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Thursday, 22 July 2010

Business Web Hosting on a Budget

Business Web Hosting on a Budget

Finding a business web host to meet your needs
It's pretty clear that in today's day and age, it's vital for any business to have a web presence. Business website hosting is a small investment for the rewards you and your company stand to gain on the other side.
Not convinced? Read our article on Why your business needs a website for more information.
But what exactly is the investment? If you're a business owner, you know the demands that are already on your time and budget...and you probably don't have much of either to spare. With a good business web host by your side, launching and maintaining a business website doesn't have to break the bank or keep you up all night.
Here's what to expect:
Business website hosting:
This doesn't need to cost a bundle, but you do need to sign on with a good business web host in order to publish your site. Read web hosting reviews and compare the options: you need a business web host that is reliable, secure and won't crash out on you.
At the very least, you need enough disk space for your site and enough bandwidth to enable you to manage your web traffic. Check out our list of Top 10 Business Hosting Companies and compare. You'll find a solid business web host for under $8 a month (maybe even under $4). If you're just starting out, shared web hosting will likely do; if you have a major site or hefty traffic demands, you may want to look at VPS or dedicated server hosting.
Of course you don't want to skimp either. Ensure you know what to look for in a business web host before you commit to anything.
Website design:
You're a business owner and we don't have to tell you that time is money! If you have basic web design skills, it may save you a bundle to put together your site on your own. If you don't know what you're doing (and don't have time to learn), it may be faster and even cheaper in the end to hire a designer to get you up and running.
A complex site by a professional designer could cost thousands; you can probably get away with much less than that for a good-looking, functional site. Just make sure the end product does look good - no site is better than a site that doesn't work or looks cheap.


Website maintenance:
How much this costs will again depend entirely on your site. When you are designing your site, though, try to ensure that there are features you can update regularly in-house. You want to keep your site fresh and interesting to encourage repeat visitors, but you don't want to rack up daily bills.
Most business website hosting providers will support blogs and community forums. Learn how to use these. Writing a blog can put you in direct contact with your customers, and once you're in the habit of doing it, it won't take you much time at all. A professional web designer's work will cost you by the hour, so the more you can take care of yourself, the better. Make this clear when you are planning the design of your site.
E-commerce
As you select your business web host, examine their e-commerce support. Is there enough available with the included e-commerce package? Or are there going to be further expenses along the road? This is important information to have; using e-commerce hosting reviews can certainly help. Read our article on e-commerce hosting for more information about what to look for in an e-commerce host.
Disk space and bandwidth
Not sure how much you need? Many business website hosting services offer unlimited bandwidth and disk space.  Make sure to read the fine print but, in general, this option will provide you with more than enough of both for your site.
Check out our Top 10 Business Hosting Companies and find the business web host for you!

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