Webmaster Papers








How to Start Your Own Hosting Services


If your like many another webmasters you might be thinking of starting a web hosting company. But where do you start? And more importantly, what do you need to know? Well, in this article I will show the basic things that you will need in order to succeed as a web hosting provider.

Before you start make sure this is something that you have the knowledge to do and not just from reading books, but where you have worked on them. Running servers may sound easy, but it's far from easy, in fact, even people experienced with servers will have trouble with them from time to time. You will have to deal with security threats, downtime and fixing program errors.

Starting your own hosting services is going to be challenging and frustrating. One option to think about is reseller hosting plans. There are several good web hosting companies out there that offer reseller hosting, but at the same time allowing you to get paid, but without you having to spend your time maintaining servers. You may want to start out this way to get a customer base going.

You can rent, lease or buy your servers, If you decide to buy the servers, get them custom made to your exact needs, if you have the money, if you can't try to get a server that best fits into your plans. You'll need a place to keep the servers. You can find local building to do this or you could keep them at home. If you keep it at home, you'll need to make sure everything is just right for them.

Now, which operating system (Windows, Unix, etc.), control panel (Cpanel, Plesk, etc.), security are you going to choose. Each of these should be researched with care, check to see if they fit your needs or not. Also you must consider that some programming languages can only run on certain operating systems, most web site owners want programming languages such as PHP or PERL.

You'll need to keep your servers up to date with the latest security patches. You'll need a good firewall, the firewall is first defense you have and may be your best. It's essential to monitor the servers all the time for any errors, hackers or virus, one slip-up can cause all your servers to be hacked into and then all your customers will be leaving.

To get the highest possible server uptime you'll need multiple Internet connections. Depending on the area which you reside in, it may be hard to find a Internet connection provider. You will need a fixed IP address, that won't change after each use. Some providers won't offer this, so make sure you check before you choose.

How much are you going to charge for your web hosting services? If the price is to high people will leave, but if the price is to low people may think your servers are overcrowd with another web sites and that you offer terrible services. What plans will you offer? Shared, reseller or dedicated hosting or maybe all of them.

When you really think about it, it's a lot harder then it seems on the surface. Your best choose may be to go with a reseller hosting plan, this will at least give you taste of what you need to do and help build a customer database.

Matt Colyer began as a SEO Specialist in 1997. He founded Superior Webmaster in 2004 as a source of articles and tutorials for Web site owners looking to improve their Web site.

RELATED ARTICLES


Will All The $1.95 And Free Hosts Survive?
The main thing wrong today with trying to find a host for most individuals and businesses is the shear number of them. Their prices range from free to hundreds of dollars per month. When you go out on the web today and do a search for hosting you will find page upon page of hosts. Some are well established companies with solid reputations and business plans that make sense. Yet some are beyond belief that anyone would host with a company that offers you a 100mb website for $.99. Yes I said that right $.99.
A Simple Guide to Web Hosting
Personal Computers, Servers Or ISP?
Advanced Hosting for the Mission Critical Web Presence
As companies that conduct their business online have proliferated, hosting of those websites that provide the primary point of contact for transaction of business has become highly mission critical; having these sites go offline or perform poorly not only loses revenue but also detracts from the company's image and loses customer loyalty.
The Big Secret of Fabulous and Mediocre Web Site Hosting Companies
Most web site hosting services like the one you're probably using right now, provide you with space on which you can host your web site. These mediocre web site hosting companies will even help you set up your own email addresses and provide you with the ability to run your own scripts and programs.
Where to Get Cheap Web Hosting
First, to see if you can use cheap web hosting you need to know how much disk space you will need. How large is your website? How many pages, video files, music files, etc. do you need? Second, a cheap web hosting company will need to know how busy your sight will be. If your site is going to have a lot of visitors, cheap web hosting may not be for you. Third, how many email accounts do you need? Cheap web hosting companies do not usually provide many. Lastly, how much are you willing to spend? Cheap web hosting is not as technical as the more expensive web hosting.
Web Hosting: 4 Factors in Choosing a Hosting Company
When choosing a web hosting company there are a whole lot of different factors that should go into your decision making process. One of the biggest factors should be:
Getting The Best Web Hosting For Your Business
After the dot.com bubble burst a few years back I really thought that the Internet craze was over. With sites folding faster than newbies at a Texas Hold 'Em table it seemed like all those tech-crazed nerds would have to go out there and get real jobs like the rest us. Even the stock market seemed to lose interest in the Internet and the Nasdaq plunged. But, like the inevitable sunrise, the Internet just continued to grow and build momentum with each passing year. But I am no fool and it occurred to me that I either hop on board or risk the consequences of being left behind!
Choosing a Web Host Based On Price? Dont!
It's tempting. There are so many companies offering cut-rate hosting ? loaded with astounding post-futuristic techno-gizmo features ! ? that it just makes sense to save a few dollars, right?
Multiple Website Hosting - Subdomains are the Answer!
Many business owners find themselves in a quandary over the ways to make the most of their company's web site. This is especially true of those who have the need to maintain more than one web site but do not wish to pay for multiple hosting accounts. If this is you, a subdomain may be the answer.
Use Your Hobby To Launch A Successful Website
When you study the really successful websites, you will quickly notice that many are based on seemingly strange subjects, many of which may not easily pass for a serious business.
Cheap Web Hosting is No Bargain
Ever heard the saying "Penny-wise and Dollar-foolish"?
How to Choose a Web Hosting Company?
Nowadays, anybody can afford to order a feature-packed web hosting plan for next to nothing; however, affordable price is not the only criterion which should be considered when purchasing web hosting services. In this article, I'll explain the basics of what you should look for in choosing a web hosting company, not just concentrating on the best price and features, but also on reliability and honesty. You're investing your money and effort into finding paying customers and you wouldn't like to lose them in order to save a few dollars per month on a web hosting service.
Choosing a Web Hosting Provider from 40 Million Other Web Hosts - Pt1
Discover how to go about choosing a web hosting provider in ways that 99.5% of the advice on the Internet never mention.
Dedicated Web Hosting Is Easy When You Know These 3 Timesaving Secrets
Dedicated web hosting has its difficulties and problems from time to time like all technology. However, there are certain things you can do to prepare yourself for any server downtime or other problems that might arise. The key, however, to these tips is that you are aware of them before the problem occurs rather than afterwards. The following three timesaving tips will help you with your dedicated web hosting and save you a lot of time.
How to Choose the Web Hosting Provider?
1. Does the company offer telephone support or 24/7 email support?
How To Choose A Reliable Web Host For Your Website
A client of mine paid for a solo advert to promote his website in the newsletter I publish at e-bizministry about two months ago. As I was about to send his advert to my list, he called me up on phone and told me not to send it yet. Naturally, I asked him why. His reply shocked me out of my wits.
How Multiple Server Hosting impacts your websites uptime
This article describes the technology behind multiple server hosting and how you may utilize it to maximize your site's security and uptime
Business Web Hosting: Which is Right for You?
Business web hosting is what you need. You have a website you need to put online. When you look around on the internet, there are thousands of choices. How do you choose the right web hosting package for your business?
Web Design and Hosting - Free Web Hosting Perks That Will Perk Up Your Web Site
If you've got or are considering a web hosting account with PHP and mySQL support, you'll find a wealth of free programs and scripts to take advantage of their powerful combined capabilities.
Choose A Host That Matches Your Home Business Needs
With plethora of hosting companies offering services, choosing a good web host seems an intimidating task. The technical jargon is hard to decipher and that makes it difficult further. It is better to prepare beforehand and then search for offers rather than acting otherwise.