Web Hosting

What Does a Managed Web Hosting Provider Do?

If you’ve been shopping for a web hosting plan recently, you’ve probably read that plans that utilize dedicated servers are the most powerful and robust on the market. While this is true, it is important to note that there are two types of dedicated hosting – managed and unmanaged – each one geared towards a completely different type of webmaster. An unmanaged dedicated web hosting plan essentially puts you in complete control of the web server, so that you are effectively leasing a server that is stored in a remote location. A managed dedicated web hosting plan gives you access to comprehensive support and customer service that allows you to focus on the important aspects of your online business, while the web hosting provider deals with server administration tasks. So what exactly does a managed web hosting provider do that an unmanaged web hosting provider does not?

Server Setup

When you purchase a managed web hosting plan, you have the option to choose which operating system you would like on your web server. It is important to note that Windows web hosting is usually more expensive than Linux hosting, because Windows is not a free open-source operating system like Linux. When you make your decision and purchase a plan, a managed hosting provider will automatically install the desired operating system and set up the server so that is fully functional before you ever log into your control panel. With many cheaper unmanaged hosting plans there is no operating system installed on the server, or an undesirable operating system is installed, so the webmaster is required to install the software and set up the server themselves.

Server Backups and Maintenance

Managed web hosting providers also perform the task of keeping the hardware and software configuration of your web server secure at all times. To do this, the managed web hosting provider will make complete backups of your entire web server on a routine basis, and then store the backups on several redundant servers to prevent data loss. Within unmanaged web hosting plan you would need to log into your control panel, which you would have to install first,  and manually create a backup of your server. Theoretically you could create a Cron job within an unmanaged hosting plan to have server backups performed automatically on a scheduled basis, however this is much more difficult than simply using a managed hosting plan. Managed hosting providers also defragment web servers and perform daily server maintenance to ensure that the server is functioning optimally at all times.

Technical Support and Customer Service

The level of customer support and services offered with a managed web hosting plan is leaps and bounds above that offered with an unmanaged hosting plan. In fact, many unmanaged hosting providers do not offer technical support at all, and may require the webmaster to use their own internet technology specialist or assistant in order to fix problems that occur within the software installed on the server. Most managed hosting providers offer 24-hour technical support and comprehensive customer service, which is an essential feature for the vast majority of novice to intermediate webmasters.

The Benefits of Using Multiple Domain Hosting for E-Commerce

The keys to being successful with an online business are diversification, diligence, and persistence. Unfortunately, a single revenue stream is often not enough to create a full-time income, especially if you are depending only one website. Most successful online entrepreneurs continually expand their network of websites by building new sites and entering new niches on a constant basis. Rather than giving up and becoming disheartened when one endeavor does not go your way, you should grab motivation and experience from such occurrences and begin working on a new endeavor. In order to continuously expand your online reach you need to build new websites and have access to your own network of sites.

Diversifying Your Business through Several Websites

In the online world, each website that you own represents a new business opportunity – the ability to penetrate a new niche and begin creating a new revenue stream. With each revenue stream you can significantly increase your monthly and yearly income gradually. Unfortunately, if you operate your entire online business through a single website, you’ll be unable to adequately target multiple markets and optimize your site for keywords that are commonly searched for in search engines. As you continuously explore new niches and business opportunities online, you’ll undoubtedly be registering multiple domains. In fact, the average webmaster registers about 10 domains per year.

Recognizing the Importance of Multiple Domain Hosting

Although the majority of hosting providers offer plans that allow for the hosting of an unlimited amount of domains, it is still important to ensure that your hosting plan includes multiple domain capabilities. It is, however, important to note that although a plan may allow you to host an unlimited amount domains, this does not mean that you have access to an adequate amount of server resources to host more than several hundred domains simultaneously. Each website that you associate with your web hosting account consumes server resources, and therefore places an additional burden on your hosting Web server.

Security and Business Presence

By owning a network of sites you can efficiently build links to your main sites in each niche, and also have smaller websites within the same niche that are designed to funnel traffic to your heavily monetized sites. This can improve conversion rates by allowing you to introduce presell articles and concepts to your site visitors and it can also diversifying your search engine optimization efforts. You will also be able to create more leverage within each industry/niche because you’ll have a significant online presence, which ultimately results in thousands of unique visitors within your control on a daily basis. When new products or services are released in each industry you can take advantage of their popularity instantly using one of your many sites within your network.

If you are planning on selling products or services or accepting payments on your website then you need an SSL certificate. Therefore, it is important to make sure that your web hosting plan includes capability to host a wildcard SSL certificate (at SSL certificate can be used on my website), or you’ll have to purchase multiple web hosting plans in order to gain access to multiple SSL certificates.

The Age Old Question: Linux vs Windows Hosting: Which is the Best?

One of the most difficult problems with choosing a hosting company is making the decision to either use a Windows based server or a Linux based server. While there are a number of choices out there, Windows and Linux make up the majority of all the servers on the internet. Most of the sources you’ll find on the topic are very opinion based, thus making them not very helpful. This article will seek to keep a direct, factual based approach to both platforms.

Open vs Closed

Microsoft owns and develops all of the windows operating systems. This means that this source is only updated by Microsoft. That is one of the primary differences between Windows and Linux. Linux, however, is completely open sourced and generally speaking free. This means for a hosting company it’s generally more expensive for the licenses to run Windows machines. This is why you typically see a bit of disparity between the prices of Windows and Linux machines.

All PCs Need Windows

A bad assumption by some new web developers is that if the target audience runs Windows then the server mush run windows as well. This is far from the truth. In fact, the client will never know which server you’re running. As a web developer however, there will be stark differences in the way each system runs and operates. Some may find that Linux is a little too complicated and stick with Windows instead. This is a valid argument.

Reliability is a Myth

One argument against Windows is its reliability over Linux. The main reason Windows gets a bad reputation is the sheer number of users on Windows makes the operating system a natural target for hackers.  However, Linux is the most common server platform and has just as many attacks made on it. The bottom line is the security of the server is solely based on the performance of its administrator.

Server Side Code

The primary thing to consider here is what do you want to do with your hosting? It really depends on what kind of site or platform you want to use. Microsoft has a ton of plug in style systems like ASP.Net, Access, Windows Streaming Media and MSSQL that can help with the development of a site. Linux has all of these functions as well, but they are usually expensive and a little less on the features that their Microsoft brothers.

Choosing your server platform really is just a matter of preference. Choose what you’re comfortable with operating as well as what you’re comfortable with building sites in. Everything else is just a mild foot note.

Understanding Website Viruses

Although most people are aware of the fact that their personal computer can be completely destroyed by a virus if the proper antivirus software is not used, many don’t realize that websites are also just as vulnerable to viruses. Just as a virus can infect your computer’s hard drive and utilize your computers resources, the same thing can happen to a web server that hosts your website.  If you are a serious online business owner, then you may want to consider the following information pertaining to website viruses, how they are spread, and how they can affect the success of your site.

How Websites Are Infected

There are several ways a virus can infect your website, each one requiring the hacker to gain access to the Web server in some way or another. Although this may sound like a rare occurrence, it is actually quite common, and the hacker never actually has to do any manual work to accomplish this. The hacker starts by getting an online business owner to download a virus to their personal computer. Once the virus is on the computer of the website owner, it begins logging all of the keystrokes that they type on their keyboard. When they go to log into their web hosting account, their password is cataloged into a database automatically and the account is hacked.

How Website Viruses Are Spread

Once the hacker has access to your web hosting account they are free to install malicious scripts on your web server, which can be used to spy on your traffic sources, redirect your traffic, change the content of your sites, and infect the computers of all of your site visitors.  The virus uploads itself to the web server and begins installing itself on websites that are contained on that server. Thus, website viruses are more prevalent within shared hosting plans, as a single web server can be shared by hundreds or even thousands of webmasters. In fact, the website owner never even has to have a virus on their personal computer to have their website affected. The virus spreads from site to site within the Web server itself, and is therefore is often a security issue that web hosting companies must deal with on an urgent basis.

How Can Viruses Affect My Website?

Having a virus on your website can greatly damage the reputation of your online business, and ultimately result in a significant loss of traffic. Most Internet surfers have an anti virus software installed that will warn them when they’re about to visit a website that is infected with a virus. If your website is infected, the majority of visitors will be warned not to enter your site. Even visitors that do not have anti-virus software installed may be warned not to enter your site by search engines, which frequently catalog sites that are reported to be infected. Unfortunately, the majority of Internet surfers don’t realize that the website owner is just as much of a victim as the site visitors, and instead they assume that the site owner is responsible for hosting a virus on their site.

When to Downgrade From a Dedicated Hosting Plan

Overestimating site requirements is an all too common problem in the hosting industry, as many webmaster tend to want more than they need or can even handle. Although it is admirable and often advisable to plan for excess and assume that you will need a powerful hosting plan, it is not wise to continuously pay for server resources that you are not using. Not only is this wasteful financially, it is also costing the hosting company and the planet energy unnecessarily.

Dedicated hosting plans are perhaps the most common culprits in terms of under usage. Most people that have a dedicated hosting plan do not use more than half of their available server resources, and therefore waste a great deal do money each month. Knowing how and when to downgrade is an important aspect of conserving your budget resources and optimizing your hosting situations. The following information teaches you how to tell when it is time for a downgrade, while also revealing some alternatives to dedicated hosting that may be more suitable for you.

Steady Surplus

If you find that you have a steady surplus of server resources each month, and your empire of sites and traffic levels are not increasing rapidly, then it may be time to consider a downgrade. You can check the amount of server resources your account is currently consuming within the main section of your hosting control panel (usually on the top of the left navigation bar). To the contrary, if you’re gradually approaching the limit of your hosting capabilities then it may be time to schedule an upgrade. While it is recommended to have more than you need on hand in case of a rapid traffic surge, a good rule of thumb is – downgrade when you’re consistently using less than 50% of your plan’s capabilities. If you’re unsure about the total amount of server resources you’re currently consuming in relation to your plan limits, then you should call your hosting company to inquire about this as soon as possible.

Downgrade Decision

After deciding to downgrade, it can be difficult to select a plan, as everything else may seem substandard in comparison. Fortunately, since you already have a hosting plan, you should have access to the aforementioned server analysis stats in your control panel that will let you know exactly how much power you’re using. After determining how much you’re currently using, try to find a plan that offers at least 30% more than what you currently have. This will give you enough room for expansion, while also preventing a complete waste of money and energy. In most cases, you’ll want to consider downgrading to a VPS or reseller hosting plan, as these are the most similar to dedicated hosting. A VPS (Virtual Private Server) is a mix between shared and dedicated, whereas a reseller plan gives you the ability to brand and resell some of your hosting resources.

Consider Cloud Computing

If a structured billing schedule does not appeal to you and you would like to try something more flexible, you may want to consider cloud hosting. Cloud hosting is based on cloud computing, which pools entire networks of servers to bring you unlimited and instant expandability and scalability, while only charging you for the exact amount you use each month. This eliminates the guess work, save s you time and money, and ensures that you always have access to the server resources you need.

New Partner Program Announced by Tenzing

Tenzing Managed IT Services recently went live with the Tenzing Partner Program, a new support program allowing partners and resellers to provider their customers with SLA-backed managed hosting services. The best aspect of this program is there’s no capital investment or risk involved to the partner, they simply need to sell the Tenzing service.

The program is developed to provide the necessary support to Tenzing partners which will help them expand relationships with their direct customers as well as increase revenue through a compensation plan. This program offers a plethora of services to help support partners in the design and delivery of solutions. In turn this improves effectiveness and profits while reducing cost and opening new business channels.

Tenzing is claiming their new program is one of the most competitive and comprehensive in the industry to date. The company recognizes that partners are an integral part of their go-to-market business strategy; therefore, Tenzing is willing to invest in them as they grow.

The Tenzing Partner Program delivers two different partnership levels to meet the needs of affiliates: Premier and Referral. The Premier program focuses on the continued development of collaborative strategies with numerous shared performance gauges. This indicates Tenzing will work closely with partners to create effective marketing strategies while building awareness of the services.

The Premier Partner program is aimed at the following:

• Joint marketing between Tenzing and the affiliate
• Scheduled strategic reviews
• Developing new business
• Competitive compensation

The Referral program targets a number of different industry professionals. Partners can be ecommerce store owners and developers, consultants, web development shop owners, SI’s and other information technology professionals looking for ad hoc projects and leads. The Referral program is an excellent opportunity to join a growing company that will guide you toward profits.

Each of these programs is an excellent opportunity to generate additional revenue. The better you do, the better they do so Tenzing would like to help your business as much as possible so they can maximize their revenue.

The partner programs offered by Tenzing are revolutionary for the affiliate marketing industry. This is not the run of the mill Clickbank affiliate program. Tenzing is willing to dedicate resources to help your business grow and for you to increase conversions and generate leads. If you are in this industry or are looking to expand operations, consider working with Tenzing because everyone will win.

Vdeck – Robust Features, Simplified Functionality

A powerful control panel should facilitate the completion of complex Web hosting tasks within a simplified user interface. Vdeck does this successfully while also providing a robust feature set that is unmatched by equivalent competitors. This control panel is perhaps one of the most versatile on the market, having compatibility with virtual private servers, shared hosting configurations, and dedicated servers. All of the actions that webmasters are expected to perform on a daily basis can easily be completed within the Vdeck administrative interface, which is neatly categorized and organized into efficient modules that centralize various web hosting duties. The following review briefly discusses some of the most appealing aspects of the Vdeck control panel.

Flexibility and Compatibility

Although popular control panels such as cPanel are mostly known for their ease-of-use, and are therefore commonly used by novice webmasters, Vdeck differs in this respect because it is flexible enough to be a perfect solution for nearly any size business. Whether you’re a small business owner or the CEO of a large corporation, Vdeck can accommodate your needs and preferences effectively. Vdeck includes all the tools and resources needed to efficiently manage an entire online store, or a small business portfolio site, without the need for any additional modifications or plug-ins. Vdeck is also compatible with a variety of operating systems, and can be used in nearly every hosting configuration . Since Vdeck can be used with any hosting type, it is possible to carry it with you throughout the years as you progress in your online business endeavors.

Traffic Analysis and Promotion

Vdeck improves webmasters’ ability to thoroughly analyze traffic statistics and trends, by providing several integrated traffic analytics software that can easily be installed on websites within the control panel. By having the ability to analyze and monitor web traffic in real-time, and generate monthly, weekly, and daily reports, it is possible to maximize the efficiency of a marketing campaign and improve overall promotion efforts. Vdeck includes a simplified script installation utility that can be used to quickly and easily install web hosting scripts, such as content management systems, with a single click of the mouse. Many of these scripts will aid in administrative tasks such as performing search engine optimization duties and organizing website content.

Expandable Functionality

Although Vdeck is considered to be a control panel, it has the open-source expandability that is commonly seen in content management systems such as WordPress, Joomla!, and Drupal. The functionality and features of Vdeck can be expounded upon using custom scripts and extensions, many of which are already available for free through Vdeck developer’s forums. Vdeck makes it easy to add custom Cron jobs that automate repetitive server and site administration tasks such as posting content, clearing comments, and creating site backups. Vdeck is also easy to learn how to use, because there are a lot of helpful tutorials and videos posted online by experienced Vdeck users. By networking within the Vdeck community you can gain access to programmers that are capable of creating custom modules within Vdeck for specific website and server management purposes.

When to Cancel a Web Hosting Plan

Choosing the right hosting plan is difficult enough when you don’t have to factor in an endless sea of choices and the possibility of receiving terrible service from the hosting provider you choose. Unfortunately, shady business is all too common in the web hosting industry, so it is therefore important to make sure you choose the right company from the beginning. Even so, it is not uncommon for someone to be stuck with a hosting plan that they despise, being afflicted with site downtime and poor performance.

Most people would like to believe that the unreliable service will end soon, and that they’ll be able to enjoy a web hosting plan that will meet all of their requirements. Nonetheless, if you’re having a bad experience with your hosting provider it may be time to make a change, and/or request a refund. The following information details when it is best to switch hosting providers.

Persistent Downtime

Persistent site downtime is absolutely unacceptable in the hosting industry, especially if you currently own an online business that depends on the reliability of your hosting provider. If your hosting provider offers an uptime guarantee, and most do today, be sure to take them up on this guarantee, and at the very least ask for a discount on your current bill because of the inconvenience. If the company refuses to provide some sort of compensation for the persistent downtime then it is time to find a new hosting provider. Any down time that lasts longer than a few hours should warrant a web hosting provider change as well.

Bad Customer Service

If you’ve been on the phone with customer service several times, only to be treated poorly each time, then it may be time to consider a new hosting provider. Good customer service is an integral aspect of every good web hosting provider, and many times being a webmaster requires immediate assistance from trained professionals, not half an hour delays and unfriendly people that do not know what they’re talking about. If you’ve had problems with your hosting provider’s customer support, you may need to start thinking about different options, before you encounter a serious issue that needs immediate support. Customer service should be friendly, fast and knowledgeable about every aspect of web hosting.

Unfair Terms and Fees

If you’ve been noticing unusually high, unfair or unexpected fees on your monthly bills, you may want to contact the hosting provider to let them know how you feel. If you’re told there is nothing they can do, or if you continue to receive inflated bills each month, it may be in the best interest of your online business to cancel your hosting plan with the current provider. Likewise, you should examine the terms and conditions of any hosting plan before you make the decision to purchase the plan, especially if you’re required to pay a year in advance, as is the case with many shared hosting plans, which are often unreliable.

When to Upgrade Your Shared Hosting Plan

Web hosting plans allocate a certain amount of server resources to each plan holder, and when the plan’s limitations are exceeded, all of the site’s hosted on the web server (or server partition) instantly experience poor performance and site down time. Thus, it is crucial to know when it is time for a hosting upgrade, particularly in the shared hosting environment, which has more limitations and restrictions than any other hosting type.

As a novice webmaster, you may have the urge to get started with your internet endeavors as quickly as possible, and as such you’ll undoubtedly go for the cheapest shared hosting plan available. While this can be advantageous in the beginning, eventually the capabilities of your minimal hosting plan will be exhausted, and knowing when to upgrade will be the only knowledge that will keep you from experiencing the negative effects of low bandwidth and disk space.

Multiple Domains

Although most shared hosting plans allow for unlimited domains, some of them charge multiple domain fees, and some plans only allow for a certain number of domains. If you foresee the need to create a multitude of web sites then you may want consider upgrading your shared hosting plan before the burden becomes too much for your current plan. Aside from the fees and limitations associated with adding new domains to your hosting account, the new domains will likely cause an increase in bandwidth and disk space usage, both of which warrant a hosting upgrade immediately.

Slow Page Loading

Some instances call for a hosting upgrade due to a symptom of low server performance, rather than a foreseen need for more server resources. One such symptom is slow page loading times, which can become an annoyance to site visitors, ultimately contributing to a decrease in web traffic. If any of your site’s pages are loading slowly, then you may need to enquirer with your web hosting company about the limitations of your hosting plan. Upgrading your plan as soon as your site starts to perform slowly is the best way to prevent any of the problems associated with poor site performances, some of which can greatly decrease your profits and counteract your efforts as a webmaster.

Traffic Surges

if your site is starting to experience high levels of traffic and you’re continually adding new content to it, then you may need to consider a comprehensive hosting plan immediately. Upgrading to a strong shared hosting plan is certainly an option, however most experts recommend a VPS or dedicated hosting plan for the serious webmaster. Although increased traffic levels are definitely a good thing, when your hosting plan cannot handle them they can become one of the biggest let downs in your  career, as the site visitors may leave your site immediately if it takes a long time for your pages to load. Traffic surges can cause the server to crash completely, or they can cause your web sites to be denied access to the server temporarily, so it is very important that you are prepared for massive levels of traffic by upgrading to a more robust hosting plan before the resources are actually needed.

Useful Tips for Buying Multiple Domain Names

The goal of nearly every webmaster is to continuously expand a network of websites that generate residual income. However, this goal cannot be accomplished without registering and acquiring a large collection of domain names, which will be used as the web addresses of the sites. Aside from registering completely unique domain names, many domain speculators choose to register alternative versions of their primary domain name for various reasons. Fortunately, most domain name registrars will provide a discount when several versions of the same primary domain name are purchased. In this, the more domain names you have access to, the more websites you can establish, and ultimately the more web traffic you can capture at one point in time. The following information discusses several techniques used by professional domain speculators when registering multiple domain names.

Capitalizing on Keywords

Keywords are basically the linguistic gateway that connects web traffic to your website. Any phrase that is commonly input into a search engine is considered to be a keyword, and is therefore capable of generating residual traffic if a website can successfully rank highly for a popular keyword. Thus, the first step in registering multiple domain names should be finding available domain names that contain popular keywords or key phrases within your desired niche. Not only will these phrases make it easier to rank highly for the keywords themselves within the search engines, it will also make it more likely that random web surfers will type in the name of your website simply by guessing the keyword. This especially true if you can register popular keywords with popular TLDs such as. com,.org, or.net.

Capturing Misspelled Traffic

It is also a good idea to purchase possible misspellings of your primary domain name, in order to capture type-in traffic that may misspell the name of your website while attempting to return to it. For example, if you own the domain name “exampledomainname.com”, then you may want to consider purchasing the misspelling of that domain – “exmapledomainname.com”. This not only maximizes the possibility of receiving random web traffic, it also keeps competitors from registering such misspellings and effectively taking some of your rightfully earned traffic. Aside from basic misspellings, you may wish to purchase plural or singular versions of the primary domain name. For example, the registrant of the aforementioned domain name may want to consider also registering “exampledomainnames.com”, as people commonly confuse plural and singular forms when remembering website addresses.

Varying Syntax and Preventative Measures

When purchasing alternate versions of the primary domain name, it is best to consider all possible formatting, with and without hyphens, using numbers, and even registering what are known as negative versions of your primary domain name. For example, if your domain name is “yourcompanybrand.com,” you could consider registering domain names such as “the-truth-about-your-company-brand.com” or “your-company-brand-sucks.com.” By doing this you can effectively prevent competitors from purchasing such domain names and negatively effecting your reputation in the future. Your goal as a domain speculator and registrant is to purchase all possible versions of your primary domain, especially if that domain is intended to be used as a business website.

Customizing Control Panels to Boost Reseller Income

Reseller web hosting plans include all of the necessary tools and resources to build, maintain, and market a successful web hosting business. This unique type of hosting provides server resources at wholesale cost, which can be split up and allocated to clients by the reseller in various sized plans for maximum profits. A crucial aspect of soliciting new customers is setting yourself apart from your provider and other competition within the web hosting industry. Most people do not want to purchase web hosting from a reseller knowingly, as they feel that they are purchasing a service of less value for the price because the sale is being mediated by a party that is basically collecting a commission. Thus, it is imperative to set yourself apart from your provider and other web hosting companies in the industry by utilizing branding, unique web hosting plans, a professional web hosting site, and customized control panels that accommodate the specific needs of your clients.

Control Panel Branding

The control panel is the main interface that your clients will interact with when they log in to their web hosting account. Thus, it is important to make sure they are satisfied with the overall appearance and functionality of this administrative tool. Fortunately, you can enhance the professionalism of your web hosting business by branding your control panel with a custom logo. When your web hosting customers log into the control panel, they’ll see your company logo in the top corner, giving them even more confidence to continue using your hosting service, and conduct other business with you in the future as well. Something as simple as this logo can significantly heighten client morale, and may be all that is needed to separate your business from the rest.

Choosing the Best Control Panel

Although the majority of web hosting providers include a specific control panel with each of their reseller hosting plans, some plans give you the freedom to install any control panel you’d like for your clients. Plus, you have the option of either adding additional functionality to the existing control panel offered by the reseller hosting provider, or you can install a new control panel that is a more enterprise-level solution than the conventional control panels such as cPanel. Since most control panels are open source applications, they can be expanded upon and improved by developers to create a custom solution for your clients based on an industry-standard platform.

Customizing and Improving the Control Panel

Providing your customers with detailed video tutorials and instructions on how to utilize all of the modules within their control panel is also an important step in setting your web hosting business apart from the competition. Make sure the control panel includes a simple installation utility such as SimpleScripts, in order to facilitate the process of installing scripts such as content management systems and site builders on your clients’ websites. As a reseller you have the ability to allocate a specific amount of server resources to each control panel interface, so it is important to ensure that every client is given all of the basic necessities to accommodate their level of online business.