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Tuesday, 30 June 2009

Cheap does not always mean cheap with web hosting

Finances are tight for everyone, so when a web host offers cheap dedicated server packages it is very tempting to jump at the opportunity. If you are shopping around for a dedicated server you will know the advantages that it brings. The exclusivity of not sharing a server, the greater bandwidth, better storage and memory as well as customisation options. A dedicated server logically is more pricy that a shared server package.

It is thus in your own interest to make sure of exactly what is included in your quote for dedicated server costs. It is too late once you get the first bill and find out you were charged more than you were expecting.

Uncover hidden costs

It is your responsibility to thoroughly go through the terms of service to make sure what the web hosting package includes. This means checking on hardware, licence fees, software included as well as the fees for the management of the control panels. Make sure of the details whether you are signing up for a managed dedicated server package or not. Not everyone is aware of the differences between fully managed and partly managed dedicated servers.

Then there are also options for self managed and unmanaged dedicated server packages. It is top priority to educate yourself on exactly what these different packages entail. It is in the best interests of your business to not go simply with cheap and end up with inadequate services.

It is far more economical most of the time to take an average priced dedicated server package. The price is not the deciding factor; the quality of service and benefit outweigh the actual monthly costs, which is why at CWCS, we pride ourselves on superb customer service and the quality of our web hosting.

Saturday, 27 June 2009

Web hosting on a budget

It is not easy to choose a web hosting company, no matter the size of your business. There are a huge number of companies offering web hosting packages. What makes it so difficult to choose amongst all the web hosting companies, is that you need one that meets your needs.

So when it comes to choosing budget web hosting, there are specifics that must be verified to make sure that all is above board and that the company is reliable. To do this you need to compare the services and prices of several companies before you make a decision.

Do your homework

First of all evaluate the web hosting company by viewing their websites to see if everything looks above board and that they appear professional and most importantly, what contact options they give. It is very important that the company has a support number. Check to see if the company openly offers good guarantees as we do here at CWCS. If they do not, walk away.

Then check on the percentage uptime they guarantee and calculate the downtime over a year. A business cannot run at an optimum level with too many down hours per month. It is most important to check what type of after sales support the company offers. What are the resources they offer and what type of marketing tools do they make available to their clients?

If they cannot offer you top service, good quality and several features, you should look elsewhere for budget web hosting. CWCS offer all of this and more so check out our web hosting packages to find the one which suits your needs best.

Thursday, 25 June 2009

Quality assurance with managed hosting

To get your website onto the internet you need web hosting services. There are many different options for web hosting services and a myriad of different packages to choose from. This means when choosing a service and package you should have knowledge of what your chosen option means to you and your business.

When considering managed hosting, what are the benefits and what makes this a good option? Managed web hosting means you leave the management of the server in the hands of the web hosting company, such as CWCS. This can be a good idea when the website owner has limited technical knowledge. The reason why managed hosting takes control is to assure quality of service. The user manages his data through tools such as FTP remotely.

All-round benefits

The quality through managed web hosting and having minimal control comes with stopping any user from modifying the server. This prevents huge problems later that could have impact on the business of the client using managed hosting. The benefits of managed hosting are many. Managed hosting is cost effective to use. Users do not have additional costs as the software and equipment used is provided by the web hosting company.

Managed hosting is normally an option offered with a dedicated server package. That in itself holds great benefits with increased bandwidth. Managed web hosting offers increased security, an uninterrupted power supply and information backup features. These benefits are critical in the smooth running of any business, which makes managed hosting the logical option.

Wednesday, 24 June 2009

Dedication or sharing?

When you are looking for a web hosting company to support your website and the online aspects of your business you will be confronted with an entire sea of choices. Not only will you have to choose the right web hosting company for your needs. You will be facing the decision between using a shared or dedicated server as well. The decision between a shared and a dedicated server is a fundamental choice that will seriously impact your business.

Dedication may be best

Web hosting services utilising shared servers have some drawbacks and can only really service smaller websites with limited web traffic. For larger companies a dedicated server is the best option. It may be a little more costly than shared server but it will save you money in the longer run. A dedicated server offers you the use of an entire server all to yourself. You get to use a server privately and have far fewer worries with a dedicated server.

You do not have to worry about other websites causing your website to suffer downtimes. You need not worry about malicious scripts from other websites affecting your own website and causing problems for you. You will have much faster website response times with a dedicated server.

You are not sharing it so there are no other websites draining your server and slowing you down. You can get a larger monthly bandwidth allowance. This means that you don’t sit with an inaccessible and dead website half way through the month. You can also opt for CWCS managed hosting with a dedicated server. This is where CWCS will take over the maintenance, technical aspects and administration of your server for you.

Tuesday, 23 June 2009

Simplify your life with managed hosting

Managed hosting can truly make life easier for people who need it. With managed web hosting you get the technical services as well as the administration of your server taken care of for you.

You will also be offered services such as the maintenance of your hardware to provide optimum uptime. Your host will provide networking testing and management, security, maintenance of the system and software installation.

If you run into problems, they will be taken care of. All of this takes a huge weight and an enormous responsibility off of your shoulders. This allows you to get on with your business, knowing that managed hosting is taking care of your server and web worries.

Choosing a managing host

Managed hosting can come with a dedicated server which although more costly, gives you many more features than shared hosting. So it is imperative that you make the right decision from the get go. You need to make sure that the web hosting company, such as CWCS, can meet and even surpass your needs. You need to know that you have the freedom to hand over the reins and your business will be prosper.

You also need to know that the managed hosting on offer can cope with your business needs and offers room for further growth as you progress. You need to look into the service history of your prospective managed hosting. Look for reviews and complaints.

Take all the good and the bad into consideration and then make a decision based on facts. Making the right decision now will help to see your company prosper so take a look now at what CWCS web hosting can offer you.

Monday, 22 June 2009

Know your own web hosting needs

Starting a new business could mean you are not yet really internet savvy. Remember that everyone had to start somewhere and learn, nobody automatically knew all the answers. This means that you will need to use a web hosting company that you can trust – and one that keeps its promises, which is why CWCS are a great place to start.

To help you understand your own needs for web hosting, you need to know the basics. The typical small website normally takes between 10 to 100 MB. Most businesses start out small with the intentions of growing and developing so look at our CWCS web hosting packages that have generous web space. The important thing is to know what your needs are before you start looking at the best packages.

The basics

Find out on average how much bandwidth you will need. This can vary hugely between different types of websites. Check on the amount of bandwidth offered with your package and what the charges will be when you exceed the limit. Another factor to check into is the connection speed. CWCS offer a range of packages with different features so you can have what you need with the minimum of fuss and expense.

You will have customers that do not all use the same manner of connection. Not everyone has access to the most modern technology. Some people still have to connect with a 56K modem.

Make sure that your web hosting company offers a high quality of customer service, as CWCS do, to ensure that you can always contact them if needed and any issues are resolved quickly.

Friday, 19 June 2009

Web Hosting Buyers Beware – make sure of your facts

Web hosting is a necessity for anyone who wants to have a website. It does not matter if you are a small business that is starting up, or if you want a personal website. This means you are in the market for a good web hosting company that can offer you a shared hosting package that is affordable, like CWCS. Usually entry-level web hosting packages come at a modest price.

There is great competition amongst web hosting companies and of course every one wants to get the most clients. This means that there will be companies that will offer the most generous features, but then are not able to live up to the promises they make.

So how can you tell which are the good guys and which of them are wolves masquerading in sheep’s clothing? Your first port of call is the web hosting review websites.

Verify the facts

Browse through several to get a general idea of how specific web hosting companies are rated. This alone is not good enough though, you need honest customer reviews as well to get the full picture. The web hosting company you choose is critically important so review websites and customer testimonials on the web hosting company’s website is not enough.

Research the blogs and websites that give customer reviews where people did not get paid to do the reviews. Remember though, that every web hosting company will have a percentage of disgruntled customers, so do your research well, it is time spent worthwhile.

Get a good selection of unbiased reviews, you can make sure to choose the best web hosting company. You need one that lives up to its promises – like we do at CWCS. We offer a range of high quality web hosting solutions with features and prices to suit everyone.

Wednesday, 17 June 2009

Keep The Good Times Rolling

Web hosting UK offers the world some of the best web hosting there is out there. However, it can also offer you some of the worst. With the good comes the bad and you need to know how to weed out the rotten apples and stick to the ones offering you good business, such as reputable web hosts like CWCS.

Your relationship with web hosting UK services can prove to be rocky if you don’t find exactly the right company. And, of course, there are always a few things to remember about maintaining a good relationship from both ends.

Keeping up good relationships

The first thing that you need to do when you are trying to decide on the best web hosting UK for your needs is to take the time to find out exactly what you need. Knowing what you need now may be easier than trying to predict what you are going to need down the line. However, they are both equally important. You need to make sure that the web hosting UK company you are considering uses the technology you do and might later want to implement, which is why CWCS solutions can grow and upgrade as you do.

Not getting what you want will only make you want to move later anyway. Do comparative shopping; ask business associates and friends which web hosting UK company they make use of. Scour the internet for blogs and reviews of web hosting UK companies and their offers.

Bloggers and down to earth online reviews are a good source of advice. Finding the right web hosting company will aid your web hosting relationship and help to make it less rocky. Why not check out the CWCS web hosting packages and see what we can do for you?

Monday, 15 June 2009

Designing a website for the non website designer

At CWCS we have many customers who purchase web space without any knowledge of web design. In order to have a website, you need to have both a domain name (www.domain.com for example) and web site files. These are files stored with your web host on a physical machine(s) that are always on the internet. The content in these files determines what displays on the internet. A majority of internet pages use HTML to display their code and in many instances things like CGI, ASP or PHP to generate the HTML code. To see HTML in its raw form, click on “view source” in your web browser (usually under the tools menu).

HTML is fairly complex hard to fathom for many people so the use of web design tools has become the choice for most web designers or casual website owners. These can break down into 2 main types. The first is the powerful offline application, for example Dreamweaver or the no longer supported MS Front Page. These will allow you to design your site while not on the internet quickly and then upload them when you go online to your web space. These are fairly useful and are often quicker then the online applications, however they do require some basic knowledge in order to get the files you’ve designed onto the web in the correct format. The online applications have the benefit of not requiring you to upload files or have knowledge of how to order the files. You also can design or add to the site from multiple locations unlike the offline applications.

We offer the Parallels SiteBuilder for customers who are looking for a complete package of hosting and an easy to use web design too.

Monday, 15 June 2009

Web Hosting UK Choice Factors

Whenever you are going to be giving money out on anything you will want to have a choice. Having that choice can be taken for granted, never get lax with your web hosting decisions. You can simply move on from one company to the next until you find what you are looking for, however that is costly, time consuming and it irreparably damages your cyberspace image.

Making the right choice

When you are considering a web hosting UK company you need to take many things into consideration. You may be tempted to look at just the monetary deals they can offer you, this would be a mistake.

Customer service is what the web hosting UK company should be all about. You need a company that offers you not just basic, but as extensive telephonic support as possible, such as CWCS’s 24/7 support. Look after hours and weekend services as well as a friendly and helpful telephone manner.

Looking for user reviews online for your web hosting UK company can help you to get an idea of what their clients think of services offered. This will paint a picture of their track record and what you can expect of them, but use your own judgement too, as the some internet users have their own agenda.

Usability is another huge factor to consider. If you like familiar things, routine and hate change then you need to find a web hosting UK company that offers systems and control panels you are used to. Finally you need to look at the fee structure. Rather pay a little more for what you need and want than less for something that does not make the grade. Check out our CWCS web hosting packages to find the right one for your needs.

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