Creating a New Dental Website: Part 2 - Hosting
Creating a Dental Website
Part 2 - Hosting
You decided on your domain name and purchased your domain, now it’s time to find hosting.
Hosting will allow you to create emails (DrJoe@joedentistry.com) and store the files for your website. Some people prefer to separate the two so they have control of their email and just point their domain name to another hosting company.
The main things to consider for most companies will be:
- How much space do I get?
- Do I get email and can I control my email?
- What is included with my hosting?
- Is it Windows or Linux hosting?
What is the difference between Linux and Windows Hosting?
The type of programs and programming you use on your site will determine whether you need one or the other. To really oversimplify things, if you have programs that use ASP or Coldfusion then you may opt for a Windows server. Linux servers seem to be much more stable and are ideal for PHP or Perl script.
My recommendation is to find a web development company first and let them decide.
NOTE: If your website is on a Linux server then it is usually pretty easy to transfer to a Windows server. The other way around is not true.
What hosting company should I choose and how much should I pay?
There are a number of companies out there such as GoDaddy.com and NetworkSolutions.com that offer hosting for as low as $5/month. However, unless you know what to do with the hosting, chances are you should find a website company first. Many of them have their own hosting so purchasing a separate hosting package may be a waste of money.
Payment will depend on what the hosting includes. Some companies offer support and a certain number of hours of website creation per month as part of their monthly package. Other companies create custom websites for $5,000 to $25,000 or more and then include a lower monthly hosting cost.
Template companies often create websites for a very low price and then charge a higher monthly fee ($49 to $599) that will pay for the website over time.
All of these are great options- it really depends on what you hope to achieve with your website. Just be sure to ask about monthly hosting costs and find out what is included.
Steve Presser
New Dental Web
