What Kind Of Web Hosting Packages Should I
Be Looking For?
The fun part of shopping around and choosing a
hosting plan is to search through all the different web hosting
packages that these companies offer. Some features are
unique and used by a couple of companies but many are
regarded as status quo and are used by many hosting
companies. Here are some of the main features you should
be looking at when it comes to web hosting packages:
cPanel
cPanel is just a fancy word for control
panel. It basically allows you to manage all the
important aspects of your website. It allows you to
create an email address for your domain. You can backup
your files so if something unforeseen happens, you can just
reload your website to the way it was. It allows you to
create FTP accounts where you can load files onto your domain
from your PC. cPanel also lets you load scripts onto your
website. Most importantly though, it provides with web
statistics of the visitors on your site. Every hosting company
offers some form of this, although it may be under
a different name than cPanel.
Fantastico
Fantastico is simply,
well......fantastic. As part of the cPanel, Fantastico
allows you to install popular scripts onto
your website with just a few simple clicks on the mouse
button. For any newbie Fantastico is essential.
Especially if you are not sure how to build a website.
That's the beauty of it: All you have to do is load one
of the scripts and viola! You've got the framework for
a website. All you have to do is add some
content and build some traffic. Some of the kind of
scripts you can load include:
-
Blogs with Wordpress
-
E-commerce sites with CubeCart, OS
Commerce, and Zen Cart
-
Forums with phpBB2 or SMF
as well as tools like:
Without question, the most valuable
feature of Fantastico is Wordpress. Intended to be used
initially as blog builder, webmasters have used it to
build full fledged massive websites. To many (it's
hard to argue), Wordpress is one of the best pieces
of internet software that has ever come out. Website
building software like Dreamweaver, Frontpage and XSite Pro
costs hundred of dollars. Wordpress is absolutely
free. All of the tools in Fantastico
are completely free. You just have to make
sure its offered as part of the web hosting
package.
Unlimited Domain
Hosting
Becoming more and more common among for
web hosting packages to include unlimited domain
hosting. It's pretty self explanatory. You are able
to host as many domains under your hosting account as
you want. The only way to do this beforehand is
to have your own dedicated server. Nowadays you are able
to have unlimited domain hosting under one shared account.
It is much cheaper to use shared domain hosting
than have a dedicated server. The difference is, that
with a shared account, all of your websites that were built
after the first website are regarded as a subdomain or add-on
domain of the first domain. However, as far as the entire
world is concerned they are separate websites. Only
downside is that you would never be able to sell your
website if they are an add-on domain just because of
how they are connected to your primary domain.
If selling your websites is important to you
then I strongly recommend getting a dedicated
server as each domain has its own FTP and can be
sold because it is not connected to any other domain.
These are just some of the features that you
need to be looking for when it comes to the web hosting package
that you are looking for.
A favorite with Internet
Marketers, Host
Monster has a wide array of features in their web
hosting packages including cPanel, Fantastico, unlimited domain
hosting and much more.
Search through our hosting company
reviews or read more of our web hosting
articles.
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