web hosting

Closer Look at the FreeHostia Control Panel

Some web hosting providers choose to use commercial control panels such as cPanel and Plesk, while others elect to build their own custom software in-house.  FreeHostia is a hosting provider that takes the latter route, utilizing its own solution for managing servers and websites.  This software is similar to popular control panels such as cPanel in many ways.  The major difference is that the FreeHostia panel offers end-customers a billing system, advanced domain management tools and other key features other panels are lacking.  Here is a brief overview on FreeHostia’s hosting automation software.

Advanced Domain Management

The FreeHostia control panel allows you to create subdomains, register and transfer domains, change your nameservers, DNS records and much more.  These are features normally provided by a conventional domain name register but FreeHostia makes it so you can do it all from your web hosting control panel.

Extensive Website Management

Similar to cPanel, the FreeHostia control panel comes with a web-based file managed integrated within the software.  It also supports a number of FTP clients and lets you easily set up FTP accounts for your users.  The unique aspect of this panel is that it provides a facility that allows you to install SSL certificates onto your domain.

Website Tools

FreeHostia has bundled a nice variety of tools in its control panel.  One of the most notable is the Efefante Installer utility, which is similar to Fantastico in cPanel.  This tool allows you to add programs such as forums, photo galleries, blogs and content management systems onto your account with a few easy clicks.  Elefante is also integrated with a suite of marketing tools that can be used to enhance the popularity of your site and attract more visitors.

Web Analytic Tools

Once traffic starts rolling in, you can analyze those statics and the performance of your site by viewing detailed reports on your visitors.  Learn where they are coming from, what keywords they used find you, and make improvements where needed.

Built-in Support Ticket System

The FreeHostia customer support staff can be reached quickly right from your control panel.  Simply visit the Open New Ticket section, fill in the form, submit it and wait for a reply. You can also track the status of all open tickets and review prior inquires as well.

Conclusion

The FreeHostia website management software is more than your average control panel.  While it offers many of the same features and capabilities you will find in other applications, it also has some unique qualities you don’t see all that often. For example, it is one of few control panels that allows you to upgrade your web hosting package directly through the interface.  Once the addition has been paid for, the entire upgrade process is fully automated and done in a matter of minutes.  Throw in the billing system and all the advanced management tools and it becomes clearer to see why FreeHostia is the home of thousands of happy customers.

Changing Hosts Without Losing Rankings

Ever wonder why so many people stress the importance of choosing a good web hosting company the first time?  Well, there are actually several reasons, but one relates to the fact that switching to a new host is such a headache.  Let’s face it, changing servers without suffering considerable downtime is almost impossible.  If your website is down for too long, you stand the chance of losing visitors, customers and eventually sales.  While you can make arrangements to inform your customers about the move, the same can’t be said for your search engine rankings.

Though it is something you never look forward to, moving to a new web host should be a straightforward process that results in little to no time.  When done correctly, your position in the search engine will not be impacted in the least.  In order to enjoy a seamless transition, you need to follow these critical points:

Check the IP Address of the New Web Host

Though it rarely occurs, there are a few IP addresses that have either been banned or experience major issues.  The worst thing you can do is move from a host that can no longer meet your needs to another one sitting on an unfavorable IP rage.  If your web pages are associated with a troubled IP address, your search engine rankings will suffer greatly.

Perform a Full Backup of Your Website

Having a full backup of your website files makes it much easier to move to a new provider.  Besides, if anything goes wrong with the new service, you can run back to your old host and set up almost instantly.  It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Test Your Website

When changing web hosts, you will probably hurry to set everything up quickly and get back to business.  Even if the site looks fine on the surface, it is still wise to test all of your forms, applications and databases to ensure that everything is working properly.

Change Your DNS

After all of your files have been transferred to the new server and everything appears to be working correctly, it’s time to flip the switch and make it official.  All you have to do here is change your domain name servers from the old service to the new host.  This can be done easily through the control panel provided by your domain name registrar.   Simply switch out the old nameservers for the new ones and you are ready to go.  Just remember that you must wait for the domain to propagate which lets the internet know that your site has been moved.  This process generally takes anywhere from 24 to 48 hours.

Conclusion

The tips in this article should actually help you kill more than birds with one stone.  Now you know what it takes to move your website to a new server and endure the smallest amount of downtime possible.  Most importantly, you know how to keep your visitors and customers around and your search engine rankings intact.