|
Bandwidth
It's most likely your web provider's business will soon grow and customer's base with it. So, make sure it has the resources to accommodate your web site's growth. This may be the further purchase of servers or Internet connection upgrades to increase bandwidth.
If possible, choose web hosting companies with the fastest network connections but the host should utilize less than 60% of available bandwidth on average. This makes sure the data pipe is not overburden, and still maintain adequate room for web traffic spikes during peak periods. In most cases, a T-3 connection that is lowly utilized will transfer data faster than highly utilized OC3 connection.
Data Transfer
Most web hosting plans come with a transfer quota. Transfer quota refers to how much traffic your web site (or server) is allowed to generate. Depending on how popular you web site will become, and whether you promote it will determine the amount of data transfer required. Initially, typical web sites with a transfer quota of about 500MB will often be enough. Even if you have a large number of web pages on your site, surfers will rarely browse every single page. On average, you will be lucky if people will view more than five pages on an average visit.
If you plan to have high-quality images or video downloads, then this type of exception will need some consideration. As you require higher transfer quotas, it will most likely increase your monthly hosting fees. So realistically estimate the number of visitors you will likely to receive then multiple your average web page size, and then multiple it again by five. The multiplication of five will give you some extra room to move if the web site traffic is higher than your original expectations.
If you select a web host provider because it has enticed you with "unlimited data transfers", we suggest you contact the web host and enquire the exact nature and specification of the hosting plan. Most plans with "unlimited data transfers" tend to have some form of condition attached to it. Even if the conditions satisfy you, see if you can have a free trial for 30 days to feel the quality of service they offer. If they do not offer free trials, sign on for a month. If they do not fit your requirements you can always leave after the first month. More often than not, what you pay for is what you get. If you can avoid "unlimited data transfers" plans then we suggest you do, and pay a little more for quality service.
|
