Hosting

Hosting is an often overlooked, yet critical aspect of a website’s success. For instance, an important factor of Google’s algorithms for page rank include the download speed of a web page.

Typically we do not host websites, since there are economies of scale that larger companies have. Also having separate companies build and host a site reduces the risk that one entity has total control of a website property.

Here are important factors when considering a web hosting company:

• Will there be a content management system? If so a virtual private server or faster is recommended so the site does not run slow.
• If domain names and email are hosted elsewhere, consider a hosting plan that does not charge for Plesk or other high cost server software.
• Is there the potential for surges and a high volume of traffic? Consider using cloud hosting from Amazon or Rackspace that dynamically accommodates surges in traffic without having to add additional servers.
• What level of backups are required? Are remote backups needed?
• Are you a non-profit that would like a socially conscious hosting company? If so they do exist! Check out companies like Electric Embers.