Typical Hosting Spec

Typical Hosting Spec

There is no real minimum spec for hosting but as a rough guide, here is a list of basic requirements:

• FTP access <– only really need one FTP account
• 100mb server space <– this is more than enough to be starting with
• 10gb server bandwidth <– this is enough to start with but a busy site will need more in future
• POP3 email mailboxes <– enough to cover your needs most packages come with unlimited
• 1 x MySQL database <– WordPress only needs one – but buy an account that has more in case you want to expand your blog with forums etc
• PHP <– PHP is the web language that WordPress is written with, ensure the build of WordPress you are using will run on the version of PHP your ISP is offering
• Stats package <– very useful for tracking your traffic
• Cpanel <– very useful for admin

Your hosting package will come with a lot more stuff than I have listed above, most of it you won’t need but sometimes it’s nice to know the options are there.

Tip: Don’t buy a hosting package that serves form a Windows webserver. Windows servers are the first point of call for hackers. While any webserver can potentially be hacked, it seems that Windows is the most probed and got-at platform out there. It’s my advice to take a Linux server where possible.

continued…

Host Local?

Host Local in Your Own Country?

There are rumblings around the net at the moment that Google, and others, but Google especially are looking to localise their search results, which means if you are in the UK and you search for something then UK websites served from UK servers will rank higher in the results pages than UK websites served on servers based in other countries. I have mixed feelings about this because my findings at the moment (as of August 2008) is that it’s a load of hyped up nonsense. I own a website business (www.designconscious.com) and right from the word go I hosted in America, my site is a blog and is optimised for the key words “website design telford” here is what google thinks of my site using that key phrase

The internet is such a big place and website design is such a big market place I reckon it’s better to compete locally so my site is optimised for where I live and even though I’m hosting in America Google seems to like me anyway. But that said – this might not always be the case, so to save yourself hassle in the future it might be better to err on the side of caution and host your site in your country of origin. Best advice and future proofing – that’s what you should do.

But….

If you are like me and think it’s all a load of bullshit, then why not think about hosting at Hostagor? Hostagor are an enormous American ISP with a 24/7 online chat support team and a wealth of features that go way beyond what you really need. Take a look – and of course if you are reading this in America, you won’t go far wrong if you take one of their packages.

END.