For the large majority of websites out there, extra security while browsing isn't necessary if the website if just offering reading content and doesn't request lots of personal details from a visitor or doesn't sell products from the website, like in the case of online shopping.

But if you do have intentions of either setting up an online shop or adding one to an existing site then you will definately want an added level of security to keep the details of paying customers safe while they enter their credit/debit card details and perform a transaction.

One level of security that fits this need is the use of SSL certificates which stands for secure sockets layer, if you have ever purchased goods from an online shop you will have possibly noticed a few differences when you are paying for the goods, one that is usually quite noticeable is that the address bar will turn yellow when there is a secure connection in place, also the http://www that you get at the beginning of a Url will have an S added to it, like the following https://www notice the s in place that is not normally there.

Also if you look at the bottom of your browser it will display a padlock icon, these are all visual ways of letting you know that the connection is secure while your using card details to do your online shopping.

Without this level of security it would be quite dangerous for you to purchse anything from a website, using a credit card for example where they have not got a secure connection in place upon the moment of transaction.

If an online shop has a payment option in place like paypal then equally as you go through the purchase process and then login to your paypal account to complete payment this will take you through a secure connection that paypal has in place, and the same will apply with other payment processors.

SSL certificates are used for a variety of websites, not only for shopping, but basically where private information needs to be keep private and where communication over the web needs to be protected.

Many web hosting companies will provide seperate SSL certificates as part of one of the services that they offer, but not all provide this service, and sometimes you can find a suitable online company who will tend to specialise in online security products and services.

But for the web hosts that do offer the availability of SSL certificates you will usually have options to choose from, depending on the level of security that you need for your website.

For a standard SSL certificate for a basic level of security for your website you can usally find them priced at around $30 and this will sometimes cover a number of domains for an additional charge, then you can usually find up to 2 other SSL certificates with added security in place and priced a bit higher for that added security.

Each type of SSL certificate will usually be explained fully on the website that you purchase it from, to let you know what level of security you will receive, and after purchase of the certificate and having set everything up properly you can then display an image on your website to let your customers know that their credit card details will be safe while shopping at your website or performing whatever other action it is on your website that demands that level of security.

So when your checking out web hosting companies, have a look to see if they can provide you with SSL certificates, should you ever need to use one on one of your websites.

Payment for an SSL certificate will usually be for a 12 month period but you can purchase them for longer and save a bit of money at many web hosts for a longer term purchase.

If your website needs it then give piece of mind to your customers and to yourself knowing that important and sensitive information is safe and secure when it is most needed.

Filed under: General Web Hosting Info by admin
1 Comment » Published June 15, 2008

So you have chosen and purchased your own domain name and your eager to get your first website up and running, its a great feeling isn't it, the choice out there is also exciting, its always nice to have plenty of options, but its also where some of the work can begin because you need to begin working out what type of hosting package you need and how much it will cost you monthly or yearly, if costing you anything at all.

If you are going to be starting a website for your own personal use, maybe just for blogging or a hobby site, you may choose to just have it hosted free at one of the blogging platforms or you may want to use one of the many free web hosting services available.

But if this is not enough for you then you can usually find quite cheaply priced shared hosting to suite your needs if your site needs to have the use of various things like databases and with full privileges.

In order to associate your new domain with your web hosting account you just have to login to the control panel at the registrar where you registered your new domain and enter the name server info from your webhost, if you are unsure where to find the name servers that you are using at your hosting you can check on their support forum if they have one, or look through the FAQ or contact support at your host and ask them to supply you with the nameserver information so that you can make the relevant changes at the domain registrar.

If you receive a free domain from your web host then you probably wont have to do this, but for those with seperate hosting and domains services this is necessary before you go ahead and actually begin to setup your website.

If its your first time purchasing a domain and setting up a website then its unlikely that you will need anything more than a decent shared hosting account, but i understand that although it may be your first website that it could be for something a bit more ambitious than the average first website so you may want to look into VPS ( Virtual Private Server ) hosting, but im assuming that for the majority you probably wont have the need for that yet.

Take your time setting up everything for your website and as your site begins to receive traffic its worth monitoring how much of the available resources that you use, so if you see yourself filling up the available space quite quickly and your getting through plenty of bandwidth within your account you dont want to hit a limit too early in the month and have your website temporarily suspended so if you feel you might outgrow your hosting package quite fast then it would be wise to see how you can upgrade at the host that your with or begin looking around at other hosts who can accommodate your expanding website.

This is less common and for most people starting their first website either for personal use or for a small business its highly unlikely that growth would be this fast, but you never know how things are going to go and some people are suprised sometimes at the popularity that some websites can obtain.

So its a step by step process from domain purchase and web hosting, either seperately or combined, to then actually getting your site setup and then keeping an eye on your use of the paid for services so that you can act accordingly should you need to expand on the services that you need.

Expanding on what you need wont always mean changing hosts as many of them can supply the extras that you need, like additional bandwidth or the ability to request that your package gets upgraded to the next one up from it, or if you wanted to setup an online shop to add to your website and need secure shopping features then you can often purchase SSL certificates from the company that your already with.

I would never advise to take on an expensive hosting package with way more than you will need but at the same time choosing a package with too little storage space and other features could leave you having to switch hosts a number of times.

You cant know in most cases exactly what you will need but if you can gather a rough idea of what you need for your website then you can usually find an affordable and suitable hosting company with options just right for your requirements.

Congratulations on purchasing your domain, your web hosting and wishing you many visitors to your website.

Filed under: General Web Hosting Info by admin
1 Comment » Published June 14, 2008

Once you have made a decision to use a paid hosting service and decided on which host you will be using its important to check the finer details to see what payment options they have in place for you, because not all hosts will have the same flexibility and you want to know that your preferred method of payment is in place so during your decision making i would make it a habit to quickly look at their billing options while your looking at the other features too like bandwidth, storage space etc.

Credit card payments are going to be one of the most common options in place for you, but its also popular to pay by paypal, if you dont have access to a paypal account then its essential that you can use a credit card or whatever other options they may have available for you, some web hosting companies will even accept a cheque so if this is more suitable for you then have a look around for the web hosts that can allow you to pay by cheque.

While its very important to find a hosting package that suits the needs of you and your website its equally important to be able to pay for it easily, so the payment options in place should never be underestimated.

The payment options in place at a web host are in no way a gauge of the quality of the service that they will offer but it can be useful if for some reason your usual method of payment was experiencing problems.

Say if you were having credit card problems, or a paypal problem, its nice to know that you have multiple options for making your payment to the company to make sure that your websites stay online.

Often billing for hosting services will be setup to automatically bill your chosen payment method, but not always and sometimes you get emailed each month and make the payment manually, so if you prefer automatic billing and this is not in place at the host, then this is all worth remembering before you make your final decision on which web host you plan to use.

If you dont pay on time, either because you have forgot to or because of a lack of funds or an expired credit card then your web host account can be at risk of being suspended resulting in downtime for your website, this is definately something that you want to avoid, so always keep on top of details regarding billing for your chosen services, keep an eye on emails related to billing and if your paying by credit card and the host keeps your details on record then make sure that you keep all details up to date and inform them of any important changes if you need to.

Stay organised with your payment approach for your web hosting accounts and it will mean one less thing to worry about and more time to work on your websites.

Filed under: General Web Hosting Info by admin
1 Comment » Published June 13, 2008