, and you may even have to deal with site downtime.

As multiple-domain hosting becomes a more affordable and popular option, hosting shoppers are flocking to those hosts that offer this solution.  Since most shared hosting providers offer a multiple-domain hosting choice, clients are utilizing this to their advantage.

Although there are a few forms of multiple-domain hosting, the most popular version is to host all domains on a single IP address. There are many critics that argue this is not good practice. There are many pros and cons to this method of hosting. The pros include:

• One billing account
• Faster access to multiple sites
• Basic packages save money

The cons include:

• Search engine issues
• Adding features costs significantly more

One useful feature is that all the domains are charged onto one billing account. That way its easier to keep track of which sites had overages charges, thus allowing the client to upgrade those sites with a good deal of traffic. Having one account also allows the client to find all statistics in one place.

Also when linking from one site to the next on the same server, the connection will be faster due to less access time. This is a helpful feature for the client that has a network of sites all connected from a main page.

Finally, the basic multiple-domain hosting packages save money. Since the client doesn’t have to pay for one hosting plan per website all on different servers, they are able to save much more money by paying one bill for all, on the same server.

One disadvantage of multiple-domain hosting is the search engine issues that arise. If a website is banned from a search engine due to a violation of terms and conditions, the entire IP address will be banned, thus not indexing all websites under that account. This can cause major problems especially if the sites are posted on major search engines.

Another disadvantage is that adding various features can cost significantly more money. For instance, since most multiple-domain providers offer dynamic IP addresses. If the client needs a static IP address, they will have to spend a good portion of extra money to obtain it. This would be a requirement for the configuration of SSL on the website.

Despite the few cons associated with multiple-domain hosting, there are many pros that make this an attractive option. Since the basic packages are an economical decision, this has become one of the most popular hosting methods currently available.

Hosting plans come in many different flavors, from dedicated hosting to shared hosting, there is a plan for just about everyone. One type of hosting plan that is becoming increasingly popular is the VPS hosting solution, which stands for Virtual Private Server. This is a very good alternative to the standard shared hosting plans that give you an IP address that you must share with man other webmasters.

Sharing an IP address with other webmasters can be detrimental to the success of your website because if the other websites on your IP address get banned or deindexed from the search engine then you run the risk of having the same happen to you.

Many times the search engines view your website as being owned by the same entity if it hosted on an IP address with another site, especially if just two of those sites happen to link to each other. To prevent this from happening, many people have resorted to leasing dedicated and virtual private servers though dedicated and VPS hosting plans. Although these are definitely suitable solutions, there are still tremendous differences between various dedicated and VPS hosting accounts. The following information should help you decide which one is right for you and  how you can find one that will accommodate your hosting needs.

Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated Hosting accounts let you lease a dedicated server that will only be used by you, meaning you’ll have access to more server resources. With a dedicated hosting account you are also given a dedicated IP address which you can host your site on and not have to worry about sharing your site’s IP address with negative websites that could impact your search engine rankings. Dedicated hosting accounts are the most popular solution for business owners.

VPS Hosting

A VPS hosting account is very similar to a dedicated hosting account, however instead of having a server that is simply dedicated to your website’s needs, you’ll also be bale to configure the server as if it was your own. Many dedicated hosting accounts come with management options that let the user relax while the web host deals with server administration. Since VPS hosting does not include this kind of maintenance service, the cost of VPS hosting is usually much cheaper.

How To Find a Good VPS or Dedicated Plan

Finding a good hosting plan within either one of these hosting types is usually fairly simple, in fact you may be able to acquire one with your current web host. The best way to find a good VPS or Dedicated hosting account would be to search web hosting forums. There are web hosting forums where experienced members share hosting plans with each other and cheap web hosting companies come to place special offers. Often times you can find special discount coupons at these forums and you can find in depth reviews form real people. Using this method you can find a good hosting account of any kind without having to take the risk of using an unreliable service.

Each time we access the internet, we see them. Anytime we want to be directed to a specific website, we use them. We never stop to think what exactly a URL is and consists of or why we use this naming convention to access different points on the internet.

This article is going to define a URL, breakdown an example into easy to understand parts and describe the naming convention for each segment of a URL. Those looking to become involved in some type of internet business, web design, or programming should be familiar with this information. For those that are not familiar; here’s a crash course.

A uniform resource locator or URL specifies where a resource is available on the web and how to retrieve it. By typing in a specific series of letters and numbers in the address bar of a browser, you immediately go to a website (address in a virtual world) to obtain information.

Every URL has the same naming convention:

• The protocol
• A colon
• A hostname or IP address
• A port number
• The path to be accessed
• An optional anchor (for HTML) or query string (for CGI)

The protocol indicates the namespace or purpose in addition to the syntax of the remaining part of the URL. For instance, http://example.com. The hostname or IP address specifies the destination location for the URL. For example, google.com is the domain name and 72.14.207.99 is the IP address. It’s easier to remember the domain name as opposed to the IP address.

The port number is optional and if omitted, default port of 80 is used. By stating a specific port, it tells the browser to connect to a certain port on that server. The path to be accessed is used to find the specific resource requested. Since this aspect is case sensitive, if entered in uppercase letters, an HTTP 404 error will occur.

Finally, the anchor for an HTML website refers to a location on the actual web page. On the other hand, the query string used to for CGI websites holds data that is to be passed along to specific web applications like CGI programs. Query strings are generally separated by ampersands while names and values are separated by an equal sign.

Knowing the syntax of a URL is beneficial when working in the internet world. Each segment of a URL has a specific purpose that points to a location where information can be retrieved or specific applications can be accessed.