Web Hosting
A
web host, also called an ISP (internet service provider) is
the company that your web site resides with. In other words,
you put your site on their computer (called a
"server"), and when someone types in your domain
name, or clicks on a link to your site from a search engine,
they connect with that server, and the "host"
presents your site.
This
is done for a monthly or sometimes yearly fee. The host also
often offers "extras" like shopping carts,
discussion boards/chatrooms, etc.
Many
web hosting servers are slow (it takes a long time for your
page to load on the visitors computer browser). If you combine
that with a web design that also takes a long time to load, it
is a recipe for disaster.
How
fast or slow a web page loads, makes an impression on your
visitors. It is the visitor's first indication of customer
service and "waiting time".
But
more importantly, it can mean lost customers. Have you ever
left a site that was taking forever to load? On
average, visitors will leave if it takes longer than 10
seconds.
Thus
page load times can make the difference between getting
customers into your online virtual store, or turning them away
at the door. And they don't come in, you can't make sales.
And
after all the trouble you've gone through to create a nice,
user friendly site, you don't want visitors to leave your site
before they even see it.
What
determines load times
Load
times are the result of several factors. "Page
weight" (how many kilobytes the total page file size is),
graphics in cache, the visitors connection speed, and how fast a server your web hosting service provider
has.
We
have the fastest servers and hosting connections we've found
in 9 years of testing. We get the same load times for
elaborate web designs, that other web hosts get with a
stripped down page (if their lucky).
But
even with our blazing fast servers, sometimes you must choose between
load time and elaborate web design.
Other
considerations
Other
important aspects of web hosting are transfer charges,
backups, server "up time", and customer service. We
have better than 99% up time, daily backups, and we pride
ourselves on our customer service.
Most
hosting companies do not accept calls, only email. We ask that
you use email, but you can also call if you need to.
Web
hosting plans & prices
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