Web Hosting blog from Just Host

Every new website begins with an idea – an idea that can potentially become a challenge to construct without a little basic knowledge and understanding of how web hosting and web hosting companies actually work.  The most essential element of any successful website is a reliable web hosting company, one of the most practices methods of sourcing for a reliable host is by frequenting web hosting review sites.

Webmaster must, however, be able to look past the bells and whistles of the most established web hosting companies and select a host that provides access to the quality tools and features that are actually needed for the website creation and maintenance.  The most favorable web hosting tools that a reliable hosting company will offer include:

PHP web script

The majority of web hosting companies on the market offer PHP since it is the most popular website creation script.

SQL Database

Since every database needs access to unique script, it is essential that webmasters elect service from a web hosting company that provides SQL script hosting.

Additional Domain Names

It is ideal to contract services from a web hosting company that provides multiple domain names to web hosting accounts so that extra websites can be added as the site grows and expands. Experts recommended choosing a web host that will provide no less than 5 extra domain names on the same account to provide room for growth potential.

A Site Builder

Novice webmasters will find the peace of mind that comes with using a fully functional website creation tool. Site builder applications provide a great place to start while webmasters a familiarizing themselves with the world of web creation and site hosting.

CGI

CGI scripting is the PHP of the past. However, it is still a functional necessity in successful web hosting. Most web hosting companies offer CGI as their default script, and it is best to select as host that offers both CGI and PHP until CGI become obsolete.

Statistics and Monitoring Tools

Most well established web hosting companies will provide their client base with some form of metric and statistic monitoring tool. This will allow webmasters to track what viewers are accessing on their websites and where they are visiting from. Stat and metric monitoring tools are essential in website growth and retention as they allows webmasters to quickly identify elements that need improvement.

Just Host proudly announced today that we’ve just signed up our 150,000th web hosting customer. This follows reaching the milestone of 100,000 clients back in August, four months earlier than predicted. We have doubles our email and phone support teams since August and put a heavy emphasis on the billing phone team which is based in the UK. In those four month we won 11 web hosting awards for an array of features including our prices, support services along with multiple Best Web Host awards.

To have reached 150,000 clients before the end of 2009 is a dream come true for us. Our work ethic has always been to put in 200% and believe that anything is possible. We set our sights on being the best web host in the world and it’s so encouraging to know that 150,000 people now believe that.

Our obvious next target is 250,000 customers which is set for May 2010 and I’m so proud of our whole team who have made this figure a reality. We work so hard on providing our customers with the best and most relevant features for their websites. We want to see them make the most of their sites, which should ultimately help propel their business or see them rank at the top of the search engines under their key terms.

Sophy / Marketing Manager

Like many other web hosts, Just Host offers web hosting for bloggers that are looking for a secure and reliable platform to host a blog. Our services do not only cater for more advanced users but beginners too and thanks to Fantastico we are able to offer bloggers a 1-click installation of WordPress and B2Evolution, the two finest blog platforms in the industry.

Both WordPress and B2Evolution are very similar in both appearance and in the functions that they offer. So when choosing from the two you should make your choice and stick to it.

Installing a blog with Just Host

1) Installing your blog couldn’t be easier, simply log into your web hosting control panel and locate the Fantastico icon. If you can’t find it, try using the instant search!

2) Once you’re in, look on your left and you will notice the Blogs category with B2Evolution and WordPress listed. Select your preferred platform and click “New Installation”.

3) On the next page enter you web hosting account’s username and password where asked along with you nickname for the blog and hit “Install Blog”

Then wait for confirmation and assuming all goes through successfully you will be taken to a page instructing you on how to login and begin!

If you get stuck along the way do not hesitate to get in touch, you can email our support team, speak toll-free over the phone or even speak with a live representative via live chat. Otherwise we offer some great video tutorials and guides over at our web hosting help center.

Luke Kendall / Affiliate Manager

Web Hosting has a new member of the elite 100,000 club this week as Just Host reached 100,000 hosting customers. Amazingly it has taken Just Host just 18 months to reach the milestone which is a phenomenal achievement and an indicator that great customer support and uptime really pays off. This comes after months and month of hard work from the whole Just Host team, who have focused on providing the best customer service possible at every possible point of our clients journey with us.

I remember processing our first client’s hosting order manually before we had the automated system in place that ensures our customers hosting accounts are set up instantly and their cPanel logins emailed to them within minutes. I also remember when our support team consisted of a handful of technicians, now on the last count they exceeded 200! Remembering the early days makes me realize just how far we’ve come in such a short time. Just Host quickly became one of the fastest growing web hosts in 2009 and we are showing no signs of stopping.

The effort that our team have put into ensuring customers have any pre-sales questions answered, then sending their account details to them instantly and later assisting them with any support or billing queries they have is astounding. I think it’s this dedication across the team that has got us to this milestone so quickly. Thank you to everyone for all their hard work and a huge round of applause to every single person for helping Just Host become one of the world’s largest web hosting companies.

Sophy/ Marketing Manager

Many see moving their website to a new web host as a daunting and unnecessary task, but a high percentage of orders that Just Host receives are transfers of existing domains. This means there must be a reason why people choose to take on this challenge and maybe it’s because it’s not actually that hard to do!

If you are unhappy with your current host, maybe you are experiencing high downtime, are limited on your disk space or are simply paying too much per month, you need to decide on a new host, then the real fun of moving your content begins.

Firstly you need to make a backup of your MySQL Databases and save them somewhere safe on your computer. Login to your new control panel where you can then restore your files. If you are transferring to Just Host your control panel will be cPanel and you can restore your databases by using the Backup feature in the Site Management menu.

Next comes the moving of your files which can be done with the help of a third party software such as FileZilla which allows you to download a complete backup of your files. To then access these files you must create an FTP account in your new account which you can do in the FTP Manager Menu in cPanel. This will give you complete access to your files allowing you to upload them to your new server.

When you sign up with your new host they should provide you with an IP address which acts as an alternative to your domain name. Through this IP you can check that your website is showing correctly before you make the transfer complete by asking your registrar to change your nameservers. You should allow 24 hours for the nameservers to propagate. All that is then left is to cancel your old hosting, doesn’t sound too bad does it? If you are considering moving to website to Just Host don’t forget to take full advantage of our dedicated support team available 24/7 at support[at]justhost.com.

Sophy / Marketing Manger

Many web hosts will assume that in our technical age everyone understands terms like Dedicated IP Address, Private SSL Certificate and Domain Privacy. I can assure you that before I started working for a web host I had no idea what these services actually were and why on earth they would be useful. However, with a little research it became pretty clear the advantages of adding these features to your hosting package.

A Private SSL – Secure Sockets Layer – Certificate is recommended for all sites that accept credit card payments or take customers personal information, as it provides your site with the extra security required to protect such details. A Private SSL keeps all the information sent from your site to your host’s server confidential by encrypting it and activating the secure lock in your web browser.

If you think your site requires a Private SSL Certificate then you will also need a Dedicated IP. This will mean that your site is the only one on the internet using that unique IP number. A Dedicated IP is a necessity for most large websites or ecommerce enabled sites. If you website is business orientated and you are planning on a merchant account, Just Host would highly recommend that you purchase a Private SSL Certificate and a Dedicated IP.

Both Private SSL Certificates and Dedicated IPs are now available to purchase from Just Host as part of your plan. If you would like any further information about either please email us.

Sophy / Marketing Manager

It may sound like a rather simple question, but for the less technical minded of us it’s actually a valid one. Web hosting has been in existence pretty much since the explosion of the internet and has rapidly grown as an industry in its own right in recent years. In essence web hosting is the renting of space on a web server for your website to be stored on. So why can’t you do this yourself with your own server? Why do we have to pay a middleman to host our own sites?

A web server basically does its job by being connected to the internet all the time. For security reasons, this means they will usually be stored in secure surroundings and in a climate controlled environment to receive the best possible performance. When you sign up with a host provider, as well as paying for this set up, you will also be paying for specialist software and their technical expertise, which comes at an unrealistic cost for most website owners.

This all points to the simple answer that it’s much easier to let your host provider bother with all the above particulars than having to worry about it yourself. The cost of a yearly subscription to a host provider is at an all time low and whether you are an individual or a business the benefits clearly outweigh the cost.

We hope this helps all you budding website owners out there and may have even convinced a few of you to take the big step to setting up your own site. Good luck!

Sophy / Marketing Manager Just Host