Step 2: Email & Web Hosting -Online Startup

Hosting is the computer where your website’s files & directories physically live.  These computers are called web servers.  The job of a web server is to “host” or store, process, and deliver web sites to its online users.

Choosing the Best Hosting Plan

ExcitedEYE Corp has consulted with many hundreds of startup clients and web hosting companies.  Through hours of hosting due diligence, we’ve set up a few of the priorities options related to clients’ requests involved in employing a web host. (for more robust hosting non-startup options go here)

Web Hosting Options:

1. Web Site Hosting.
2. Email Hosting.
3. Pricing.
4. Security.
5. Support/Upgrades.
6. Features: SSL, Backups.
7. Tech specs: Space/Bandwidth.
8. Type of site: Personal Blog, E-commerce, Corporate.
9. Type of host plan: Basic, Shared, Virtual Private Server(VPS), Dedicated.
10. Operating Systems.

Explore the Web Hosting Server’s Top 10 Options

1. Web Hosting
   

   Hosting of the site’s directories & files.  Your domain will point to this host.

2. Email Hosting

   Your business web site files are already stored here.  ExcitedEYE Corp would suggest that as a start-up company, you should keep ALL your online assets in a single place.  As we learned in Step 1 Choosing Registrar & Domain Names, many of these options may be provided free or at a discounted rate with your domain or hosting purchase.  Also, having an email address that matches your domain name is good for marketing, so I would also suggest that you do indeed get an email with web site hosting. As your startup company grows and you gain more employees, you may opt-out of this decision.

3. Pricing

   As we learned in Step 1 Choosing Registrar & Domain Names, many of these hosting options may be provided at a discounted rate or even free depending on what your future expense may entail. I’ve had a lot of luck for my clients negotiating the best price with web hosts. You can too, but always complete your hosting due diligence first.  Hosting companies will do their very best to upsell you on every bell and whistle you most likely won’t need for a startup.

4. Security
   

   Firewalls, malware scans for preventing: spam, DDOS attacks, brute force attacks, XSS cross-site scripting hacks, SQL script injections, or anything else. Depending on what your site is and what you have put into it. Know what you need or do not need. As this can get pricy protecting yourself against everything when you may not need or require most of it.

5. Support/Upgrades

   Free support, 24/7 support, automated support, 1-800?
   A web server’s software and/or hardware upgrade can solve performance issues.  Adding memory can significantly increase a server’s performance.  Not all web server operating systems are upgradable, and software/hardware upgrades don’t always fix poor-performance web hosting servers.

6. Features

   Will you be able to add on extra features?  Such as SSL certificate, CRM, CMS.  Cpanel, PHPMyAdmin, PHP version, MySQL management.

7. Tech Specifications

   1. Bandwith – Each time a web user loads a page on their desktop CPU, tablet, or mobile device they are using up your web site’s bandwidth.  If you have a site that has a lot of content.  Many multiple large media files (videos, images, music, etc.).  You may use up a good amount of your web site’s bandwidth.
   2. Disk Space – The amount of space that your web site lives in.  If your site is only 10MB, you will not need to employ a 100GB of web server space, ever.

8. Type of site
   

   Personal Blog vs E-commerce vs Corporate. Plan ahead of your needs.  Each of these types of sites will require their own functions.  A personal blog or resume site may never need robust features like security or an SSL cert.  Although, an e-commerce site will.  Plan out for the future and consider what your site’s basics will need to be to function the way you imagine.  Remember to plan out user experience functionality to give your users what they would expect from a site in the industry chosen.
   

9. Hosting Plans
   

   Basic, Shared, Virtual Private Server(VPS), Dedicated.   Do you have multiple web sites and domain names?  Are you able to manage DIY hosting? If you have to think about it, you probably can’t.  Leave this to a professional.
   

10. Operating Systems
    

    An operating system is required to run a CPU at your convenience.  There are multiple operating systems out there that make it possible.  Server OS, on the other hand, are expensive and rightfully so.  These platforms enable unlimited user connections, a greater memory capacity, and act as universal servers for web, emails, and databases.  A server OS can handle multiple desktops as it is optimized for a network instead of catering to a single user.  Depending on the software required by your office software, clients or your web site requirements, this is sometimes a priority when choosing your hosting.
    

Now that you have considered ALL of these Web Hosting featured options.

Here are ExcitedEYE Corp’s Top 3 One-Stop-Shop Registrar, Web Hosting & Email Management service choices for Online Startups:

1. SiteGround – A superior WordPress hosting experience. Fast loading, great support. Middle Tier Pricing.
2. BlueHost – A comparable, yet not as robust WordPress hosting experience. Not as fast loading, Good support. Lower Tier Pricing.
3. GoDaddy – Managed WordPress optimized features and tools. You get what you pay for. ALL the bell & whistles up-sells. Middle Tier Pricing.

After completing this second step in your online startup setup, you are now ready to start building your Startup Businesses online assets.