Breaking Down the Cost of Web Hosting

You may be curious to know why so many web hosting companies have different prices for what is nearly the same service. Well, one cause is that, just like any business, the web hosting industry has scams and shady companies looking to make all the money they can off the unknowing. They offer higher priced services with the belief that someone will pay for them. On the other hand, most web hosting providers actually have legitimate reasons for the prices they charge, whether they are high or low. Knowing this can help clear up some confusion regarding the pricing differentiation of web hosting services. Let’s take a look at some factors that impact cost the most.

Support – This just might be the single most important factor that impacts the cost of a web hosting service. Companies that deliver quality support and quickly respond to technical issues tend to have a much higher ratio of skilled employees to clients. Because maintaining a well trained staff and efficient support system can be costly, these firms often charge more for their services. For these providers, satisfied customers usually results in more business. Some companies choose to cut corners in the support department in order to offer a cheaper service. Unfortunately for them, their businesses usually do not survive.

Network and Infrastructure – A large portion of the costs for a web hosting service can be attributed to the company’s network and infrastructure. Some companies store their severs in many different data centers which isn’t cheap by any means. In addition, redundant internet connections, electrical systems, backup power and security features are needed to ensure a reliable service. All of this results in a pricing structure that enables the host to maintain a reasonable profit margin.

Loss Selling – Some web hosting firms sell at loss in hopes of expanding their client base and selling additional services to those same customers at a later time. For instance, a company might price their hosting plans lower than market costs to make other services such as web design, SSL certificates and search engine marketing more attractive to the customer. Although there are many benefits to be reaped from attracting customers with lower prices, this is still a risky move. If the gamble the host takes backfires, it may be difficult for them to maintain quality of service over the long term.

Over Selling – This is one of the most common practices in the web hosting business and a major reason why prices are so cheap. A perfect example would be a company that offers unlimited disk space on a piece of hardware that only has a capacity of 100 GB. Because the average website only requires minimal space, the firm is able to get away with overselling and still maintain quality of service for its customers. However, this is still risky because there is always a chance that several customers will maximize the resources allocated to them.

When evaluating web hosting packages, one must keep in mind that the lowest price doesn’t necessarily translate to the best value while the highest price does not guarantee the best return on investment. Regardless of the cost, it is all about prioritizing your needs, doing your homework and choosing a provider wisely.

How Much Are You Willing To Pay For Cheap Web Hosting?

People open websites for various reasons, however the most common reason why someone would start a website would be to earn money online. When you’re first venturing into the world of online business, it can be difficult to become acquainted with all of the new tasks you have ahead of you, especially if you’re completely unfamiliar with the various processes of building and managing your own website. The beginning of the process will largely be a learning process, and so understandably, you may try to cut costs as much as possible. After all, you don’t want to make a tremendous investment only to lose it all because you are inexperienced.

What do you Need in the Beginning?

Many people have the mentality that they are going to start out slow and once they have learned the basics they’ll upgrade. They do this in an attempt to save money, however in the end it costs them more time and money than if they were to have properly assessed their situation initially.

You may feel as if you do not need any complex tools just yet, however you’ll soon find out the truth is – the less experience you have, the more you’ll need these tools. The tools I am referring to are broad in nature, ranging from site management software to hosting accounts. Every good website owner has an arsenal of tools at their disposal, and it is these tools that keeps their business functioning optimally.

Cost vs Effectiveness

One term we often hear in the online business industry is “cost-effectiveness.” It is often used to describe whether or not someone is “getting what they pay for.” However, cost and effectiveness do not go hand in hand. In general, you’ll get what you pay for, which means if you pay less you will get less. If you pay less for web hosting, then that lowered cost is almost undoubtedly going to result in lowered efficiency on your end.

The fact is, web hosting companies make investments too, and when they do they spend lots of money to bring you the resources you need. These resources aren’t free, so it would be impossible for a web hosting company to give you a cheap plan without sacrificing some of the quality of that plan.

The True Cost of Cheap Web Hosting

In the end, you’ll actually pay more for cheap web hosting, especially if your business begins to expand. After all, isn’t that the ultimate goal? Once your business does begin to expand, you’ll inevitably need to upgrade, at which time you will spend more money. If you would have started out with a plan that offered enough resources, then you would have actually saved money! Instead, you’ll be losing time and money trying to upgrade unnecessarily. If you decide not to upgrade in another attempt to “save” money, then your site’s performance will suffer, and therefore so will your profits.

Before you consider a “cheap” web hosting plan, you need to analyze what you;re trying to do with your online presence, and how much are you really willing to pay for the convenience of saving a few dollars temporarily.

Popular Server Control Panels

A VPS or dedicated server is only as good as the software tool used to maintain it. In this article we will introduce you to some of the best control panels the hosting marketplace has to offer. These applications can help you simplify everyday server management tasks whether they are related to facilitating a shared hosting environment or individual use of another business.

ServerCP

ServerCP is an easy to use control panel that often comes included free in dedicated server and VPS hosting packages. It is a Linux-based solution that offers a powerful, yet comprehensive web interface equipped with a variety of useful features. The software supports unlimited domains and provides an extensive one-click installation utility that allows you to install popular web applications that range from blogs and forums to image galleries and e-commerce shopping carts. ServerCP is currently available in both a premium and free edition in ServerCP Lite.

cPanel/WHM

cPanel is the hosting industry’s leading server control panel. Offering more features and services than most other panels on the market, it is the most preferred software by web hosting provider and webmasters alike. The power and diversity of cPanel makes it ideal for reseller hosting or managing sites for customers, staff or friends all on a single server. Not only does it allow you to administer a web server, but other types of server applications such as FTP, mail and databases. The interface of cPanel is so comprehensive and well designed that mastering it can be done in a fairly short amount of time. These capabilities and more qualify it as one of the most flexible and efficient control panels available today.

Plesk for Linux

Plesk for Linux is perhaps the most stable and powerful control panel in the hosting industry. Though is does not offer as many features as cPanel, the interface is user-friendly, easy to use and designed to streamline various server management functions. The base license of Plesk for Linux supports up to 30 domains but can be upgraded to support an unlimited amount. This control panel is an ideal solution for maintaining a physical or virtual private server.

Plesk for Windows

Plesk for Windows is a premium control panel that supports both Windows 2003 and 2008 server operating systems. This particular software is perfect for the webmaster who specifically desires the power of Microsoft technologies such as ASP, IIS and MS SQL. Apart from that, it essentially offers the same features and capabilities of the Linux version while retaining all the stability and efficiency that has made Plesk one of the best control panels on the market.

Virtuozzo Power Panel

Virtuozzo Power Panel is a Parallels product available in varieties designed to support both Linux and Windows virtual private servers. This software provides you with complete administrative access directly from your browser, allowing you to perform tasks such as server reboots, managing web services and processes, restoring backups, monitoring server resources and viewing log data. Virtuozzo Power Panel gives you an extensive level of control over your virtual environment and makes the best VPS option out of any other panels in our list.

cPanel Rolls out RC Version of Windows Control Panel

Last month, web hosting automation software provider cPanel, launched an RC (release candidate) version control panel product to support the Microsoft Windows Server 2008 platform. Known as Enkompass, the software is a step away from the company’s traditional panels based on Linux, FreeBSD and other Unix-like operating systems. cPanel is currently working with Microsoft to accommodate customers who prefer a wider range of platforms offering the power of IIS 7 and Windows Server 2008.

In a recent statement, J. Nick Koston, Chief Executive Officer at cPanel, spoke of Microsoft’s dedication and involvement in the web hosting industry over the last few years. He said that the cPanel Windows development believes IIS 7 is a flexible, scalable, high performance web server that offers the improved security the industry will rapidly adopt. According to Koston, Windows’ modern architecture and extensive support for legacy products was the major selling point that prompted cPanel to expand its offerings.

Boasting a decade of experience in the field of automation software, the cPanel development team built the Enkompass panel from the ground up, designing the application in native Microsoft technologies to ensure the best in performance and flexibility. Koston noted that the product was specifically designed to be run in the distributed server environment, allowing one or more Enkompass servers to manage a multitude of servers over a Windows domain. This enables simplified automation and administration of a server farm or an entire data center facility.

To no surprise, the Enkompass user interface is very reminiscent of cPanel and WHM designed for the Linux platform. This familiarity was emphasized to help users and end customers better understand the software without having to rediscover the functions needed to maintain their daily operations. In fact, Enkompass offers many of the same features found in the cPanel and WHM environment, including tools and options designed for administrators and resellers. It is worth mentioning that cPanel has removed several unnecessary Windows components and included a few Windows-only features as well. Enkompass supports both the MailEnable and SmarterMail email programs. To support the new panel, SmarterTools developed a new lite version of the mail program that supports unlimited domains and is only compatible with Enkompass. In addition, cPanel’s Windows control panel supports Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and 2008 as well as MySQL 5.

cPanel has also made security a priority for its Windows control panel. This is done by using AD (Active Directory), which makes sure user data and reseller privileges are stored in a secure manner. In addition, the reseller platform has received notable enhancements, now boasting multi-level reselling capabilities that essentially allows resellers to service other resellers.

The people at cPanel revealed that the Enkompass control panel is to be installed on a single Windows server and then extends to provision accounts across multiple web, mail, FTP and database servers, thus allowing hosting providers to easily add new capacity by incorporating additional servers as their needs increase.

The Enkompass control panel is currently available in a test version. This license is valid for 45 days and will expire thereafter or when the product becomes available for sale.

Mint Panel Control Panel Overview

Mint Panel is one of the most unique control panels on the market. Not only does it offer the ability to automate the management of web servers, but FTP, voice and game servers as well. Notably more affordable than competing products, the software bundles reseller and billing support to make it a complete automated server management solution.

Centralized Server Management

Mint Panel makes it simple to managed all installed servers from a single console. Known as the Master Server, this centralized facility allows users of all access to levels to login and manage their respective environments. This approach helps save precious system restores while enabling administrators to be more productive at the same time.

Extensive User Management

Mint Panel has five levels of login, each with its own unique roles and responsibilities that are defined by the administrator in the above tier.

Administrator – The administrator has the highest level of access, able to easily assign access to all other servers and enable those users to handle their respective management tasks. Mint Panel also allows administrators to efficiently manage their entire network infrastructure, thus dramatically reducing the probability of system failures.

Reseller – The reseller has the same level of access as the administrator with the exception of being able to manage the master server and infrastructure. This means the reseller has an extensive level of control over web, FTP, voice and game servers.

Account Holder – The third level of access gives account holders the ability to manage web, voice and game servers as well as create four fourth tier users to manage specific services based on the privileges provided to them.

User – The user represents a login level that is created by the administrator or account holder. These users are usually assigned to specific servers to perform administrative tasks.

Mail User – The fifth level allows a user to login in an access their own provide area for managing passwords, spam filtering and anti-virus configurations.

Integrated Billing System

Mint Panel comes equipped with a complete billing system. This fully featured system allows administrators and resellers to create custom invoices, automatically suspend services for defaulted payments, and set up recurring payments for customers. It also supports multiple gateways with support for custom gateways to be added in the near future. Perhaps the greatest thing about the Mint Panel billing system is that is lets you bill clients how you want. You have the option to go with the traditional recurring monthly invoice, the increasingly popular pay-as-you-go model, or both. For example, you can charge customers $10 a month for a hosting plan or charge them based on factors such as total bandwidth, CPU or memory usage by the unit multiplier of your choosing. The Mint Panel billing system is completely customizable so you have a tremendous amount of flexibility.

Conclusion

Mint Panel is an all-one-control panel that can be useful in a wide range of environments. Aside from the qualities mentioned here, it also offers the secure and scalable platform needed to excel in the hosting business. Expect to hear more about this control panel as it continues to make its rounds and increase in popularity.

4 Most Influential Control Panels

A good control panel can greatly increase the productivity of your online business. Control panels give webmasters control over all of the administrative functions that are crucial in every day server management. Without an easy-to-use, yet effective control panel, every webmaster would need a degree in internet technology just to manage their server effectively! Of course nay control panel would be better than not having one at all, however if you are serious about your online business, then you’ll want the very best. Below are 4 control panels that simply cannot be ignored.

cPanel

The first name that comes to mind when someone says “control panel” is cPanel. Cpanel is by far the most widely used control panel around. The simplicity of cpanel, combined with it’s abundance of expandable features make it an award winning software that has all but cornered it’s market. The greatest benefit involved with cPanel often arises from the popularity of the control panel itself. Since there are so many fellow cPanel users, there is a plethora of user tutorials available online, including video tutorials. There are also community forums full of expert cPanel users willing to help the novice user learn their way around the software. With all of the information available regarding cPanel, it is easy to resolve any issues of confusion which may arise during the learning process.

Plesk

Next on the list of consideration is Plesk. In fact, there are a few areas that Plesk excels in when compared to cPanel, such as clustering support. If you use cloud or clustered hosting, then Plesk would definitely be a more suitable option for you. Plesk also includes a more comprehensive site builder than cPanel. Of course, with these added benefits comes a slightly steeper learning curve. If you are a novice webmaster then Plesk may not be your best option, however if you are somewhat familiar with internet technology then you shouldn’t have a problem learning the ins and outs of Plesk within a few short hours.

DirectAdmin

DirectAdmin is probably the simplest control panel to master, and it also uses the least amount of resources on your computer. It may have less features than the two control panels listed above, but since the developers have time to focus solely on a few features, it consequentially has less bugs and is more stable than cPanel. DirectAdmin is generally used by hosts on a budget, because of it’s low cost and stability.

Hsphere

At one point Hsphere was at the top of the control panel market, offering features that were exclusive to the software. However, as time passed the other control panels caught up and have long since surpassed Hsphere in both functionality and user-friendliness. In fact, Hsphere is the most difficult control panel to use. In fact the only reason why it made the list is because of the contributions it made towards the control panel market early on. Even though Hsphere is a very capable control panel, it should not be used by novice users, and even moderately advanced webmasters will experience somewhat of a learning curve with this software.

DirectAdmin: A Simpler Solution?

DirectAdmin has gained a lot of popularity in the recent years due to it’s simplicity. In fact, many users say it is the easiest control panel to use, especially when compared to even more popular solutions such as Plesk and cPanel. Although it is not as feature-packed as cPanel, it contains all of the basic functions needed to run your website and maintain your server. Even with the few features that it lacks, it is seen as one of the best solutions for novice webmasters because of it’s exceptionally simple navigational interface. Most people that use DirectAdmin have VPS hosting (Virtual Private Server). With VPS hosting the webmaster has access to a server that has capabilities that are similar to a dedicated server, yet it is still shared with other webmasters. Therefore VPS hosting is often viewed as a middle ground between dedicated and shared hosting. Many people use a combination of VPS hosting and DirectAdmin because it gives them the best of both world’s – dedicated and shared hosting.

Key Features

DirectAdmin is renowned as one of the simplest control panels to use, however this simplicity does not sacrifice it’s functionality. Aside from easy navigation, it also offers stability, speed and efficiency. DirectAdmin’s reliability stems from it’s ability to automatically recover from errors that cause system crashes. Perhaps most impressive is that even with all of these benefits, DirectAdmin is still half the price of cPanel and other similar control panels!

DirectAdmin also supports in-depth user administration. The webmaster has the ability to setup and administrate the accounts of new administrators/users and even has the rights to delegate server space to resellers. DirectAdmin administrators can even setup multiple packages for resellers that follow a predesignated set of rules. Webmasters can also control IP addresses by using the IP menu that is included in the control panel.

Reselling Benefits

DirectAdmin also serves many benefits to the reseller as well. Resellers have the power to create, modify or delete accounts. Similar to a website administrator, the reseller can select from predefined hosting packages and distribute them to clients. They can also view the resource usages of their clients to monitor bandwidth and storage. DirectAdmin allows resellers to interact with clients via a built-in support ticket system. It also includes a feature that enables the creation of personalized name servers for the benefit of end-users.

Account Creation in DirectAdmin

Domain owners can also use the administrative interface of DirectAdmin to set up and manage multiple POP3 email accounts. You can also set up FTP accounts and access a DNS menu that provides complete control. Domain owners can also view website statistics through DirectAdmin, to improve their traffic techniques. You’ll also have access to tools that enhance your site designing abilities and an easy backup utility that let’s you backup your entire site with a few clicks.

In the end, DirectAdmin is a worthy opponent to cPanel and Plesk, in fact it is a superior solution for those using the VPS hosting environment.

vDeck –A Complex Yet Simple to Use Control Panel

A good control panel is expected to handle various complex tasks on a regular basis, however the complexity of these tasks is supposed to be handled with ease. Functionality combined with simplicity is what makes a control panel effective. Without these key attributes the control panel is simply a glorified user interface with little to no value. One control panel that embodies these characteristics perfectly is vDeck. vDeck is a versatile control panel solution that brings together the best of both worlds; simplicity and functionality.

Marketing Your Website With vDeck

As the popularity of this control panel has continued to rise, many of its users are saying that it may replace cPanel as the most popular control panel within the next 5 years. While this may or may not be true, it certainly seems that it is just as capable as cPanel. Unlike cPanel however, vDeck focuses equally on the marketing aspect of website management, as well as the administrative aspect. Users have access to a variety of analytical traffic tools that aid in their SEO efforts. vDeck also makes it simple to install third party social bookmarking and video posting applications that increase the popularity of your website.

A Solution for All Sizes

Although its competitor cPanel is known primarily as a solution for small businesses, vDeck is different in that it can accommodate the needs of virtually any size business, including large corporations. vDeck is also an optimal solution for a variety of server environments, including virtual, private, dedicated and shared hosting environments. Whether you own a small retail shop, or an online empire, vDeck can accommodate your needs. In fact, it’s multi-tiered administrative interface makes it easy to control multiple domains within a singular user-friendly interface. Users can log in and out of their website’s with ease, without every exiting the vDeck control panel.

vDeck’s Expandability

The power of vDeck is literally unlimited, as it is a fully expandable and customizable control panel. You can add third party applications that enhance the productivity of your website in a variety of ways. You can even hire a programmer to create a program that is specifically designed to meet your needs, as the software is compatible with almost every programming language. vDecks expandability make it a solution that is capable of handling a plethora of complex tasks with ease. Users can create custom cron jobs that automatically handle daily work such as uploading content, posting to site blog’s, changing themes and any other administrative task you can imagine.

Learning to Use vDeck

Learnign to use vDeck is also extremely simple, as there is a wealth of documented informaiton on the software that can be accessed directly from the control panel. On top of the provided information, users can find video tutorials online, and can chat with other vDeck users in the vDeck help forums. With all of the resources available for vDeck, the learning curve for vDeck is nearly non-existent. In fact, many users are able to use the software without ever reading a single tutorial.

How to Pick Your Control Panel – What to Look For

The control panel is perhaps the most important aspect of your hosting account. Without it, executing even the most menial task would be extremely difficult for the average user. For this reason, control panels are usually included with your hosting plan. The type of control panel you use will depend on the type of web hosting you’re using. If you’re utilizing shared hosting then your control panel will allow you to carry out limited actions, while a dedicated hosting plan will give you full control over server administration. Since all control panels are not compatible with all operating system, you’ll need to be sure you’re system is going to be compatible with the prospective control panel. Aside from basic compatibility and functionality, there are several things you’ll need to consider when choosing your control panel.

Hosting Types

As your control panel selection will depend largely upon the type of hosting plan you purchase, you’ll need to decide which kind of hosting would be most suitable for your situation. Once you have decided on the correct hosting type, you can begin your search for a suitable control panel by considering the features and simplicity of each control panel. Although every control panel is designed for ease of use, some are more difficult to use then others. Generally, the more features a control panel has, the more difficult the learning curve is.

Assessing Your Needs

Aside from your operating system and hosting type, the control panel selection will also be based on the needs of your website and your experience. If you have a larger website with many employees and high traffic levels, then you’ll need a more comprehensive solution to accommodate your needs. For such a purpose you may need dedicated hosting plan with a completely functional control panel. If you own a smaller website and you have little experience then you’ll want to use a simpler solution with plenty of support, such as cPanel. Control panels like cPanel have a virtually unlimited amount of support videos and tutorials due to their popularity.

Important Features

When you first began reading this article, you were most likely expecting a list of features that you should look for when making your selection. However, the fact is nearly every control panel has the essential features that make server administration simple and convenient. Therefore, instead of focusing solely on features, you’ll want to base your decision on your experience level, website needs, and hosting environment. Once you’ve narrowed your search using this criteria, then you can begin to compare the individual features of each compatible control panel. Through process of elimination, logical deduction, and a bit of research, you should be able to find the correct control panel with ease. Perhaps the most important feature a control panel can have is user-friendliness, as all of the features in the world are useless to a user that cannot effectively use them.

Hosting Controller – A Perfect Solution for Cloud Hosting ?

So many people focus on the benefits of the more popular control panels such as Plesk and cPanel, that they fail to realize the power of less conventional software such as Hosting Controller. Although this control panel has not yet made a name for itself like some other more commonly used control panels, it is thought to be just as capable by many webmasters.

Proponents of Hosting Controller software often point to it’s capabilities as a cloud hosting solution, able to accommodate the needs of website owners with very large website’s. In fact, it’s main interface is specifically designed for the simple administration of multiple servers. Perhaps one of the most unique benefits of this control panel is it’s compatibility with MS Exchange and Sharepoint, which no other control panel offers.

Expandability

While most control panels offer an easy installation tool that facilitates the process of adding new web applications to your web site, this control panel offers one that is particularly user-friendly. In fact, some applications that need to be installed in other control panels are already included with Hosting Controller, such as WordPress, phpBB, osCommerce, Web Calendar, Post Nuke, Mambo and Joomla.

Functionality

Most of the issues users deal with in regards to site functionality originate form lack of server resources. When a server cannot supply adequate resources, the performance of a site suffers. Resulting in loss of traffic and ultimately loss of profits. To minimize the effect of low server resources, Hosting Controller includes an integrated load balancer which keeps the site performing optimally by optimizing server resources. This is perfect for users that have limited hosting plans or high server demands.

Cloud Hosting

Managing several servers at once can be a difficult task for any webmaster, especially without the right control panel. Faulty server management caused by a difficult control panel can lead to server malfunctions and even down time. Server down time is perhaps the most detrimental server event that can happen in regards to loss of online business and potential customers. The centralized interface of Hosting Controller let’s you manage multiple servers without wasting any time at all. Hosting Controller makes administration of multiple servers extremely simple by letting you log in to one administrative interface to control all of your web servers form one location. For this reason, Hosting Controller is the perfect Cloud hosting solution.

Supreme Compatibility

Most control panels are only compatible with one operating system. Fortunately, Hosting Controller is compatible with both Linux and Windows. Although the control panel is compatible with both operating systems, it will only work with Windows based servers. The Hosting Controller software is fully compatible with both IIS and Apache servers, which makes it a suitable solution for nearly any online business.

The Learning curve of hosting controller is slightly more difficult than other control panels. However with the added difficulty comes enhanced features and increased functionality. Users that demand the best control panel for the cloud hosting environment should definitely consider Hosting Controller.