Server Boy

Any and all things related to webmasters and webhosting.

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The Benefits and Drawbacks of Using Bluehost Hosting Services

Bluehost has become yet another standout company in the website hosting industry. Not only is this one of the cheapest hosting services out there, but it also provides an array of essential service features. Site owners can get more of what they need from a single provider and they can do this without having to spend beyond their means.

Everything Is Unlimited With Bluehost

Bluehost is best known for its vast array of service options and features. Some companies offer a very limited selection of features. This company, however, provides packages that include unlimited bandwidth, transfers, hosting space, email accounts and domain hosting. Thus, those with greater needs can secure all or nearly all that they need at one low, flat-rate. This company also regularly offers coupons and promotional codes that new subscribers can take advantage of. New service users may even receive a $200 credit that can be used on all major online advertising platforms after having selected and paid for their new hosting plans.

Add-ons Come At No Additional Cost

In addition to providing a wealth of unlimited service features, Bluehost also has a number of desirable add-ons that you can get at absolutely no extra cost. These include a free instant setup, a free site builder and your own free domain name. For those looking for an affordable and all-inclusive package, this may be the best bet.

Excellent Customer Support

This hosting service is willing to back its services up with a solid, 30-day, money-back guarantee. If you don't like their interface or their services, you can have your money returned to you. Given the vast array of highly intuitive resources for site design and site transfers, in addition to reclaiming their investments, dissatisfied customers don't stand to lose a lot of time either.

It is also important to note that Bluehost provides customer support 24 hours per day and seven days per week. Websites need to be fully functional and available at all times. This makes it vital to choose a hosting company that can help you resolve problems outside of normal business hours.

Subscribers Get Access to a User Interface That Is Customized

Having access to a customized user interface might seem like a major benefit; however, this is one area in which Bluehost has received a number of less than stellar reviews. The current interface is accused of being less than user-friendly and far too complex for those that lack a comprehensive array of technical skills. This, however, is not the sole reason for customer dissatisfaction.

Although this company promises 99.9% uptime, it has received numerous downtime complaints. People have also spoken out against the $99 charge that those with existing websites have to pay for site migration. Site migration is one service that many hosting companies provide for free.

Linux Servers

Many Bluehost reviewers assert that the company is still using Linux servers. This in part explains why it has been so difficult for this major contender to uphold its promise of 99.9% uptime. It is also important to note that outdated servers and server facilities may not be ideal for the environment. For those who are eager to find eco-friendly companies, there are a variety of hosting services that power their systems with sustainable wind farms.

Ultimately, Bluehost offers a fair amount of value for the prices it charges. Consumers can gain access to a wealth of unlimited services and they can also connect with customer service representatives when they need them. Unfortunately, the company servers might not be cutting edge and the user interface is not as user-friendly as most would like it to be.

How to Install WordPress on Bluehost

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How Do I Protect My Website Against Hacking?

You may think that your website is safe because it contains nothing that is worth being hacked. Not all hackers hack websites to steal data or deface the site. Many hack into websites to use the site's servers to set up temporary web servers or as an email relay for spam. Hackers scour the internet for websites with security issues. That is how they choose the ones that they are going to hack into. There are a few tips that you should know that can keep your website safe.

How To Protect Your Website Against Hacking

1. Make Sure That Your Software Is Up To Date To keep hackers from getting into your website, it is important that you server operating system and any software that you are running on your website are up to date. It you are using a managed hosting solution, you do not need to worry about updates, they will take care of it. If you are using third party software on your website, you should check your RSS feed and mailing lists often for possible website security issues.

2. Use Parameterised Queries SQL injection attacks occur when an attacker uses a URL parameter or a web form to manipulate or gain access to your database. If you are using a standard Transact SQL, you can use rogue code in your query without even realizing it. When this happens hackers can get information, delete data, and change tables.

3. Check Your Data and Strip Out HTML Cross site scripting is when a hacker tries to pass scripting code into a web form. They do this in an attempt to run malicious code for the people who visit your site. If you check the data that is being submitted, and strip or encode out HTML, cross site scripting is not possible.

4. Use Error Messages Correctly When one of your site's users attempts to log in with the wrong information, your error message should read, "Incorrect Username or Password". You should never tell the user if they have entered half part of the information correctly. If a hacker attempts a brute force attack to get the username and password, you are letting them know that they have half of the information correct. This way, they only focus on the part that they got wrong.

5. Passwords Everyone knows that having a complex password on their servers is very important, and is the best way to prevent hacking. However, many people still do not use proper password practices. The ideal password contains 8 characters, including an upper case letter, a lower case letter, and a symbol. Passwords should also be in an encrypted form. It is a good idea to also remind your users to use proper passwords.

Hackers can cause a great deal of trouble with your website. If it is properly protected, your website will not be open up to potential hackers.

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How Can I Tell If My Web Hosting Service Is Fast Enough?

The speed of one's website is one of the most important factors for attracting guests and then keeping them interested in the site. Modern Internet users are often impatient in their searches for reliable goods and services. In other words, they will leave a website that is slow to open or load. Very seldom does a person come back once he or she has been swayed by a lagging website. For this reason, website owners must be sure that they choose web hosting that optimizes their speed, which will minimize the chances of them losing many potential customers.

How Can I tell if My Web Hosting Is Fast Enough?

The good thing about website hosting is that it usually works on a month-to-month basis. That means that a website owner can seek services from another provider if he or she finds that the current provider is not doing the trick in terms of speed. A website owner can use several methods to find out if his or her website hosting is fast enough. The person could ask the customers that visit the site by adding a survey or poll to the front page. The website owner could run a speed test, as well. Additionally, the person could ask family members or friends to perform actions on the website and record their experiences.

What Is a Good Site Load Speed?

As mentioned above, a website has to have a speedy load time to keep customers interested. Recent studies by Akamai and Gomez concluded that prospective customers would give a site no more than two to three seconds to load before they abandon the sites. Some of them even tell their friends and family members that they had a poor experience. What that means for website owners is that they need to take steps to ensure that they speed up the user's experience as much as possible. Additionally, page load time can affect one's ranking on the Google search engine. Load speed is part of complex algorithm that Google uses to list the most reliable sites. Any site that takes more than three seconds to load risks chances of getting new customers and top ratings on Google.

Where to Do Speed Tests

Speed tests are available through several providers such as Pingdom, WebPageTest and GTmetrix. Many other companies provide website testing tools. The website owner can start testing a website by visiting one of those providers. Some of the providers will also offer optimization services that can help to increase load time.

40 Popular Shared Web Hosts Ranked for Page-load Speed

Not excited about the idea of having to run speed tests for multiple hosts? NCM Online tests all hosting services reviewed for speed and uptime. Click here for PDF version of their Fastest Web Hosts page.

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What Is VPS Hosting?

VPS hosting and shared hosting plans have a number of similarities, but they are actually very different. Unfortunately, many people think that the two are the same. The question some people may be asking is - what is VPS hosting? Read on to find out.

VPS stands for virtual private server. This type of service has some elements of both dedicated hosting and shared hosting. For instance, each user has access to a specified storage space, bandwidth, RAM and CPU cores, just like dedicated hosting plans. This translates to increased performance and reliability as well as more privacy and security. These are the traits that distinguish dedicated servers from shared hosting plans. That said, VPS hosting also has some elements of shared hosting plans in that several clients share the same server as well as the cost of maintaining it.

How it Works

The resources of a server are partitioned and each partition allocated to individual users. Usually, the hard drive of a server is partitioned several times to ensure that each user can store files securely in their assigned partition. The cost of the service is quite fair, in that it is a little bit higher than the cost of shared packages, but much lower than the cost of renting dedicated servers. The fact that users will be sharing other resources cannot be equated to reduced performance because the servers used in VPS hosting are powerful. They have multiple cores and several gigabytes of RAM as well as multiple fibers and communication links to ensure a redundant network.

Benefits of VPS Hosting

- VPS hosting is more affordable compared to dedicated server hosting - It is more reliable compared to shared hosting plans since the risk of servers crashing is minimized - It offers more privacy and security because users can install their own security apps in their partitions

If you are still asking - what is VPS hosting? - the simple answer is; a website hosting service that provides users with the cut-throat performance, security and privacy of dedicated servers at the cost of shared hosting plans.

Popular VPS Hosting Service Providers

Almost all hosting companies offer VPS packages. The following is a list of the most reputable companies that are known to offer reliable services:

- Godaddy - Blue Host - Hostgator - InMotion Hosting - iPage - Just Host - FatCow - Network Solutions

There are many other companies that consumers can choose. Some of the most important factors to consider when picking a hosting company include: speed, reliability, cost, money-back guarantee, RAM size, disk space and additional features among other things.

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Hunting Webhosting Coupon and Promo Codes

The Internet has changed the way we live and communicate. Virtually everyone is connected through the World Wide Web. Those who seek to be part of the global conversation have no choice but to go online and establish their presence. Many try to do this through social media which is quite easy as the popular networks are open to the public. However, this is not enough for individuals and companies with loftier goals. There is nothing like having a personal or business website that you can control to push your agenda such as brand awareness and product sales. What a Webhost Can Do for You The most important thing is to find a suitable webhosting provider. Webhosts basically rent out their server space and offer related online services. They have the infrastructure in place, ready for immediate deployment. Most people do not have the technical know-how or funds to run their own servers, keep these secure, and troubleshoot issues. Webhosts take care of all these, simplifying the site building process as well as the back-end management. All of these benefits can usually be obtained for a reasonable amount. The cost may be lowered by using coupon and promo codes. Common Webhosting Features Service providers will typically offer packages with a number of features that are tailored to specific segments. The cheapest package will contain only the most basic elements. These are suitable for individuals who wish to create their own blog, put up an online CV, share information about their hobbies, and the like. The most expensive package will have everything a large corporation could want and more. In the middle are hosting packages with decent specifications in a wide range of prices. These are good for small businesses that are aiming to expand their customer base through the Internet. Among the features are: Disk Space -- Hosting providers will allot a certain portion of their server space to clients who can then upload their images, documents, and other files until the limit is reached. This could be anywhere from a few gigabytes to several terabytes depending on the plan. Of course, having more is ideal as it will allow the storage of a greater number of files. Photographers can share their full portfolio online without worrying about breaching the limit right away. Businesses can include large PDFs of product brochures, white papers, user manuals, and other documents for their entire catalogue. Bandwidth -- Webhosts often put a cap on bandwidth to manage their servers' load. A small site may have an allowance of one terabyte per month. This means that if a post goes viral and attracts a lot of attention then the site could go down for a while until the issue is resolved. Potential visitors will not be able to access it. Therefore, getting a plan with a sizeable bandwidth allotment is ideal. Some hosts even offer unlimited plans. Theoretically, this means no downtime due to visitor traffic but in reality the infrastructure will have to be extremely robust to handle sudden spikes. Domain -- Most web hosts provide domain name registration to their clients. This is the site's address such as www.[domainname].com. Low-cost plans may allow only one domain name to be attached to the account. This can be quite restrictive as people may eventually wish to create another site for a new business or hobby. The restriction would force them to get another hosting package which adds unnecessary costs as well as complexity to their workflow. It is best to choose a package that allows multiple domain names from the start with an eye towards future expansion. Email -- Hosting packages generally come with email features. This is an excellent thing to have for businesses and even individuals who wish to make a good impression on others. If the site's domain name is www.domain.com then the email address will be in the form of [email protected]. All the employees may be given their own personalized address which can then be used for professional cards, official communications, website contact details, and many other purposes. Some plans have a ceiling on the number of email accounts which can be generated while others don't. The management console is included. How Web Hosting Coupon and Promo Codes Help It is plain to see that so many great features can only be truly enjoyed by getting the more expensive plans. The next course of action is easy for those who have big budgets to spend. Unfortunately, not everyone has deep pockets. Those who wish to get a good deal despite their meager funds will have to be creative and resourceful. One thing that they can do is to hunt for website hosting coupon codes on the Internet. Plenty of service providers and review sites like NCM Online publish these codes from time to time. They use them to attract more clients, mark important holidays, celebrate milestones, or simply to generate some buzz. Using these money-saving codes can lead to fantastic discounts on higher tier packages, instantly making them so much more affordable.

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Checking the web servers on We Heart It.