Web Hosting For Internet Marketers

Anybody researching the internet for web hosting services will find an abundance of hosting providers to choose from along with a multitude of plans available. You’ll also discover that the majority of providers will offer many of the same plan features. However, there are some hosting companies that offer additional tools directed towards internet marketers and the home business industry.

Even for experienced internet marketers, with the variety of companies and plans available, it’s not always easy to determine which web hosting service will best meet his or her specific business needs. With so many options, how do you know which hosting provider is best suited for you and your business?

One thing for certain is that whatever you decide, do not make the mistake of basing your decision on the price of hosting alone. One thing that has been substantiated time and time again is the old adage “you get what you pay for.” Well, this also applies to web hosting!

If you’re an internet marketer or own an internet home business, listed below are some common features you should be looking for in a web hosting package. Of course, it will be easy to find providers that offer more that what’s listed here (e.g. 1,000 MB of disk space, unlimited sub-domains, unlimited emails, etc), not to mention a number of additional features, so keep in mind that these benchmarks only represent a few of the minimum requirements:

- 300+ MB of Disk Space
- 10 GB or more of Monthly Bandwidth
- 50+ Email Accounts
- 20+ Sub-domains
- CGI-Bin
- 3+ MySQL Databases

In addition to these common features, there are some web hosting companies that cater to internet marketers and home business entrepreneurs by offering useful marketing tools as part of their hosting package. As you probably know, having access to in-demand marketing tools is a key ingredient in becoming successful on the internet. Some of the tools I’m referring to include:

- Unlimited Follow-up Autoresponders
- Resalable E-Book Collections
- FFA Leads
- Lead Capture Systems
- Ad Tracking
- Shopping Carts
- Scripts
- Affiliate Programs and Commissions

These tools are a great benefit to both new and experienced internet marketers. But, in addition to the tools, another very important difference I’ve found with these types of providers is their exceptional level of customer support. Whether it’s assisting with the installation of a script, a problem copying files to the server, or responding to a general question, the support staff tend to be very knowledgeable and can be contacted around the clock either via telephone, live chat or email.

Compared to some web hosting services, you may notice the cost of these plans to be slightly higher because of the extra marketing tools and the quality of customer support provided. However, with the growing popularity of internet marketing and the ever increasing number of new home businesses popping up on the internet, these providers can definitely give you an advantage over your competition. And, if you choose a provider that offers an affiliate program, you could even end up with free web hosting and a profit to boot!

Choosing Between Free or Paid Web Hosting

There are a number of things to consider when choosing between a free or paid web hosting service. Setting aside cost for a moment, lets look at some factors that will help you make an informative decision.

The very first thing you must consider is the intent or purpose of your website. Are you looking for a convenient way to share photos of family and friends? Or, are you considering something a little more complex such as adding multiple pages with different content on each? How about a website to promote a product or business?

The purpose of your website will act as a key component in determining which type of web hosting service is best suited for you. For example, if your website will be used primarily for personal postings, your file sizes aren’t very large and you don’t expect a lot of traffic, you won’t require a lot of disk space or bandwidth for your hosting.

If this is the case, a free web hosting service may meet your needs. Free web hosting services are also useful if you’re inexperienced in creating web pages. This type of service can provide an excellent opportunity for you to learn and practice your html skills. You could even use a free service as a test site before uploading your web pages to your live website.

Keep in mind that most free web hosting services provide limited features compared to paid web hosting services, but normally offer enough disk space and bandwidth to host a small website. To help offset costs, though, most free providers will place advertisements on your web pages.

With paid hosting, you’ll find a variety of available plans to choose from. These plans allow more disk space and bandwidth, and usually include a number of other features such as free domain names, free sub-domains and unlimited email accounts. Some of the more advanced common features are a CGI-Bin, MySQL databases and Microsoft FrontPage extensions.

Compared to free web hosting, you’ll also find that the services provided by paid web hosting companies are much more reliable, not to mention offering a higher level of customer support.

Cost wise, there is no charge to register for a free web hosting service, although you may be required to purchase your own domain name. For a basic paid service, you can expect to pay anywhere from $5 to $10 per month – a very small price for the improved service, support and features you receive.