Feb 04

Author : Amy ArmitageThere are many individualized ways of approaching hosting, but there are basically just two different kinds of website hosting available to individuals and businesses, shared or dedicated Dedicated hosting plans, also called "managed plans" by some firms, are simply those hosting plans that are personally managed in a "hands on" manner by hosting company support staff Shared service means that your site is "sharing" disk space with other firms, and all the oversight and control is yours

Although the site owners will always maintain a degree of control, and the ultimate choice of companies, with dedicated hosting the hosting firm is relieving them of the responsibilities they would normally have to perform There are a number of benefits that make each type of hosting a good option for both individuals and businesses, although there are some crucial differences Here are a dozen

1 Power, real and virtual - Site owners with dedicated hosting accounts can expect faster and more efficient connections since the word "dedicated" refers to the fact that their site is hosted on its own "dedicated" server Instead of sharing both space and bandwidth with other clients, site owners will have their own, 100%-dedicated server working on their behalf

2 Support levels - Dedicated hosting accounts provide a superior, additional level of support beyond that available to a shared plan holder Hosting companies offer hands-on specialists with high-tech expertise to administer the website

3 Cost-effectiveness - Depending on various factors, web hosting of both kinds can be cost-effective The higher level of administration offered by dedicated plans can free up valuable time for clients and their employees, which offers imputed savings in wages and better use of employee time On the other hand, smaller and simpler sites may not need such administrative support, so cost-effectiveness may be possible with shared plans, as well

4 Security concerns - Dedicated web hosting plans typically offer additional security measures, in addition to the security that is inherent in support staff staying on top of the operations in general For shared account plans, there are fewer resources available for disaster recovery, troubleshooting, data backup and so forth Businesses that are financially dependent on their website being up and running at all times certainly benefit from dedicated hosting that protects their data

5 Support levels - It is the dedicated website hosting plan that will manage, measure and monitor performance for a client on a 24/7/365 basis These additional support services include monitoring and managing the network and all of the client’s equipment In addition, support staff will proactively contact the dedicated hosting client with problems or concerns Shared hosting plans cannot possibly add these services without raising costs substantially, and effectively evolving into a dedicated plan, at any rate

6 The equipment - Equipment used by hosting companies for dedicated web hosting clients will usually have a serious advantage over what the shared hosting clients get Dedicated web hosting, by definition, involves the use of dedicated servers, and at the higher price point clients can expect newer, more powerful and better-maintained equipment Again, if a site is not mission-critical in a company’s business plan, shared plans with their more modest components may do the job well enough

7 Downtime - Some clients try to host their own sites on their own in-house servers, but often experience a great deal of down time Using a dedicated server managed by a top hosting company normally translates into a great reduction in downtime The reason is simple, namely, someone is always monitoring the site, all the time

8 Feature sets - All web hosting plans offer various types and kinds of features and benefits, but the amount of hosting space, bandwidth allowance, free tools, scripts and support levels offered in dedicated hosting plans are much greater than with shared plans All companies have different needs for their sites, and if yours are simple and uncomplicated, you may do fine with shared hosting Make sure you know the feature set that you really need

9 Company focus - Dedicated hosting plans are time-savers for many firms, as these managed plans reduce (even eliminate) the need for a firm to do any administration If the hosting company is handling the bulk of the administration duties, clients can spend their time growing their businesses and fret a whole lot less about their websites

10 Contact - With a dedicated hosting plan, you are in the "top tier" of your hosting company’s customer list You should never have even a moment of trouble reaching support staff - by email, phone, chat, whatever - whenever you need their help You will not have to wait on replies to a web form, or waste time in a phone queue Customers on dedicated plans can call directly and get help ASAP

11 Overall value - If you have a good accountant, he can probably crunch the numbers to show you what the best approach for your firm is, shared or dedicated There are many factors to consider (more than a dozen, truth be told) and the calculations can get somewhat fuzzy at times However, time is money, and money most certainly is money, so you need to determine what the overall value is to each option

12 Overall cost - In conjunction with #11 above, you need to determine not just value, but actual cost The cost of having a low-priced shared plan includes all the time and energy you and your employees have to invest in site maintenance and upkeep, and your particular circumstances will determine how these calculations pan out Dedicated hosting is usually priced with these considerations in mind, but do your own math

There is a lot to the decision, and no one can tell you what is best for your business because no one knows it as well as you do All reputable hosting companies will work with you to pinpoint the pros and cons of each approach, but in the final analysis the choice is yours Get good information, specific advice and expert help to make the right decision

You might consider going month-to-month instead of paying for an annual plan at first, so that you can make changes if you see that your first choice was wrong Stay focused, pay attention and learn as much as you can about each hosting company and plan This is the way that you can ensure having the right hosting plan in place, and in short order

Amy Armitage is the head of Business Development for Lunarpages. Lunarpages provides quality web hosting from their US-based hosting facility. They offer a wide-range of services from dedicated server hosting and managed solutions to shared and reseller hosting plans.



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Feb 04

Author : George RaymondPublishing relevant, informative articles is the most effective way to get your website noticed and to drive traffic straight to your home page In order to use article writing effectively, you need to know what is necessary to market your articles effectively

The main reason to market your articles is to build in-bound links people can click to visit your site When you submit an article to a directory, a link to your site will be included in the resource box to take people to your site to learn more about what you do and, more importantly, what you will be able to offer them

To effectively market an article, make certain you start with a great headline Your headline should offer a compelling reason to read the rest of the article Explain the purpose of the article in the first paragraph This is how you grab them and make them want to read the rest of your article Don*t get to wordy and use a lot of terminology that will make the reader confused and ultimately frustrated You don*t want them to stop reading!

The formatting of the article also has some effect on whether the reader will react positively and would like to know more Be sure you use bold lettering, subheadings and perhaps a bullet list to get your point across Marketing studies have shown, if the copy is attractive and jumps out, the reader will most likely read the entire article

Providing examples of how your product will benefit your customer is the best way to get them to want to visit your site Being too preachy or having too much of an infomercial feel, by pushing how they *need* to buy your product or use your service can drive people away Keep it simple and clear and you will have a customer for life

Here is one approach that I use that has never failed Although I use this as my primary marketing technique, it is only one approach to consider Get your feet on the ground, try some free articles in a few popular directories and you will be on your way to driving the targeted traffic you need before you know it

Free Articles!, it sounds odd that writing an article for free will help you to build traffic, but it is one of the BEST strategies to use right now The reason for this is: people are hungry for new and original content There are many different article directories that rely on outside authors to stock their article directories If no one submits a new article, the existing articles become stale and they lose their readership Additionally, many articles are written with keyword phrases that generate income for the host site as well as drive traffic to the articles
and back to your site via the resource box So, the more articles directories accept, the more content thus the more money they make They also attract more people and you get more traffic when people read your articles then follow the link in your resource box back to your websites

While this is the best strategy to use, it can require someone who understands SEO and has a talent and flair for writing If that’s not you, do not fake it! I can not emphasize this enough You will only create a bad business image if you manage to publish poor quality content, especially if it appears on multiple sites So, hire someone to do the writing for you if you don’t have a flair for words It will pay you back in the long-run

You will want to focus on articles that are relevant to your market niche so that by the time someone gets to the author resource box, you know you have a potential buyer Otherwise, they won’t bother to read the article, right?

Each host site may have different rules for the resource box Some don’t allow you to link to sales pages, but will allow you to link to a blog or website, as long as it is not an obvious promotional page Be sure to read the rules and follow them This is one reason why maintaining a blog is a great idea when you need such an intermediary space to drive traffic then pool it from there to your other websites and offers Over the past 10 plus years, George has developed a series of sites: Solutions For…[fill in the blank] centered around the Internet Marketing Niche. Visit any time: Solutions

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Feb 04

Author : Amy NuttThe majority of people never think about their air ducts You may even be wondering just what an air duct is and if you have them in your home If you have central heating or cooling, then you have tubes carrying that hot or cold air throughout the house and coming out vents It’s the system that provides the air to your home and when it’s not maintained, your health can suffer

Why is Air Duct Cleaning Important?
Just imagine what gets built up in those tubes that carry your air Dust bunnies collect in there, insects, and even mold Every time the blower turns on, whether you are using warm or cool air, all that stuff gets blown right out the vents and into your air where you are inhaling it It’s little wonder that many people get very ill just from this one simple problem! Black mold in particular is very dangerous and the spores can cause illness yet most people would never suspect that their air ducts are the issue

Those long tubes that snake throughout your home can either help or hinder your health It’s particularly important for families which have children with asthma or allergies to make sure that they hire an air duct cleaning equipment company on a regular basis to prevent illness
How Air Duct Cleaning Equipment Works

Since most of these air ducts are very small, it can be a real challenge to clean them out, particularly when things are stuck to the sides That’s why a company that has the right air duct equipment is preferred The following tools are things that the cleaner will use to make sure everything is out of your air system

An air compressor This is necessary for just about every step of the process It might be noisy, but the compressed air will help dislodge everything in the air ducts and make sure it’s out

Whips These attach to the end of the air compressor hose and whip around wildly The cleaner can push these through the air duct and the tentacles on the whip will bang against the edges of the tube and loosen any buildup so it can be removed
Air hose A definite necessity, the air hose is what the cleaner uses to clear out debris There are a number of attachments that can be put on the air hose which work with the compressed air to remove debris from the pipes

Brush This is used to brush the sides of the air duct and basically sweep any dirt, mold and bugs out of the tubes It usually comes with an extendible handle to reach further in
Vacuum This piece of equipment will suck out clogs and any other items that might be stuck in the air duct The vacuum that the cleaner uses will be very strong and with a long hose so it can reach all areas of the air ducts and remove clogs or insects that might be nesting in there

It’s important to have professionals with proper air duct cleaning equipment do the job Just reaching in with an ordinary vacuum or a scrub brush isn’t going to do the trick and you’ll miss most of the air duct if you attempt to clean it on your own without the correct air duct equipment It’s worth the cost because your health and that of your family will be much better for having clean air to breathe Most people never even realize the amount of contaminants that are coming through their air vents until they are already sick Keeping your air ducts clean allows for a cleaner, healthier environment in residential and commercial structures. For quality air duct cleaning equipment and insulation blowing equipment, consider Heat Seal Equipment Ltd.

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Feb 02

Author : Gregg HallThe vast array of new web hosting services on the market today can be more than a little overwhelming There are thousands of web hosting services from which to choose Because of all the choices, it has become increasingly difficult for the beginner to decide what web host will serve them best Choosing your e-commerce hosting service basically comes down to the features the company offers and their customer service, which, especially for people new to setting up web sites and blogs, is extremely important This article endeavors to cover some of the important issues you need to be aware of when choosing a web host

First, a caveat regarding free web hosting: you may be tempted by free web hosting but these services offer very little in the way of features and almost nonexistent customer support Good customer support cannot be stressed enough when you’re starting out in e-commerce You will have problems and you’ll need a real live person who can help you Cut-rate and cheap web hosting services aren’t much better If you want to be successful you’ll avoid these kinds of web hosting services Diving into e-commerce requires enough effort as it is; you don’t want added hassles from your service provider If you’re serious about e-commerce on the Web, you need to start off with the right tools The company you choose to provide your web hosting is one of these tools, and it can be the difference between failure and success

Again, your web host’s customer support can make all the difference in the world Quality customer service can make or break you It’s what separates a good host from a bad host One of the things you should look for in a hosting company is if it provides customer support 24 hour, 7 day a week availability with a toll-free number You have to be able to get help whenever you need it If you have just a few simple questions, the answers should be easily locatable on the web host’s site If time isn’t of the essence, then you should be able to email customer support and receive a response within a day, if not hours If you have more involved questions, there should be a toll-free number and friendly informative staff available at all times Many hosts offer online support in the form of instant messaging Being able to “chat” with a customer service representative is an excellent feature

The next thing you need to determine is how much disk storage and bandwidth you’ll need for your online enterprise If it’s a relatively simple affair then you should select a relatively small plan Someone who just wants to put up an informative page about their business won’t need as much from their host as someone who intends to supply images, video, and audio As always, it’s important to decide what you need and then base your decisions on that

Remember, you’ll also want to give yourself room to grow Read the company’s user terms and policies If you’re contracted to stick with a certain plan for a certain amount of time, make sure that it gives you room to expand your site Maybe your site will be more successful than you planned How bad would it be if your site starting getting tons of visitors but you had a cheap plan, with little storage and bandwidth, and then your host shut it down for exceeding its limits? If you’re not sure what you’ll need, start out with the low-level plan from a good company, but don’t sign on for a year or two at once Stick with monthly plans or make sure you can change yours at any time so you can adjust to unforeseen popularity

Along with the amount of disk storage and bandwidth, make sure you check your hosts data transfer rate and uptime It won’t do you much good if you choose a service with slow speeds and frequent crashes Reliability and speed are of the utmost importance when doing business on the internet It’d be like if you had a great store but the power kept going out and you closed randomly

Another feature to look at is the control panel offered by the company The control panel allows you to manage your web site and keep track of activity It allows you to check your bandwidth and disk storage It also lets you see what your customers are doing The control panel should be intuitive and informative It should provide more information than the novice knows what to do with so it can grow with you, but it should be easy to interface with at the same time

The web hosting company you choose should be well-established, have the right hardware, and it should provide the appropriate tools for their clients Research the issues and avoid second-rate web operations Once you get past the initial bump in the learning curve, you’ll find that doing business on the web can be easy and extremely profitable Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as business web hosting at http://www.businesswebhostingsolutions.com

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Feb 02

Author : Gregg HallIf you’re looking to establish more than one domain on the internet, you should looking into multiple domain hosting plans Multiple domain web hosting allows you to run more than one domain from a single account Before this service became available, you had to have a different account for each domain you wanted to run Such a set-up was rather inconvenient and downright ineffective It made it hard to keep track of multiple web sites and increased the likelihood of one of your web sites going down Now there are countless companies offering plans geared specifically towards clients who want to manage more than one domain from just one account

Why would you want to have multiple domains? Let’s say you want a main page to provide information about your business Then you might want a separate domain for, say, forums for users to discuss your products and so you can share information with them You may also want to set up chat rooms, which could be on another domain Multiple domain hosting gives you room to grow Also, if you want to have domains which are completely unrelated, but you still want to manage them all together, then you’ll want a multiple domain plan

When looking for a web hosting service that offers multiple domain accounts, there are a few things to consider First you need to check out their disk storage plans Obviously you pay more for more storage space You don’t want to buy too big of a plan but you also don’t want to shortchange yourself You’ll need a lot of storage space if you intend to build a large site and provide large files to your visitors such as audio, high resolution images, and video Remember to get what you need, while also giving yourself room to grow

You also need to take a look at the plan’s data transfer rate and bandwidth Again, if you plan on offering music and video, you want to make sure that the files are transferred smoothly and at an acceptable speed Music and video require steady and reliable data transfer and plenty of bandwidth You do not what your visitors viewing or listening to choppy files It is important that you come up with an estimate of how much traffic you anticipate on your site and how much data will be transferred If your bandwidth is low then high speed won’t mean much because you’ll quickly exceed your limits and your site will be shut down

Another thing to consider is how many email accounts you will need You’ll probably want to have separate email accounts for customer service, employees, order inquiries, web master, etc As always, you should have more accounts available then you need so there is room to grow Email accounts are an absolute necessity for a web-based business Even if you’re not on the web you should have an email address In many sectors, emails has surpassed the phone as the most important means of contact

As with a single domain hosting plan, you should look at the company’s control panel This is all the more important when you’re operating more than one domain You should be able to easily access information for all your sites

The fees for multiple server web hosting plans vary by plan, company, and features offered There may be monthly fees, a yearly contract, etc Shop around and choose the service which best suits your needs Don’t forget to ask other people, too Word of mouth is often the best way to find who’s reliable and who’s not Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as business web hosting at http://www.businesswebhostingsolutions.com

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Feb 02

Author : Amy NuttRemote hosting is something that is growing in popularity due to the fact that there is no hardware to buy and that an in-house IT team is not required It doesn’t mater if you are a business or an individual, remote hosting can provide great service at a great price Just keep in mind that there are some options First of all, you can own it or you can rent it from a dedicated hosting company What this means is that you can buy the hosting so that it is always yours or you can rent it just to use it for a while

Different types of remote hosting

There are different types of remote hosting You have managed hosting, dedicated hosting, virtual hosting, or shared hosting If you’re not sure what all of this means, here is a breakdown:

- Managed hosting - Managed hosting is when a customer leases a server without sharing it with anyone In the meantime, the hosting company takes care of the server’s functions This means ensuring that it stays up and making sure that any technical issues are taken care of

- Dedicated hosting - Dedicated hosting exists whether it is managed or not This is when the company leasing the server is the only one leasing that server They may also choose to buy it and manage it without the help of anyone else This is the ideal solution for larger businesses It doesn’t require any special equipment to be purchased or an IT staff to be hired

- Virtual hosting - This is actually one of the most popular hosting methods at present time This has a lot to do with the fact that it is very cost-effective It involves sharing the same computer that hosts various domain names Sometimes these websites may even have the same IP address This is something that really benefits the small- to medium-sized business You can choose for some of your services to be managed if you need them to be

- Shared hosting - Shared hosting falls into the same category as virtual hosting Just as it says, there are several websites “sharing” the same space Each website has its own partition, though, which is what keeps each one separate from one another Usually, the company is responsible for the functions on their part of the server, which means they’re responsible for their website Nevertheless, the company providing the hosting may offer managed services to help the business better maintain their website But it is the provider that is responsible for making sure the server stays up so that all of the websites on that server remain functional

It is very important to keep these different types of hosting in mind because you never know what may work best for you You have to review each one to see which the best is for you If you are a small business, you may choose the shared hosting route If you are a large business, dedicated hosting might be right up your alley
Why is it remote?

In remote hosting, it is remote because the hosting computer is remote from you You don’t have to lay a hand on it because it is managed by someone else

As for choosing the right one for you, it is important that you review all of your options Make sure that the hosting company you are looking at provides services for your particular operating system and that they have price plans that meet your budget Everything is priced based on your needs, so you want to make sure that you pick a company that has a package that fits your needs and doesn’t fall short or exceed them Leading provider of managed IT solutions with offices strategically located in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Quebec City. Visit us to learn more about data center Montreal and facility migration consulting.

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