Web Hosting

Linux Web Hosting – What Makes it Click?

Linux Web Hosting is appropriately named.  Websites built using the Linux operating systems are said to be hosed on Linux, as simple as that! Some features of Linux web hosting make it a great choice for people looking to develop web sited to establish their presence in the expansive online markets. Linux allows users access to some really useful technologies such as PHP, MySQL, Python and XML, all of which are open source.

Linux hosting derives a lot from the Unix system. Over the past few years Linux has grown to be recognized as an attractive budget hosting platform. Users get ample breathing space to experiment and expand the scope of their online businesses through Linux web hosting packages. The subsequent part of this article discusses a couple of the differentiating features associated with Linux Web Hosting.

Open Source

Linux based web hosts rely on the open source Linux OS to power their servers. An integrated structure defines the Linux web hosting plans, and this is generally referred to as LAMP which signifies the coming together of the Linux operating system, Apache server software, MySQL database and PHP scripting into a unified constructive backbone. Linux based hosts connect you to scores of wonderful open source applications and scripts that let you literally expand in all dimensions as far as the utility of your web pages goes. Some of the more popular open source technologies you would find interesting and useful include CGI, Perl and PHP. Bugs and glitches are not nightmares any more with Linux web hosting, as the open source community often has solutions ready promptly.

Great Services At Affordable Price

Another factor is the affordable costs of Linux based web hosting packages, making the proposition sounds a lot more worthwhile than an ordinary Windows based hosting package. Linux hosts outrun their Windows based counterparts on many grounds. For instance, Linux servers allow you the flexibility to work with Telnet whereas Windows servers would leave you high and dry if such a need arrives. And then, there is concrete evidence that Linux web hosting makes your website a lot more agile. Add to it the fact that there are applications such as Evolution, GNOME Desktop and Open Office to complement your web business with Linux hosting, and there is hardly anything that would inhibit you from trying it out.

How to Get Hottest Web Hosting News

Being a website-owner, it is important for you to keep yourself updated with the latest happenings in the online world. Some areas of prime importance, such as web hosting industry news and search engine policies just cannot be ignored. The following write-up will discuss the ways you can utilize to stay updated with hot web hosting news.

Web Hosting Blogs: Blogging has witnessed a great rise in its popularity in the last several years. There are innumerable blogs on almost every niche. Web hosting is among the hot favorite niches of bloggers. You can get detailed information on web-hosting topics and current affairs from trusted news blogs, such as WebHostingGeeks.com!

Search Engines like Google and Yahoo:  You can search news directly from search engines. You just have to type in the keyword ‘Web hosting news’ and you will get a plethora websites to choose from. However, it is advisable to go for the news websites on the top page, as they have a reputable status and you can only garner genuine news on web hosting from trusted sources.

Magazines and Newspapers:  Print media is another easy and feasible way to keep you updated. You can avail daily or weekly magazines that offer highly useful news.

Books: Of course, some books provide you with the latest news in the world of web hosting. However, there is a drawback. They do not update the content on a regular basis. Hence, they are not the best source of obtaining updates. Thus, you need to make sure that you hone in on a good book or resource that offers timeless information, most often utilized for education rather than news reports.

Social Media: This is the best way to obtain web hosting news. There are many news communities on Facebook. You can join them. There are also pages and groups that are run by the members themselves. You can gain knowledge and at the same time contribute to the groups by sharing good ideas and viewpoints. Social media has come up to be the most preferred way of gaining knowledge by the people.

These are only some of the ways to obtain news. All you need to do is devote some time and bookmark good websites and blogs. Before you know it, these resources would bear the role of your companions on the road of success for your website.

The Dummies’ Guide To SEO

Search engine optimization (or SEO) is an absolute jungle. Just like chocolate, cancer, and pregnancy, the rules for effective SEO management seem to change just about every other day, leaving most of us bewildered, slightly disgruntled, and all the way confused. Thankfully, there are a few trends you can be sure to capitalize on. Even more graciously, we’ve compiled them all here. Starting with the top, Pilgrim, enjoy your Dummies’ Guide to SEO Management!

Repeat After Us: “Keywords Are My Mates”

Seriously, though, keywords are just about the most important part of search engine optimization. If you haven’t got them, it’s like eating a BLT with nothing but chicken underneath the hood: You need a different foundation.

Keywords are what the major search engines look for when they spider your site. If you have the right density, those engines will start to favor your content over other articles that also feature the same keywords. The proper keyword density should be about 3 per-cent. This means that, if your article is about web hosting, the words “web hosting”—or some derivative thereof—should be included across 3 per-cent of all your total words. Any more, and Google might think your site is spam. Any less, and Bing might not know what your article is about.

Also: “Titles Need Keywords, Too”

Don’t forget to be snazzy with your webpage titles. If your page is about buttery spreads, and your keyword is some isotope of “buttery spreads,” then include the phrase in the title and perma-link of your page. Not only does this give Google some idea what to expect from your content, but it also helps clue in your readers, as well. The proper density for your title is somewhere between 30 to 70%. Just keep in mind that creativity is good, but only if the core keywords are there.

Finally: “Links Are More Or Less My Mates, Too”

Search engines like to see links, because links to other related pieces of content make it easier to form topic-based associations between sites. With this in mind, include as many appropriate links to other sites (yours or not) as you can. If your article is still about butter, include some links to buttery recipes, or the health of effects of butter. Try to keep to links that include your keywords, or are closely related.

However, don’t over do it: Many search engines are trained to ignore sites with too many links, so just be sensible. What would you like to see when booting a site for the first time?

Three Incredible Windows-Based Web Hosts

We already know: Most web host providers don’t like Windows, and will avoid it at any and all costs. Trust us, we’re well aware of it. That being said, there are plenty of good Windows based web hosts out there, and they have absolutely no problem finding business. Take that as you will, Unix die-hards. We’re just reporting.

With that in mind, here’s three of our favorite web hosts with a Windows face.

IX Web Hosting

We like these guys, and for one reason only: They’ve got killer technical support. We aren’t kidding. They also have pretty great, and extensive, plans with a business emphasis—they’re handy with all kinds of Ecommerce software—but what’s absolutely kick-ass about these guys is that each domain has its own dedicated account representative.

You heard us right.

Never again will you have to change hands between several different technicians to find a solution to a six-month problem. IX Web Hosting gives you one guru, and he’s yours.

HostGator

We’d be pretty surprised if you hadn’t already heard about HostGator. Not because they’re that special, but because they’ve ballooned into one of the largest and most recognizable web hosts around. This is largely due to the company’s rock-solid performance, support for ASP up to 4.0, and friendly tech support. Not to mention that their plans start as low as $4.76 a month. If that doesn’t sound like a bargain, we’d love to know who you’re getting service from!

1&1

If we had to describe these guys in a nutshell, we’d do it this way: 1&1 is bloody cool. Sure, they’re just another long-standing, Windows-based web host with a snarky face and some prestige. But what they’ve also got is dual hosting. This means that—God forbid—if your site goes down on one server, there’s another standing by that’s ready to roll, providing uninterrupted service.

Not only that, but some of the more expensive plans allow for browser-based tweaking, as well as more detailed control over both servers. It’s a very business-oriented package, and one that we’re quite fond of.

That’s all we’ve got for you today, but hopefully you aren’t such a stickler about Windows anymore. There are a lot of awesome companies offering innovative features out there, and if you’re willing to overlook the Microsoft aspect of them, a whole new world of opportunities arrises.

How to Keep Your Server Safe From Common Security Problems

It’s a wild, wild world out there. There’s all kinds of culprits just waiting to hack your website, trash all those gorgeous lines of code, and then steal your information from here to Sunday. Thankfully, though, we as web hosters have had plenty of time to study the most common forms of cyber attack: And we’ve come up with quality ways to deter them, too.

Use the following bits of information and tactic to keep your server safe from cyber hacking.

The Dreaded Denial-Of-Service Attack

This one’s a common one, and sadly, it’s pretty hard to avoid. The best method of defense against this is a good relationship with your hosting provider. This is where it’s a good idea to have a quality web host, instead of that cheap Chinese derivative you found for next-to-nothing in Shadyville, Internet Land.

A denial-of-service attack (or DDOS) is nothing more than putting your servers into hyper-mode. This is accomplished by sending too many requests through to your software, effectively crippling your website with much more load than it can handle.

This seems like a real brute force way to do things, and it is. So why is it still a problem, if it’s so basic a method? Well, the issue is in the way a DDOS is deflected: It’s incredibly hard to defend a site against what is, essentially, just extreme use. To safeguard your website against a DDOS, you’ll need to either shut down flow entirely (very undesirable for any business site) or locate the exact IP of the perpetrator and block it out. To do so, you’ll need a good connection with your host, as well as their willingness to help you out. Remember, a good host cares, and will always try their best.

 Script Overload via Buffer Overflow

Your URL is essential for uploading new data to your site, as behind that glorious front page, there’s a collection of packaging scripts that interpret your information into HTML eye-candy. Sadly, these scripts can be hijacked by sending a super-long URL to your server, potentially creating new code or rewriting that which is already in place.

To guard against this, just make sure your scripts are locked down against unwanted intrusion. Keep a strong password, and ensure with your provider that only you or your associates have access to these vital, background daemons.

Choosing Between cPanel and Plesk

If you’ve been into web hosting long, you may know of all the different control panels. You know their nuances and differences, as well as the strengths of each:

But the sad truth is, we often forget these things, and wind up using the same control panel out of habit. If that’s you, then take this refresher on the two most popular panels around, cPanel and Plesk. We’ll dive into both, and get right down to the nitty gritty competitive nature of each.

What is cPanel And Plesk, Anyway?

For those more familiar with the business, you’ll already know that cPanel is the most popular platform for managing a server. What you may not know is that cPanel has been around since the mid-1990s and is more or less only compatible with Unix and Linux systems. This means it plays along nicely with Red Hat and CentOS.

Plesk, on the other hand, is a relative newcomer to the scene, arriving in the early 2000s. The difference with it is—you guessed it—it supports both Unix and Windows. So who’s got a real leg up on who? To answer, we’ll need to take a look at the strengths of each. We’ll start with the heavyweight, cPanel:

cPanel is The Windows Of Server Systems

What we mean by this is, because cPanel is so widely used, if you have a problem you can more than likely find a solution. There’s a very large group of people using the software, and because cPanel enjoys such a large support basis, its been studied to death. It also sports an easier to learn interface than Plesk, meaning it plays nicer with the masses, and makes it easier to get into web hosting. In essence, cPanel web hosting is as Ubuntu is to Linux—Please don’t shoot me Tux nerds: I’m just creating analogies!

Plesk Is Bi-server-ual

Plesk, on the other hand, handles multiple servers and operating systems like a champ. The interface is a bit more complicated, and has a slightly steeper learning curve, but in return it supports both Unix and Windows. It also handles multiple commands better than cPanel.

At the end of the day, as most quality hosting options give you a choice between both services, your real conundrum is this: Do you want ease of use with a Unix face, or do you want a multi-server Windows machine?

A Look at the Top 3 Cheap Web Hosting Providers

Given the importance of web hosting, it is evident that as a website owner you must be on the lookout for one that is sophisticated, yet does not burn a hole in your budget. Read on for a list of 5 web hosts that are definitely going to capture your attention if you require an inexpensive yet impressive web host.

• If you are looking for unlimited web hosting as well as bandwidth at a rate as reasonable as $3.95 per month, then Host Papa could be your best bet. Free search engine ad credits to sites such as Google and Yahoo plus free advertising on leading social networking sites; Host Papa is surely worth a good hard look. Users also get hands on unlimited MySQL.

• Another provider that has made a name for itself in providing web hosting services is WebHostingHub. The services are indeed inexpensive, yet them remain reliable. The instant set up comes totally free of cost, and so does the domain name. There is around the clock phone support along with email responses and live support. There is also a 90 days money back clause available as well.

• HostGator is another powerful option to consider within the cheap web hosting realm. HostGator claims to host over 5,000,000 domains and they offer a plethora of unlimiteds, such as unlimited disk space and bankdwith, all for as little as $3.96 per month. With 24/7 support and $100 Google AdWords credits, you sure to benefit from this trusted hosting provider.

• FatCow offers green web hosting as well as instant set up, unlimited disk space, plus tech support at all hours of the day. This may be an ideal web host for your blog!

Summing Up

In case you had been searching for the perfect host that was cheap as well as reliable, you can easily take your pick from the above mentioned web host providers. Choose carefully after some research and host comparison. Put your requirements above everything else before going for a particular web host. Check out the money back offers available on each as well.

Windows Web Hosting: No Longer Second Fiddle?

Web hosts have used Windows as one of their primary operating systems since web hosting began.  Also, since web hosting began, Windows has been seen as the largely inferior choice.  Its inflexibilty, higher costs, and security holes caused it to be seen as the choice mainly of users who were trapped in the Microsoft universe and afraid to venture out of it.

If there’s one thing that Microsoft exemplified over the years, though, it is persistence.  Remember that before Windows 95, Windows was considered a horrible GUI, and Macintosh reigned.  There was also a console gaming world before Xbox, believe it or not.  Today, these have all move towards being standards, whether or not their harshest critics like to admit it.

Is Microsoft finally serious about web hosting?

This continued effort from Microsoft has been seen a lot more in recent years.  There has a been a greater focus on both the server and user side, with multiple new packages on both ends receiving a lot of attention.  For the web host, Windows Server 2008 R2 was received well by the hosting world and is being picked up by more and more web providers.  On the user end Microsoft Expression Web gets strong reviews from most PC periodicals, with some users describing it as a superior product to Adobe Dreamweaver.

Does this mean that Microsoft is no longer willing to just rest on their laurels and actually provide web hosting products that the industry should take seriously?  No one can predict the future, but all signs indicate that the answer to this question is “yes.”

Should I switch?

Those who are using Linux, Unix or some other operating system for their web sites may wonder whether or not this is a good time to switch over.  That’s a much more difficult case to make.

The primary argument against it is that, unless you are doing something complex with your web site, in the end, one operating system is as good as another.  It does take much to host simple HTML pages, images, media files, even most streaming and database software.  This question, then, is really only relevant to those who are running more buffed and complex sites that might need to keep a little stronger pace with technological advancements.

Even then, probably not

Microsoft may very well be around when we are old and gray.  But if it is, so will its detractors, which means that there will always be alternatives.  Linux, in particular, continues to grow in popularity, and its user base is rabid about its loyalty to it.  It is also quickly catching up to Windows in most areas, and being an open-source operating system its evolution is likely to continue accelerating.

Most web hosts worth their salt nowadays offer hosting on multiple platforms, like HostGator.  There are simply too many customers they’d be turning away otherwise.  This means that even if Windows is now a viable alternative, you likely won’t even have to worry about being forced over to it.

So no, the dynamic of the web hosting world hasn’t changed so much that now you will need to use Windows web hosting.  It has changed enough, however, that you may just want to.

Ecommerce: Trends and Benefits

The term ecommerce is as much in vogue as apples and cats! This is to say that, since the advent of the internet, ecommerce solutions for web business have become a staple aspect of technology. Read on to understand the present trends and scope of the ecommerce market as well as take a brief look into the possible benefits this can yeild.

Ecommerce has, of course, revolutionized business as regions and boundaries are harmoniously reached. Online buying and selling of products have opened up avenues one hardly expected even half a decade back.

The ecommerce industry is growing without any sign of a downslide. In USA alone, the growth rate has been put close to 17 percent. UK stands out as the leading ecommerce market at present. Countries like India too are catching up as a result of the massive benefits that are to be extracted from the concept. With convenience and reliability taken to the next level, ecommerce has certainly changed the way the game has been played. Ecommerce has engendered globalization in the purest form of the world.

The Top Benefits

Marketing and selling are no longer restricted to an area or regional zone. With ecommerce solutions available, the whole world is a viable market the can be tapped for business needs.

Ecommerce ensures complete and thorough visibility of products without you having to pay for establishment costs. Efficiency and cost savings are obvious benefit of this concept.

Not only does the business turnover increase but there is also a high degree of saving on time spent in conducting business as opposed to the more conventional techniques.

With a wider business base to exploit, ecommerce warrants a chance of building long term client relationships. Moreover, the chances of conquering newer markets are additional brownie points that are sure to make the propositions sound even more lucrative. . All these benefits await, and much more – simply by switching over to ecommerce.

If you had been considering taking a plunge into an ecommerce site, now is the time to make that dream a reality. Simply keep in mind the following tips for a successful ecommerce activity:

• Clarity regarding the products being offered.
• Convenience of use.
• Secure modes of payments.
• Easy ways to come across your site.
• Find reliable hosting for your ecommerce website.
• Proper and clear cut statement of all associated terms and conditions meant for users

Research well and visit some top ecommerce sites to gain an idea of the features to include. Good luck!

Top 5 Full Featured Web Hosts

Web hosting is a term that most webmasters understand, courtesy of the unimaginably massive leaps made by the world of Internet. However, it is quite possible that some new entrants in the field would be unaware of the different kinds of web hosts available. An befitting example is the shared host whereby website owners pay less and share one host with a number of other sites. This has its own advantages but there is a down side to this a well. Due to this negative aspect, full featured web hosts have really become highly coveted.

As the name suggests, these hosting packages offer many unlimited features, great customer support, and many free marketing perks. Further, this leads to better results for web traffic generations and a myriad of other possibilities. Here is a list of the top five full featured web hosts dominating the cyber market at present.

• Host-gator is a name that has been embracing the top ranking of compilations of full featured web hosts. With unlimited transfers and data space, this host is one that is sure to bring a stable presence to your business online. The top features are ADP, cPanel compliancy and Fantastico.
• With secure shell support, Bluehost is yet another popular choice. They also offer a money back guarantee associated with their hosting plans. Of course, as in all full featured web hosts, there is unlimited transfer available to their clients. Additionally, Blue Host is one of the oldest hosts in business, serving webmasters since 1996!
• WebHostingHub offers free premium website builder, free domain registration or transfer and number of CMS options to choose from. These add ons are beneficial as parts of the package. Hub guaranty No-Downtime transfer process, which gives you access to a temporary URL so you can upload your files before you transfer your domain.
• IX Webhosting is a notch above other apparently similar services given that there is the option of getting unlimited IP addresses along with ecommerce support. This results in the opportunity for enhanced profits, hence affording a larger ROI. The reviews prove its quality, and the number of satisfied users shows that this web host is one of the most in-demand featured hosts on the web market.
• The last, though immensely powerful featured host, is Fat Cow. It is ideal for both blogs and business websites on the web. Also labeled as eco friendly, this host offers SSL servers, store building tools, and credits for Ad words.

Common Advice in Search Engine Optimization

Getting advice on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can sometimes seem like trying to get advice on, say, the stock market.  Everybody is trying to leapfrog ahead of everyone else, and as a result you wonder if, in the end, anyone actually knows what they’re talking about.

This is a fair objection.  The truth, though, is that there are some fundamental principles that most experts agree on.  The reason that they work is simply that not everyone tries to make their pages more easily findable by Google.  Some web site owners simply assume that all they have to do is put their page up, and Google will automatically pick it up.

This much is  accurate: they will.  If you don’t want to be on page 17 of their listings, however, then you need to do a few things to put you ahead of the people who are making no effort at all.  These are basic rules that anyone can easily follow.

Keywords are your best friend

There is a larger truth about search engines that is so obvious that is seems unfathomable that more people don’t intuitively realize it: search engines can only search through text.  This means that you need the text on your web site as relevant as possible.

Take care, therefore, to make sure that key phrases that you think people who would want to come to your site would search for are somewhere in the text of your web pages, word for word.  These are known as “keywords.”  For example, if you are selling “Victorian wall ornaments,” those are your keywords, and you need them used on your site in multiple places, especially your front page.

A warning, though: don’t go crazy.  In the past people created pages that had thousands of words consisting of nothing but keywords in invisible text.  Search engines are now trained to filter out these pages.  Use your keywords only in the appropriate context, but don’t be afraid to use it multiple times.  Make sure as well that you throw in a few synonym phrases (“Victorian ornaments”, “Victorian decorations”, etc.)

Links are your next best friend

Search engines catalog links as much as they do basic text.  Make sure that there are plenty of links on your site, optimally ones that contain in their URLs the terms that people are searching for.  Other good ways of adding links that users might find are by setting up external sites that link to yours, as well as getting into link exchange programs with the appropriate types of partners.

Don’t forget social networking

Most common social networking websites are business-friendly.  Be sure to setup an account on each of these, and optimally, keep them at least moderately updated.  This is one more route by which users can find you, and one more potential entry in a search engine’s top 10 results.

Keep up with the trends

Finally, don’t stop here.  Since everyone is trying to game search engine results, search engines themselves constantly revamp their formula.  Keep an ear to the ground on the latest trends, and remember that Google isn’t the only search engine out there.  Search engine optimization is a job that never quite ends, but one that the dedicated web users can easily keep up with, and are well-served by the effort.