Finding the Right Web Hosting PlanThere are many things to consider when choosing a web hosting plan. In this article, we will cover the five most important. 1. Disk Space/Storage 2. Data Transfer 3. Cost 4. Programming Languages 5. Support 1. Disk Space/Storage refers to the amount of space given by a web hosting plan for your web site's pages, images, and any additional files. Take this into consideration when determining the total number of files you will be using for your website and their sizes. For example, lets say among your files you have 100 images which are 50 Kilobytes in size. This would use up 4.88281 Megabytes of your storage *(100 x 50 Kilobytes = 5000 Kilobytes = 4.88281 Megabytes). If you are planing on creating a website with alot of video or audio files, you will need alot of disk space. 2. Data Transfer is the monthly outward-bound traffic from your web site, with the exception of e-mail, given by a web hosting plan. Each time a visitor views one of your pages, all the files used to generate the page are calculated into your data transfer. For example, lets say a visitor views a page that has 50 Kilobytes of text and 200 images at 100 Kilobytes apiece. This page view would use .0191212 Gigabytes of data transfer *{50 Kilobytes + (200 x 100 Kilobytes) = 20050 Kilobytes = 19.58008 Megabytes = .0191212 Gigabytes}. Most web hosting plans' monthly data transfer allowances are listed in Gigabytes. So, a couple tools are provided below to help you calculate your expected monthly data transfer and convert it into Gigabytes.
3. Cost is very important. You want to find a web hosting plan that fits into your budget and not sacrifice your disk space and data transfer. Many web hosts offer more than one plan. So, if you outgrow a plan, you can upgrade to one that offers more disk space and data transfer. 4. Programming Languages such as ASP, PHP, Perl/CGI, JSP and ColdFusion are used to create alot of popular scripts (software) to help your website function. For example, lets say you find an auction script that is written in PHP and you want to use it on a new domain name you just bought (the-best-auctions-are-here.com). You will want to make sure the web hosting plan supports PHP. 5. Support is really important when choosing a web hosting plan. You should check to see if the web host offers "24 hours a day / 7 days a week" support whether its phone, chat or email support. *1,024 Bytes = 1 Kilobyte 1,024 Kilobytes = 1 Megabyte 1,024 Megabytes = 1 Gigabyte -------- Brian Shoemaker Find-A-Web-Host.com
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