1. Serve Your Static Media from a Cookie-Less Domain

About 80 to 90% of the time, your users are spending their time loading static content from your WordPress blog. This means that far more than the majority of the time a user is viewing your site, they’re waiting for items like images, stylesheets, scripts, Flash, etc. to load and present themselves on the screen. As such, you can optimize this content to arrive more quickly by telling WordPress to load it all from a cookie free domain. This eliminates a few precious micro-seconds of load time, which may not seem like much, but can really amount to a whopping time loss when added to other delaying issues.

Thankfully, it’s not hard to set up this kind of arrangement within WordPress. To do so, simply set these two constants within your wp-config.php file as so:

define(“WP_CONTENT_URL”, “http://static.yourdomain.com”);

define(“COOKIE_DOMAIN”, “www.yourdomain.com”);

After you’ve done that, just check to be sure you’ve marked “bloginfo( ‘template_directory’ )” to load your static content within your theme files. That’s it, allowing us to move onto point two!

2. Set-Up Cached Headers to Expire for Your Static Content

Serving up cached media is another great way to reduce load times. Thankfully, creating expiring headers for your static content is also fairly easy to do within WordPress, and can save you a lot of lag-based headaches. The best way to do so is to use the following code form the HTML 5 Boiler Plate. You can append it to your .htaccess file for immediate results. This, essentially, tells your server to expire headers at a future date, saving them in a cached format until that expiration date. So without further ado, here’s the code to get the job done!
—————————————————————————————————————-
<IfModule mod_expires.c>
ExpiresActive on
# Perhaps better to whitelist expires rules? Perhaps.
ExpiresDefault      "access plus 1 month"
# cache.appcache needs re-requests
# in FF 3.6 (thx Remy ~Introducing HTML5)
ExpiresByType text/cache-manifest "access plus 0 seconds"
# Your document html
ExpiresByType text/html "access plus 0 seconds"
# Data
ExpiresByType text/xml "access plus 0 seconds"
ExpiresByType application/xml "access plus 0 seconds"
ExpiresByType application/json "access plus 0 seconds"
# RSS feed
ExpiresByType application/rss+xml "access plus 1 hour"
# Favicon (cannot be renamed)
ExpiresByType image/x-icon "access plus 1 week"
# Media: images, video, audio
ExpiresByType image/gif "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType image/png "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType image/jpg "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType image/jpeg "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType video/ogg "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType audio/ogg "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType video/mp4 "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType video/webm "access plus 1 month"
# HTC files  (css3pie)
ExpiresByType text/x-component "access plus 1 month"
# Webfonts
ExpiresByType font/truetype "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType font/opentype "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType application/x-font-woff   "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType image/svg+xml "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType application/vnd.ms-fontobject "access plus 1 month"
# CSS and JavaScript
ExpiresByType text/css "access plus 1 year"
ExpiresByType application/javascript "access plus 1 year"
ExpiresByType text/javascript "access plus 1 year"
<IfModule mod_headers.c>
Header append Cache-Control "public"
</IfModule>
</IfModule>
—————————————————————————————————————-

3. Optimize that Database!

Another great way to fix your server up to deliver your WordPress site with the most efficiency is to optimize your database. How does one do this? With mountains and mountains of code that take hours to append—We’re kidding! WordPress makes this unbelievably easy, thanks to a number of free plug-ins. You can search the plug-in database for server optimization, but some of our favorites are Yoast Optimize DB and WP DB Manager. Keep in mind too that most caching plug-ins also help with a lot of this, so you may find most of the workload being taken care of by your already extant caching softwares.

4. Use Cached Media As Much As Possible

On that note, creating cached .html files saves your server a mountain of database queries, and can easily be accomplished through any number of quality plug-ins. Essentially, these additions turn all those queries into static pages that load easy, saving your viewer from horrendous lag on the front-end. So what plug-ins do we recommend? Thanks for asking! Here are our favorites, though as with the database optimizers, there’s plenty more to be found in the plug-in database!

Our favorite caching utilities include: WP Super Cache, Hyper Cache, and W3 Total Cache. These generate .html files, but we also use DB Cache to cache the database queries themselves, saving even more time on the front-end.

5. Use a Content Delivery Network

We’re quite tremendous fans of the content delivery network. Everything about the technology gets us excited, and though we tend to evangelize the service to everyone we know, adding a CDN solution to your WordPress site is extremely easy, and can really save you a lot of load time. There are several freely available plug-ins that offer a fair amount of content distribution, but if you’re looking for a quality option, you really aren going to need to spend a little. However, we should mention the benefits of signing up for a CDN tend to far outweigh the cons, making the following services every bit as useful as they are expensive. If you’re hung-up on the price, though, we’ve also included a free option!

Our favorite content delivery providers are: Amazon S3, Max CDN, Media Temple CDN, and Free CDN.

6. Compress and Adjoin All Those JS and CSS Files Where Possible

Generally speaking, it’s a fantastic idea to compress both your JS and CSS files, as this reduces the overall size of your website, and allows for speedier load times at the end-user level. However, if you’re looking to take your optimization to a whole new level, we also strongly suggest you combine the two where possible. Combining multiple files into a single offering can greatly reduce the number of HTTP requests from your web server, saving your viewers precious seconds in load time. And—you guessed it—we do happen to have a number of plug-ins ready to help you out!

Our favorite JS compressors include Closure Compiler and Minify JavaScript. Our favorite CSS alternatives are Minify CSS and CSS Compressor. Alternatively, you can also use the wp minify plug-in to combine your JS and CSS files directly from WordPress.

7. Compress Your Image Files

On the subject of compression, it’s also a pretty fantastic idea to compress your images, too. This reduces the overall size of your website, and can knock off quite a few moments during your site’s load time. The plug-in we favor uses the API of the smush.it site to compress your images for optimized use. It’s a brilliant bit of coding, and we can’t speak highly enough of it. So without further ado, go ahead and snag WP Smush IT to increase the speed of your site. You can also use CSS Sprite to reduce the number of HTTP requests, if you’re feeling particularly gung-ho.

8. Compress Your Static Content into a gZip

One more compression tip, and then we promise we’ll stop. You see, just as it’s generally a good idea to compress your CSS, JS, and image files, so is it also a great idea to shrink down all of that extraneous static content we mentioned earlier. Just as most of your load time comes from grabbing this junk, so too can it be relieved by downsizing the overall cost of the HTTP request. Thankfully, there’s an incredibly simple way to do this within WordPress: And taking the time to add the following code snippet can dramatically reduce your wait times. So without any more babbling, here’s the code you’ll want to add to your .htaccess file. In case you were wondering, this is yet another bit of genius straight from the HTML5 Boiler Plate:
—————————————————————————————————————-
<IfModule mod_deflate.c>
# force deflate for mangled headers
# developer.yahoo.com/blogs/ydn/posts/2010/12/pushing-beyond-gzipping/
<IfModule mod_setenvif.c>
<IfModule mod_headers.c>
SetEnvIfNoCase ^(Accept-EncodXng|X-cept-Encoding|X{15}|~{15}|-{15})$ ^((gzip|deflate)\s*,?\s*)+|[X~-]{4,13}$ HAVE_Accept-Encoding
RequestHeader append Accept-Encoding "gzip,deflate" env=HAVE_Accept-Encoding
</IfModule>
</IfModule>
# HTML, TXT, CSS, JavaScript, JSON, XML, HTC:
<IfModule filter_module>
FilterDeclare   COMPRESS
FilterProvider  COMPRESS  DEFLATE resp=Content-Type $text/html
FilterProvider  COMPRESS  DEFLATE resp=Content-Type $text/css
FilterProvider  COMPRESS  DEFLATE resp=Content-Type $text/plain
FilterProvider  COMPRESS  DEFLATE resp=Content-Type $text/xml
FilterProvider  COMPRESS  DEFLATE resp=Content-Type $text/x-component
FilterProvider  COMPRESS  DEFLATE resp=Content-Type $application/javascript
FilterProvider  COMPRESS  DEFLATE resp=Content-Type $application/json
FilterProvider  COMPRESS  DEFLATE resp=Content-Type $application/xml
FilterProvider  COMPRESS  DEFLATE resp=Content-Type $application/xhtml+xml
FilterProvider  COMPRESS  DEFLATE resp=Content-Type $application/rss+xml
FilterProvider  COMPRESS  DEFLATE resp=Content-Type $application/atom+xml
FilterProvider  COMPRESS  DEFLATE resp=Content-Type $application/vnd.ms-fontobject
FilterProvider  COMPRESS  DEFLATE resp=Content-Type $image/svg+xml
FilterProvider  COMPRESS  DEFLATE resp=Content-Type $application/x-font-ttf
FilterProvider  COMPRESS  DEFLATE resp=Content-Type $font/opentype
FilterChain     COMPRESS
FilterProtocol  COMPRESS  DEFLATE change=yes;byteranges=no
</IfModule>
<IfModule !mod_filter.c>
# Legacy versions of Apache
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html text/plain text/css application/json
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/javascript
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/xml application/xml text/x-component
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/xhtml+xml application/rss+xml application/atom+xml
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE image/svg+xml application/vnd.ms-fontobject application/x-font-ttf font/opentype
</IfModule>
</IfModule>
—————————————————————————————————————-

9. Disable eTags

eTags are generally a great way to aide the development of cached content within WordPress. However, if you’ve shrunk down all of your media and are using expiration headers for the majority of your static content, having them enabled isn’t nearly as good of an idea. As such, you should turn all of them off by adding the following line of code to your aforementioned .htaccess file. It’s a single line:

File ETag none

and with all the other improvements we’ve made during the course of this article, it will tie the bow on your load time savings.

Related posts:

• March 31, 2010 – Wordpress and Search Engine Optimization – Facts to Consider
• January 16, 2012 – Top 4 Ways to Optimize WordPress for Search Engines
• January 11, 2012 – WordPress Website and WordPress Hosting
• January 1, 2012 – Fastest WordPress Hosting in Town
• December 9, 2011 – WordPress vs. Blogger
• October 7, 2011 – The 13 Best Free WordPress Plugins
• October 3, 2011 – WordPress Plugins – Making the Most of the Your Site
• September 19, 2011 – Get Out of the PHP Memory Error Rut with WordPress
• September 15, 2011 – Add-Ons That Will Save Your Web Hosting Business
• September 15, 2011 – Alternative’s to WordPress – Other Content Management Systems do Exist

We’ve awarded Green Geeks the honor of the Best Green Hosting for a number of reasons, including the service’s excellent pricing scheme and top-notch feature set, but before diving into those details, let’s talk about the green!

Why Green Geeks?

To kick things off, Green Geeks uses the latest generation of Intel processors to power its servers. These bad boys are streamlined to use as little energy as possible while still delivering the power-punch you deserve. Not only that, but the company even has its tech support specialists telecommute into work, saving carbon emissions on morning commutes. There’s also the 300% wind-powered hosting network that Green Geeks uses. No small feat, this marvel of modern hosting engineering ensures that the company returns three times the energy it uses every time its servers are fired up.

As a cherry on top, Green Geeks is also one-hundred percent certified by the EPA as a compliant Green Power Partner. All in all, the provider takes the most steps to ensure its hosting network is green-capable, making it a shoe-in for the Best Green Hosting category.

With Green Geeks, though, that’s not the whole of it. Considering the provider has pricing schemes that start at a scant $4.95 a month, users are also getting a tremendous bargain in hosting while preserving the planet. For that low price of five bucks a month, all of Green Geek’s consumers enjoy unlimited disc space, bandwidth, add-on domains, IMAP, and POP3 email accounts. Not to mention the fact that Green Geeks offers several other amenities to help ease the process of moving your site to their servers: This includes free site migration, free domain registration for life, and a customized, 100% free site builder.

And, of course, Green Geeks comes stock with all the bells and whistles you want, including support for Python, Perl, PHP, and cPanel. The provider will also handle as many MySQL databases as you want to throw at it, making it a solid, eco-friendly, and comprehensive way to host your professional website without harming the planet.

Visit http://www.greengeeks.com | Read Green Geeks customer reviews.

Related posts:

• February 18, 2009 – Fasthosts Takes on a New Green Initiative
• January 7, 2009 – The Emergence of Green Web Hosting
• May 3, 2010 – Web Hosting Data Centers Going Green
• December 14, 2009 – Site5 and Mokugift Combined to Help Reforestation
• November 23, 2009 – Carbon Offsetting Versus True Green Hosting
• January 14, 2009 – Digital Realty Trust Honored by Datacenter Dynamics
• October 14, 2008 – The Gator Goes Green

What is A/B Testing?

The best way to think about A/B testing is through ye olden, brick and mortar advertising techniques. Let’s imagine you own a bakery on one end of town, and another branch at the far side of the city. Your advertisements have not been driving as many sales as you might like, so you decide to create a new campaign. However, you’ve got two fantastic ideas, and you’d like to know which is more appealing to the end-consumer. Obviously, you could do some polls, but a better way would be to simply initiate one campaign at one branch, and the other at the second store. By closely monitoring which branch enjoys an increase in sales and traffic, you’ll have a very good idea about which campaign is worth pursuing.

In much the same way, A/B testing allows you to use your website and emails to perform similar tests. With the technology at hand, you can change the banners and graphics of your site in multiple variations, and then market those changes to targeted groups of visitors. By monitoring which set performs the best, you can decide which direction(s) should be a permanent addition.

And if you hadn’t guessed by now, we’ve got a great place for you start, if you’re interested in using A/B testing: VisualWebsiteOptimizer.com.

What is Visual Website Optimizer Is, and How Does it Help?

When creating variations of your Web content to perform tests, you’ll quickly find yourself up to your eyeballs in complex HTML editing and performance code. Visual Website Optimizer makes the creation process much simpler, allowing you to visually and directly edit any element of your site. Once the changes have been put into action, you can then specify your target goals and groups, as well as what you’d like those individuals to do.

It’s fluid, dynamic, and supremely easy, especially when compared to other A/B testing platforms. Still don’t believe us? We don’t blame you. With that in mind, let’s dive a bit deeper into the visual editor at the heart of the software.

Cutting and Pasting Made Easy

With Visual Website Optimizer, creating variations of your site is simple. All a web master needs to do is load the site into the software’s WYSIWYG editor (that’s a complex acronym for “visual HTML editor,” a bit like WordPress) and then get cranking. Any aspect of the site can be altered, whether it’s a photograph, banner advertisement, piece of text, or link. These changes are integrated directly into the variation, and if you have a need for more complex modifications, Visual Website Optimizer also fully supports direct HTML editing. However, none of this is too inventive, is it? After all, programs like WordPress do make it easy to alter code.

If that’s what you’re thinking, you’re right. However, the beauty of Visual Website Optimizer is in its visual nature: You can directly see the changes as their made, and as each and every modification is stored as a unique variation, you’re free to review all of these modifications in real time. This is an unbelievably powerful platform, especially if you’re not into digging through lines of code on your day off.

The Tests Are Golden

Additionally, Visual Website Optimizer also makes it easy to define and monitor tests. Each and every variation of your website can be attached to a specific goal: Whether this is an increase in page visits, clicked links, or even just form submissions, Visual Website Optimizer allows you to track it. And again, all of this functionality is served up with a wonderfully visual presentation. You’re free to look directly at the tests as they’re being performed. And trust us, there’s nothing cooler than having your goals laid out directly on your screen, resting in front of your eyes.

We also appreciate the mountain of available testing formats, as Visual Website Optimizer covers just about every measurement you could ever hope for.

To provide a short list, Visual Website Optimizer offers:

• Multiple conversion goals
• Heat map reports of visitor clicks and views
• Segmented and targeted group dynamics
• Cross-domain tracking
• Revenue monitoring
• Integration with Google Analytics
• Multiple permission-based logins for collaboration with your new schemas

And with an HTML test editor, the sky is the limit, if you’d like to create your own parameters. You make it, Visual Website Optimizer will track it: Guaranteed.

But How Does it Compare to Google?

If you’ve been in the business long, you’ve likely heard of Google Website Optimizer. The software provided by the Big-G provides a roughly equivalent experience to Visual Website Optimizer, but with a few notable differences.

Sure, both softwares will track your website variations, providing you with analytical data to use in your next marketing campaign. But only Visual Website Optimizer provides you with a rich and visual editor to create your new variations. Google, on the other hand, relies entirely on your knowledge of code, as well as your ability to successfully implement market segmentation and targeting.

Visual Website Optimizer instead does most of the work for you. The software allows you to visually compare changes, attach hardwired goals to those modifications, and then effortlessly track the results. Sure, there’s a $49 per month charge attached, but where Google Website Optimizer might be free, it can never provide the same quality of experience as Visual Website Optimizer.

Learn more about Visual Website Optimizer at http://visualwebsiteoptimizer.com/.

Related posts:

• No Related Post

1. Tell WordPress to Rearrange Itself

As much as we like WordPress, we have noticed it has one or two nasty habits. The most notable we’ve come across is its tendency to put the name of the website itself in front of the title of the blog post. This is problematic for a number of reasons, but we would simply like to mention right off the bat that there is a quick fix: So, in other words, don’t panic and bring your towel. But why is this such a big deal? Well, for starters – search engines use your titles to determine what the blog post is actually about. Typically, a search engine will only crawl (that means search and record) the first 50 to 64 characters of your title, too. With that in mind, having your blog name in front of your blog post title can cause some problems. You’ll want to reverse this, that way sites like Google get an accurate picture of your newly minted content, rather than a repeat of the blog’s name. A quick way to do this is to swap the title and name sequence within the All In One SEO pack. On another note, if you don’t have this plug-in yet, you should go ahead and snag it, as we’ll be referencing it often.

2. Create Unique and Accurate Meta Tags

A case in point, we will again be using All In One SEO with this point, as well. The idea here is that the automatically created meta tags published by WordPress are typically not specific enough to warrant any interest from the larger search engines. Usually, these self-created tags are somewhat generic, and lack any kind of specificity sites like Google desire. With that in mind, the easiest way to correct the problem is to add meta tags yourself. How does one go about this? Well, the easiest method is through that handy plug-in we mentioned earlier. Using the keywords slot, you’re free to add as many meta tags as your heart desires. Just try to be specific, avoiding generic terms like “iPhone,” “Android,” or “Mac.”

3. Stick Around with Permalinks

When WordPress creates a new post, it typically does so with a URL that’s less-than desirable for search engine optimization. This is because, more often than not, WordPress attaches an incomprehensible string of numbers to each and every new piece of content, allowing URL crawlers no added access to what in the heck your post is about. However, this isn’t hard to change, and typically only requires a quick jaunt over to the WordPress admin panel.

Within this panel, look for the settings tab, and then “Permalinks.”

You’ll see a list of various URL methods, but the only one you want is called “Custom Structure.” Yes, you’re going to have to enter something here, but lucky for you, we’ve already written the appropriate string. Click this box, and then type: /%category%/%postname%

Now, every time you create a new post, it will be listed in the URL as http://sample.com/your-category/the-proper-post-name. This makes your post infinitely more readable to search engines, and can go a long way toward fully search engine optimizing your content.

4. Make Meaningful Connections

Another fantastic way to optimize your site for search engine use is to link related sites and content pieces within your article.

This means that words like “phone” should be linked to other articles about similar models, operating systems, etc. Your goal is to create a map within the blog post that directs the user—and search engines—to other content that’s closely related to your own. With that in mind, blindly adding links with no regard for what they mean will not help you at all. If you’ve written an article about how to cook a turkey, and you link it to an animal rights page, Google won’t get much out of it, and may even scrap your site in its ratings. There’s also a limit on how many links Google is willing to stand. If you attach a URL to every word in the post, most search engines will treat it like spam.

A great way to avoid this is to use a “Related Posts” plug-in. There are about a thousand in the WordPress plug-in library, so we won’t offer any specific suggestions. Just know that these create a separate box for these helpful links, alleviating the need to bugger up your viewers’ reading experience with bothersome links. Likewise, there are plenty of plug-ins out there that will automatically generate in-text links, should you decide you’d rather have plenty of those. Typically, they work quite well, but the only way to guarantee your optimization is to add these links yourself.

Related posts:

• September 15, 2011 – Add-Ons That Will Save Your Web Hosting Business
• January 26, 2010 – Search Engine Optimization: Keywords vs. Content
• January 18, 2010 – Search Engine Optimization – The Basics Explained
• July 24, 2009 – Avoid These Five SEO Mistakes
• July 23, 2009 – Seven SEO Myths Debunked
• January 1, 2012 – Fastest WordPress Hosting in Town
• December 1, 2011 – The Importance of SEO
• September 25, 2011 – Search Engine Optimization tips for Bing
• September 21, 2011 – Are Search Engine Optimization Companies – Worthy of the Cost?
• September 14, 2011 – The Dummies’ Guide To SEO

And why shouldn’t it be? WordPress makes it incredibly simple to manage, produce, and distribute content on the Internet through your site. And at the heart of things, that’s really what the Web is all about, right? Here are some stats about what people do on wordpress:

Philosophical pander aside, though, there are a few things you’ll want to really look for in a web host when you’re shopping for WordPress compliance. In fact, if you don’t snag just the right features, you may find your CMS blog in high water before the ink is even dry on your contract. With that in mind, here are a few of the top features you want in a web host with WordPress in mind, as well as a few quality places to find WordPress hosting, beginning with:

In-House WordPress Transfers. Often times, we see webmasters start a blog on the traditional WordPress site, only to suddenly find their content inundated with fans and adoring readers. If you’re in a similar boat, and are looking to make the swap to a truly dedicated domain and website, you’ll want to be sure of a few things. First and foremost, you’ll want to be sure your new web host can directly transfer your domain from WordPress, establishing it as a proprietary DNS. From there, you’ll also want to ensure they can port most (if not all) of your content. You worked hard to create it, so why should you have to leave it behind on that old, stuffy WordPress blog? If your new web host can’t help you with your baggage, it’s time to shop more.

Speed and Performance. On a similar note, if you’re swapping your old WordPress account for a dedicated number—or even if you’re just starting from scratch—you’ll want to find a web host that offers totally comprehensive performance and top-notch hardware. WordPress is a lightweight web application, but you’re still running an additional software engine over the server’s operating system. This requires processing power, and if you go with an anemic web host, you may find your blog is no better off with a dedicated location than with your original WordPress spot. And besides, signing to a web host is like buying a new car. If you have the money, why not spring for that souped-up model that packs a real punch? Get the most bang for your dollar and look for speed in a web host.

Easy Installation. Lastly, you’ll want to be sure your web host can provide an easy WordPress installation for your site. A good web host makes this a one or two click process, max. If your web host instead wants you to do a long string of complicated terminal commands that may jeopardize the entire system, it’s time to move elsewhere and cancel the contract.

That’s by no means a survival guide for WordPress shopping where web hosts are concerned, but instead of talking about finding a web host until the cows come home, we thought we might instead offer up a few of our choice suggestions. Beginning with:

InMotion Web Hosting

Customer Ratings & Reviews

As an industry leading web hosting provider, InMotion Hosting provides all of the features we mentioned above and more. With the company your WordPress installation takes only a click, thanks to the brilliantly inventive, server-side gem Fantastico. Furthermore, InMotion also boasts secure suPHP, the latest versions of both MySQL 5 and PHP 5, as well as free domain transfer. If you’re looking to port over your old WordPress account, like we talked about earlier, InMotion also makes it a smooth process, bringing along your old content and name without any additional hassle on your part. All in all, InMotion is a brilliant (and cheap, clocking in at $5.95 a month) option for your WordPress-based site.

Visit www.inmotionhosting.com or read our Inmotion Hosting review.

HostGator

Customer Ratings & Reviews

Another industry veteran, HostGator offers even more features than InMotion, and at a lower price, to boot. Plans with the provider begin at only $3.96 a month, and come loaded with 100% WordPress compatibility, a one-click installation of the latest WordPress software, 99.9% up-time, and a full 45 day money back guarantee. Another feature unique to HostGator is its focus on unlimited features. With the provider, users can enjoy fully unlimited disc space and bandwidth, even at the lowest possible plan. And, of course, signing with the provider also earns you the latest versions of Apache, MySQL and PHP. Best of all, transferring your old WordPress site to the provider is easy-peasy using their ready made transfer service.

Visit www.hostgator.com or read our HostGator review.

WebHostingHub

Customer Ratings & Reviews

Last, though certainly not least, is WebHostingHub. The provider offers unparalleled support for the modern WordPress blogger, besting both HostGator and InMotion in our user review polls. First and foremost, those who choose to sign with the provider gain the full benefits of the latest software, including Apache, MySQL 5, and PHP5. And, of course, all of this technology comes ready loaded with a one-click WordPress installation that requires no additional effort on your part. Add to this about 1,000 unique and custom-made WordPress themes to choose from, as well as simple transfer of old WordPress materials, and you’re looking at a truly impressive offering. However, WebHostingHub is also notable for its unique dedication to hardware optimization. The provider has taken great pains to fully prepare its systems for WordPress, including a full PHP caching overhaul that maximizes available RAM, a reduction in overall I/O requests, and blazing fast base connectivity. All in all, if you’re looking for an incredible, simple, and efficient way to host your new WordPress site, there’s no better option than WebHostingHub.

Visit www.webhostinghub.com or read our WebHostingHub review.

Related posts:

• January 1, 2012 – Fastest WordPress Hosting in Town
• December 9, 2011 – WordPress vs. Blogger
• October 3, 2011 – WordPress Plugins – Making the Most of the Your Site
• September 21, 2011 – Drupal – An Essential Primer
• September 15, 2011 – Alternative’s to WordPress – Other Content Management Systems do Exist
• September 7, 2011 – An Overview of PHP-Based Content Management Systems Beyond WordPress
• September 2, 2011 – When to Transition to a Content Management System
• June 15, 2011 – Drupal 7 to Further Simplify Website Management
• May 6, 2011 – New Content Management System Released by TYPO 3
• January 17, 2011 – Understanding the Benefits of CMS

1.  No Software Required: We may have just modified a Phil Collins song to meet our needs, but that doesn’t make the point any less valid: If you’re using a control panel, there’s absolutely no need to clutter up your home computer with FTP software of any kind. This, after all, is really the point of having a control panel in the first place. With something like cPanel in place, you can access your site from any location around the globe via browser. From there, you’re free to upload, mangle, and download your system’s files as needed. It’s quick, efficient, and saves you hard drive space in the long run.

2.Easy Stats: Another advantage to using a control panel over the traditional terminal are the various statistical tools available for your perusal. Using these tools, you can stay up to date on a minute-by-minute basis with who has been accessing your site, from where, and when down to the second. Want to know how many of your users have been coming from the Southeast? With a control panel in place, it’s no problem at all to find out. In fact, we might even say it’s easy as pie—especially considering pie charts are a definite possibility.

3.  Ease of Installation: Another benefit to using a control panel is its ease of software installation. Essentially, with a package like cPanel creating a front-end for your site, you’re allowed to add, remove, or modify web applications as you please. Want to add a forum to your site? No problem, assuming you have a control panel! How about shopping carts, bags, help desks, image galleries, billing software, or even a content management software like WordPress? With all of the above, it’s a done deal, assuming you’ve got the control panel to match. Best of all, these installations can be removed just as easily as they’re added, allowing for an unprecedented level of control over your site’s performance.

4.  Know Your Usage: Typically, when a web hosting provider comes stock with a control panel, the panel is capable of tracking your data usage, just like Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T allow users to track their minutes and allowances from the Web. In this way, it’s a cinch to keep a tab on just how much of your plan you’ve been using, allowing you to scale back next month if needed, or ramp up the features, should your site experience a sudden hike in popularity.

Cons:

1.  Big Tasks Suck: However, a control panel isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. In fact, when it comes to certain filing procedures, they can be a right pain in the derriere. For example, let’s imagine you have a directory that’s currently housing something like 5,000 unique files. Now, what if you wanted to move all 5k of these items to a new folder? How about only the files that begin with a specific phrase? Using a graphical control panel, this could take hours of tedious clicking and sorting. However, with the command line, a single string can take care of the whole operation in only seconds. Now that’s power!

2.  Getting Dirty Requires Less: Let’s create another example: Let’s say your server begins acting strangely, and all of your files suddenly change their permission states. With a control panel, sorting out the mess could, again, require hours of manipulation, and even then, privileges are notoriously hard to manage with a graphical front-end. When it comes to such root level functions as modifying folder permissions, visibility, or password protection, using the shell terminal is really the only way to go.

3.  Security is Shell-Oriented: Another notch in the terminals favor is the fact that graphical interfaces are typically far less secure. These control panels rely on a software relationship between the hardware, the shell, and the pretty, eye-candy studded panel you deal with on a daily basis. All of this connectivity adds up to an impressive level of control, but also to a lot of compromised security. Not to mention the fact that cPanel’s popularity makes it a prime target for hackers looking to make a quick steal. The shell terminal, on the other hand, is direct, password encrypted, and one-way. With this in mind, it’s nearly impossible to hijack a shell tunnel, providing an infinitely more secure experience, and at no cost to your overall control.

So there you have it! On the whole, there’s really only one quick question you need to ask yourself when considering the application of a graphical control panel: And that is, “How much ease of use am I really after?” If quickly and simply managing your site is of the utmost importance to you, there’s no better way to do it than with a program like cPanel. Otherwise, for the dedicated and control-based webmaster, the shell truly is king.

Related posts:

• January 26, 2009 – Why You Need a Good Control Panel
• November 3, 2008 – A Control Panel for Your Dedicated Server
• September 29, 2011 – The Ins and Outs of DirectAdmin
• September 25, 2011 – What To Remember When Moving To A New Control Panel
• September 13, 2011 – Choosing Between cPanel and Plesk
• September 7, 2011 – The Control Panel B Team – A World Beyond cPanel
• January 12, 2011 – Simple cPanel Tutorial – Backing up your Website
• December 1, 2010 – Choosing Control Panels: cPanel or Plesk
• November 23, 2010 – A Review of JustHost
• November 17, 2010 – cPanel’s Expansion below the Equator

Security – Winner: Linux

In terms of raw security, it’s really quite hard to do better than any available Linux distribution. This has to do with the very way in which Linux is coded—including Unix branches of the operating system, if you were wondering. Unlike Windows, Linux has a superuser known simply as “root.” To access this level of control, a webmaster must have a direct connection to the server shell, as well as the password of the server itself. Once this link has been established, an administrator can do basically anything they’d like to the server, including the hacking and stealing of precious data. However, because this level of authority requires root access—and simply cannot be had any other way—it’s nearly impossible for an artificial-intelligence based virus to “hack” into a Linux system. The probe would first need to tunnel into the server, establishing itself as a secure connection. Next, it would need to know the master password, which theoretically could be hacked, though to little purpose. Once inside the server, the bug would still need to pass several security checks to access privileged folders, guaranteeing a much harder fight than with Windows.

Windows, it’s worth noting, features little to no administrative control, a la the “root” user. Rather, the server establishes a single account as its admin, and then ties a password to that user. However, because of the registry that lies at the heart of a Windows system, it’s relatively easy for a digital worm to wind its way into the heart of the hardware, accessing files as it pleases and relaying the found data back to another server: Or worse! All in all, Linux simply cannot be bested in terms of its superior security from outside threats.

Support – Winner: Windows

However, Windows does have the upper hand in terms of technical assistance and support. Because Windows is a proprietary operating system, it comes fully backed by a team of Microsoft specialists that will help and guide you through any unexpected errors or struggles. These lines and forums are available 24/7, 365 days a year, and can assist with any and all malfunctions. They will typically even perform some of the procedure for you, saving you the need to get your hands dirty with code.

Linux, on the other hand, historically comes with no dedicated technical assistance, save the community itself. And though the world of Linux troubleshooting is alive and well across hundreds of forums spread out across the globe, there’s simply no solid body to deal with the thousands of Linux variations and distributions that float freely in existence. Rather, it is ultimately the webmaster who must deal first-hand with technical complications, and if no quick solution is available, that webmaster’s server may be in real steep stuff.

Cost – Winner: Linux

That being said, Linux easily takes the cake in terms of raw overhead investment. Rare is a Linux distribution that costs anything, as most are available for free via the GNU public commons agreement. Furthermore, should some enterprising webmaster wish to create their own variation of the operating system, they’re fully licensed to do so, as Linux is typically available in its entirety for free redistribution. Windows, however, must be purchased with a server license, which can be quite expensive. Further, technical assistance and software come at a premium, where Linux is loaded to the gills with freeware packages optimized for the system. But as mentioned, this corner cutting in a budgetary sense also comes with a lack of dedicated problem solving support. The difference is really like buying a used car, as opposed to leasing one: Should a problem arise with the used automobile, you’re very likely up a certain creek without a means of locomotion. Should the leased vehicle fail, there’s always an helping hand nearby, ready to handle your needs.

Performance and Up-Time – Winner: Linux

Lastly, if you’re looking for the final word in performance and up-time, Linux is hands down your top pick. A Linux system absolutely never requires a reboot because of a software update, nor does it ever necessitate a restart to unclog the processes. The operating system has been designed from the ground up to create dedicated threads for each open application, activating these threads when needed and closing them when unneeded. This not only preserves processing power, but ensures that no program can “go rogue” behind the scenes, eating away at your server’s resources and potentially causing a meltdown. Windows, on the other hand, typically faults at the background level, leaving software doors open with the lights running. To keep a Windows server clean, a frequent tune-up and maintenance sweep is typically required, in addition to an occasional system reboot. Each of these requires down-time, and without a backup server on-hand to deal with the lost connectivity, you’re potentially facing irritated end-consumers. All in all, there’s simply no more efficient way to run your server for extended periods of time—Linux up-time is typically measured in years—than with a Linux distribution.

Related posts:

• December 12, 2008 – Do You Need Dedicated Hosting?
• October 18, 2011 – coLinux: can Linux and Windows co-exist?
• September 6, 2011 – Is Linux Overtaking Windows Web Hosting?
• January 16, 2011 – The Best Web Hosting Prices
• October 14, 2010 – The Benefits of Virtualized Hosting for eCommerce
• September 10, 2010 – How to Classify Web Hosting
• January 21, 2010 – Parallel’s Plesk: Flexibility and Functionality
• December 17, 2009 – The Power of Cube Panel
• December 7, 2009 – Top Three Control Panels to Consider When Choosing a Web Host
• August 28, 2009 – Five Reasons to Choose Unix Hosting

To begin with, we’re going to assume you’re using a WordPress based site. Why? Because if you aren’t, and your top priority is search engine optimization, you really should be. WordPress makes it quick, painless, and relatively cheap to SEO streamline your site. This is accomplished thorugh a variety of essential plug-ins which do such various tasks as change your URL codes, add meta-tags, create keyword line-ups for search engines to crawl, etc. It’s a brilliant way to go about maximizing your site’s potential, but if you’re looking to get the most out of your WordPress site, you should know it’s not all sunshine and chuckles. In fact, WordPress has one noticeable drawback, which we’ll be attending to with the rest of this article, so stay tuned!

Speed Demons in our Closets

You see, WordPress is what we in the business call a content management software. It takes all of the various articles, images, posts, etc. that you create, and displays it in a pre-set fashion that jives will with themes. This makes it blazingly fast and efficient to create new content, and all without having to write a single line of code. Obviously, this is a tremendous boon for the runoff the mill blogger, who would rather not learn a real skill like HTML coding.

However, there’s one downside to all this ease-of-creation stuff: WordPress is a real bandwidth hog. Sure, it makes it a breeze to add new media, but all of that coded forefront comes with a price tag. Typically, users will experience slightly more load time with a WordPress powered site than with a non-WordPress branded one. Why is this a problem? you might be asking. Usually, it’s not at all: We’re really talking a difference of perhaps half a second to maybe a full second. However, when it comes to search engine optimization, those bare few seconds could be all it takes to put your site in the tank. Don’t believe us? Consider this.

Search engines collect data using software “spiders.” These little critters are designed to do one thing, and do it well: Poll web pages and collect data about them. Typically, they accomplish this through peeping at site text, meta-tags, etc. to gather up a gist that can be used to create a ranking. However, speed is also very heavily considered in a site’s automatic rank. Spiders are busy little buggers, and if your site takes until Christmas to return the data they need, they’ll hike it up out of town and disappear. You heard us right: If your site is too slow, search engines are likely to skip it entirely, or at the very least, file it much further down the line than you’d like. You shouldn’t let this get you down, though. There are steps you can take to prevent this, especially if you’re using a WordPress-powered site—and they all begin with the hosting itself!

Top Hosting Providers for WordPress

To secure the best possible search engine ranking for your data, you’re going to need a good host. The hosting provider, after all, is the source of your bandwidth, disc space, and net presence. Without it, you’re sunk. If you’re looking for a speedy and efficient way to host your WordPress site, we’ve even got a few suggestions lined-up and ready to roll. Firstly, consider—

Web Hosting Hub

Customer Ratings & Reviews

We like these guys for a number of reasons. First and foremost, they’re a tremendous bang for your dollar, as all of their plans come with unlimited support for disk space, bandwidth, and websites. They also offer one of the best technical support services in the business, guaranteeing they’ll be able to solve any WordPress problems that may arise. On the subject of WordPress, they also offer such amenities as one-click transfer of existing WordPress data, a free domain name with a new WordPress plan, and a wealth of themes to choose from. All in all, they’re a solid option for the speed concerned WordPress blogger.

Visit www.webhostinghub.com or read our WebHostingHub review.

InMotion Hosting

Customer Ratings & Reviews

These guys offer a similar bevy of features that we greatly appreciate, including a comparable amount of unlimited support for both bandwidth and disc space. They also offer a wealth of WordPress friendly features, including a similar one-click transfer and a solid mountain of support files to help get you up to speed on how to operate the CMS.

Visit www.inmotionhosting.com or read our Inmotion Hosting review.

HostGator

Customer Ratings & Reviews

If you haven’t heard of HostGator yet, we’re guessing you haven’t been in the business long. They’re legends in the field, and as such, the offer a near perfect storm of WordPress performance and features. With plans beginning under four dollars with an heap of benefits, they’re a tremendous value for anyone looking to quickly set-up and even more quickly manage a WordPress site.

Visit www.hostgator.com or read our HostGator review.

However, when it comes to WordPress, we really can’t recommend anyone higher than WebHostingHub WordPress Hosting. They’ve consistently ranked the highest in our user polls, and offer the most advanced level of WordPress support. This includes servers that run suPHP, which allows for speedier and more secure connections, PHP5, MySQL5, and PHP caching. All in all, they’re an unbelievably fast offering that’s guaranteed to up your website rankings!

Related posts:

• January 11, 2012 – WordPress Website and WordPress Hosting
• January 16, 2012 – Top 4 Ways to Optimize WordPress for Search Engines
• December 9, 2011 – WordPress vs. Blogger
• October 3, 2011 – WordPress Plugins – Making the Most of the Your Site
• September 15, 2011 – Add-Ons That Will Save Your Web Hosting Business
• September 15, 2011 – Alternative’s to WordPress – Other Content Management Systems do Exist
• September 7, 2011 – An Overview of PHP-Based Content Management Systems Beyond WordPress
• September 2, 2011 – When to Transition to a Content Management System
• June 15, 2011 – Drupal 7 to Further Simplify Website Management
• May 20, 2011 – Important Features of Content Management Systems

Free Hosting

This one is really quite similar to shared hosting, and in fact, it typically is. However, free hosting removes the most annoying part of any hosting plan—the cost! Companies like Amazon, Google, WordPress, etc. offer free locations where users can store their websites. Typically, this is only a good idea for small time productions, as these freebies often come with a company-specific URL code.

Based on our experience WHG recommends 000WebHost as a good Free hosting provider.

Shared Hosting

This is a basic one, but one we feel you should be (at least) familiar with. Nine times out of ten, when one is talking about budget or low-end hosting, what one is really discussing is shared hosting. The idea behind the technology is simple, and certainly lends itself to cutting corners in the name of saving dollars. In our eyes, it’s best to think of shared hosting in this way:

Consider your average storage unit complex. There’s only one location that houses all the various units, but at that site you’ll find dozens and dozens of individual storage locations. Tenants come and go, depositing and removing their items at will, but all from a single address: Though their individual unit is, of course, blocked off from the others. In much the same way, shared hosting allows users to access a single server—or sometimes a single block of servers—while still utilizing only their individual space. This is made possible by partitioning a server into hundreds of smaller chunks, which can then be sold to a client. The client uploads their data via FTP to their personal directory, and is then free to mangle, change, or edit their website at will.

Obviously, there are a few drawbacks to this style of web hosting. Primarily, speed and performance are often compromised, as hundreds of users drawing from the same location can reduce bandwidth availability across the board. Likewise, these arrangements typically come with some level of data cap, giving only a set number of gigabytes to the user in both storage and transfer. A good way to think about these limitations is to imagine a shared web hosting server as an apartment complex: If a dozen tenants arrive at once, the elevators will be running slowly, as they’re capacity is quickly met, requiring a slight wait. So is it the same for shared hosting, which is why our next category is so important for business sites.
Based on our experience and reviews WHG recommends WebHostingHub as a reliable shared hosting provider.

VPS Hosting

This service actually comes in somewhere between shared hosting and dedicated hosting. The basic idea behind the technology bears a lot of resemblance to shared hosting, but with an important distinction: A VPS host mitigates its server space through partitions, allowing each partition to run a separate operating system as if it were an actual server. So in this sense, using VPS technology to handle your data is smart, as it allows for similar performance quality to dedicate hosting. However, as it is still shared by several other users on the same hardware, it’s somewhat cheaper than buying an entire hardware set. For the power-hungry user with a tight budget, it’s the perfect compromise.

Based on our experience and reviews WHG recommends InMotion Hosting as a reliable VPS hosting provider.

Dedicated Server Hosting

In this method of web hosting, the need for shared space and bandwidth contentions is thrown out the window, as a single entity controls the entire server. This is in direct contrast to the previously mentioned shared hosting method, which divides a central server or databank into hundreds (or sometimes thousands) of shared units. With dedicated hosting, whichever organization owns the lease also owns all of the server’s power, space, and performance.

There are several benefits and costs to hosting your website in this manner, but no drawback is more noticeable than the overhead cost. If you decide to purchase a dedicated server space from a third-party, your monthly rates will be much higher than with a shared hosting provider. However, as you own the entire server, you will experience drastically improved performance and disc availability over a shared host. Should you decide to purchase a server yourself, your costs will also increase, as you’ll have to invest in a professional to manage the hardware for you. Also, should any problems arise with the hardware, all of the repair and maintenance costs rest on your shoulders, as the sole proprietor of the unit.

Managed Hosting

This one is essentially the same thing as dedicated hosting, but we still feel it’s worth mentioning, in case you run across the term somewhere. Managed hosting is identical in nature to dedicated server services (you still own the server) but instead of having you perform all of the maintenance is taken care of for you. In a lot of ways, it’s like hiring a janitorial service to clean the apartment complex you purchased all the way back in point number three.

Based on our experience and reviews WHG recommends InMotion Hosting as a reliable dedicated hosting provider.

Cloud Hosting

Cloud hosting is a newer service, and one that operates on a completely different scale than both dedicated and shared hosting. In cloud hosting (which is currently trumpeted by companies like Laughing Squid and Amazon Web Services) your data and site are spread out across a network of peer-connected server banks and computers. In other words, rather than storing all of your information at a single location, whether that location is wholly owned by you or a third-party, cloud hosting instead spreads your data out across the “cloud.” By doing so, cloud hosts can avoid a number of complications inherent to more traditional hosting methods.

For instance, bandwidth constraints and a lack of scalability are no problem with a cloud-based provider. If your content is suddenly put on high demand due to an unprecedented number of media requests, a cloud host can simply scale up the number of available points your data can be reached from. This is called scalability, and is a service that a single server simply cannot provide. Likewise, as your site is stored across an entire network of computers, there’s no need to worry about space limitations. Should you require more disc space to work with, your provider can simply open up a few more locations, ensuring your media—no matter how large—is open for distribution.

With cloud hosting, you are also guaranteed a near perfect uptime. Because your site is available at a multitude of locations around the globe, there’s little to no chance your data will disappear with an unexpected power failure. Should a single IP location go down, another will be added to the network map, delivering your media as if nothing had happened.

Based on our experience and reviews WHG recommends Rackspace as a reliable cloud hosting provider.

Reseller Hosting

One of our favorites, reseller hosting has got to be one of the coolest ideas to spring out of the Internet since Al Gore and that video about the exploding whale. Companies that offer a lot of shared hosting, at some point along the line, realized they could just as easily repackage all that space and give it to reseller distributors, instead of proper tenants. It does them no harm, as the new distributor takes the space he leases from the company’s servers, and then sells it as if he were a proper hosting provider. It’s a brilliant step forward, as it allows media professionals like graphic designers and web developers to host their client’s websites without needing to send them off to a third-party. It puts money back into the economy, in case you were looking for a campaign slogan to work with.

Based on our experience and reviews WHG recommends HostGator as a reliable reseller hosting provider.

SEO Hosting

A little more dubious than the aforementioned methods, SEO hosting’s benefits are somewhat vague. The technology essentially allows web masters to assign specific IP addresses to multiple domains, as well as monitor a wealth of SEO oriented data. Then again, we aren’t really sure if this kind of technology works at all, or if it’s really quite worth your time. But, if you’re extremely concerned about the SEO integrity of your media, there’s no better way to host it than with a server that’s got search engine optimization built right into the title!

Based on our experience and reviews WHG recommends SeoHosting as a reliable SEO hosting provider.

Hope you liked my descriptions of the various web hosting types. Please leave your comments below.

PS: I would like to thank Sergey Epifanov (Google+, Twitter) from DesignContest.com for creating these beautiful hosting icons.

Thanks,
Art

Related posts:

• January 18, 2012 – InMotion Hosting In-Depth Analysis
• December 2, 2011 – Is Cloud Computing Worth It for Your Business?
• November 19, 2011 – Know What Cloud Hosting Has to Offer You
• November 19, 2011 – The Future of Cloud Computing – Where it’s Going, and What it Means for You
• October 5, 2011 – A Look at Common Cloud Hosting Lingo, Part One
• September 27, 2011 – Why Your Site Would Be Better With a Virtual Server
• September 25, 2011 – What To Remember When Moving To A New Control Panel
• September 7, 2011 – Pros and Cons of Shared Hosting
• September 2, 2011 – Saving Money and Increasing Sales with the Cloud
• September 1, 2011 – Budget Web Hosting: Is It Worth the Buck?

Here are a few things you need to be aware of before we proceed with the top five free software download sources.

Why isn’t all software free of charge?

Hardware performance also asks for improvements in software development. A computer would be practically useless without the necessary software and visual interface to facilitate the communication between users and processors (even if you spoke binary, you still wouldn’t be able to read your mail or watch movies!). But software involves writing thousands of code lines, which takes time, effort and, obviously, human resources. Economically speaking, it is still an investment. Something you can sell. This is why users usually have to pay for software.

Shareware is something in between free and paid software. Shareware will offer you a free, limited license you can take advantage of to test the product. After the trial period expires, you will be prompted to buy the software if you are satisfied with it.

How about open source?

Some companies and software developers have other ways of obtaining the financial support they need to continue their software development activity. They might have sponsors or other sources of income besides selling their own work, or they can simply afford to release free versions from time to time. Besides, the program can be too simple to require an extraordinary effort or intricate coding, so it would be a little exaggerated to ask money for it. Therefore, the web is packed with software that end users can obtain without paying.

Most software developers usually release two versions of the same program:

• - The “lite” version, which includes basic features and is free of charge
• - The “pro” or “full” version, which comes with extra features and functionality. These extra features are a bit harder to implement, and this is why the user will have to pay in order to benefit from them.

How to tell the difference between open source and piracy?

When we talk about free downloads, we can’t keep ourselves from thinking about the pirate software temptation. Writing code for an original piece of software is just like writing a book. It was your idea, so you are the only one who has the right to decide what to do with it. You are also the only one to decide if others will have to pay in order to make use of your work. Since it really is a mad world out there, let’s talk about the way developers protect their work from unauthorized use.

Developers include security measures (such as unique codes, certificates, seals, holograms etc.) to prove the user has made a payment to receive the software. These codes activate the software copy after purchase. However, hackers always find ways to crack executable files and delete the sequences responsible for security checks. They are also able to find the pattern used to generate unique codes and trick the security algorithms.

Open source software (freeware) will never ask you for a CD key or any other proof of purchase. You will be able to install the software as is. However, if your software comes in a package and there is no sign of seals, holograms or certificates, then you have a reason to suspect it is not genuine. Contacting the vendor is the best way to set things straight.

Also, if you download software and you find any folders named “Crack” or files containing CD keys you know you didn’t pay for, then you can rest assured that you are breaking the law by installing and using the package – assuming it is virus free…

Get free software – Legally!

Not all software downloads are illegal. “Open source” literally means the software code (source) can be used by anyone (open) free of charge. However, this doesn’t mean it can be also reproduced! For your own safety, take note of these five trusted websites you can use to download free software legally:

CNET is one of the largest software databases out there – it has even outgrown Softpedia! Their software is scanned regularly using a powerful antivirus, so you shouldn’t worry about security. Their database includes about 100,000 free applications for all operating systems. Moreover, if you are in doubt, users’ ratings and reviews will help you make a decision!

Unlike CNET, ZDNet Downloads doesn’t have any user feedback options, but it is 101% safe and has a wide range of both free and paid software to choose from. And it’s been around for about twenty years!

Tucow’s Butterscotch proposes a completely different approach to free software downloading. It has a very warm and friendly interface. Butterscotch is the perfect place to be if you wish to safely and legally download the most popular applications (unlike CNET and ZDNet, popularity seems to be a priority over performance). Delicious downloads!

Brothersoft is very similar to CNET and ZDNet. If you wish to be up to date with the latest software news, feel free to check out the Editor’s Blog. They also have a large software library, either paid, shareware or freeware.

The Freeware Files library contains free software only. If you are looking for freeware, you won’t have to waste your time sorting or refining your search results.

In conclusion

Here they are! Your top five trusted download sources. Hopefully, you are now aware of the dark side of piracy. Besides breaking the law, you also risk damaging your computer, as you might get into viruses, spyware and all sorts of nasty things! So keep an eye on your downloads!

Related posts:

• December 19, 2011 – Top 10 Domain Registrars
• May 31, 2011 – Concerns Raised by the PlayStation Network Outage
• December 10, 2010 – Linux Hosting – From Corporation to Consumer
• November 24, 2010 – Reasons to Choose Open Source CMS Software
• October 27, 2010 – Static HTML Pages vs CMS Generated Sites
• February 19, 2010 – Creating a Website With Joomla CMS
• February 10, 2010 – The Advantages of Multiple Domain Hosting: Freedom of Expansion
• January 29, 2010 – Interworx: Lightweight Yet Effective Control Panel
• July 9, 2009 – Introducing the nopCommerce Shopping Cart