Best Web Hosting Companies 2010

In 2010, it has been quite a year for web hosting. With the recent advancement of technologies concerning Web 2.0, heavy bandwidth usage, space, security, and an almost endless amount of spammers out there, it is important to select a web host that has adapted well to the new decade. Let us take a look at some of those web hosting companies that are making sure to keep themselves, and in turn their clients, up to date with the times.

HostGator:

These guys have been around for awhile, and they seem to have a good rapport with every community out there. This is not a coincidence. People have long been catching on with the fact that if you are not sure what you’re doing, HostGator is the way to go. It is no secret as to why this is.

First of all, HostGator seems to have almost every piece of the puzzle you need in order to make any kind of decent social network or Web 2.0 community. They are one of the few hosts that not only allow for unlimited bandwidth or disk usage, but also for unlimited MySQL databases as well. Hosting multiple different scripts and extremely large communities becomes a lot less limited and confusing, while the amount of time it takes to access those databases decreases. It is basically a database programmer’s heaven.

They have also got support for almost every language in the book, including some of the lesser used ones including Python and Ruby On Rails. Security seems to be quite a big deal for them, which is why they supply you with SSL functionality, anti-spam tools, and the ability to block any incoming IP directly from the control panel.

Omnis:

Not a lot of people talk about this web host, but we are not quite sure as to why that is. Omnis seems to have created a pleasant balance between programming flexibility and automated features. In other words, no matter what your web development experience level is (or even if you are just lazy), you are bound to be satisfied with what Omnis offers.

For their automated features (those instant-install programs most web hosts have 2 or 3 of), they have got 6 different blogging platforms, 8 different content management systems, 6 types of forums, 6 different media gallery scripts, and 6 different shopping carts to choose from. Not to mention, they include a hefty miscellaneous utility section with more features than we have ever seen.

The more interesting side of Omnis comes into view when you realize that they also have the more “techie” people covered as well. They have got all the well-known programming languages covered, as well as some of the more rare ones (including some of the Microsoft-based languages that most hosts tend to leave out). Omnis also allows for an unlimited number of domains, meaning that the only thing that limits the amount of websites you can own is your ability to maintain them. All that comes with their base plan (which, by the way, seems to be their only plan) which costs about $80 per year.

Fat Cow:

Fat cow seems to be more of a “budget friendly” type of service. Though they are not quite up to par with the first two listed (no Ruby on Rails, a lot less applications that automatically install, etc), they actually offer some interesting features that even the more expensive websites don’t include.

What got our attention was the ability to directly accept a credit card payment. Wouldn’t it be nice if you didn’t have to convince all your customers to go through the lengthy process of opening up and activating a PayPal account just to do business with you? That feature alone is bound to convert a lot more visitors into customers.

Now, we couldn’t leave out the whole point of Fat Cow if we are going to review them. If you visit their website (http://www.fatcow.com respectively), you will notice something strange that you won’t see with any other web host. It is not something that benefits you or them directly, but did you know that Fat Cow servers are powered by 100% wind energy? We couldn’t tell whether it was a gimmick or something the company truly cares about, but mentioning that your website is maintained by an environmentally friendly server would be a great way to build rapport for a “Go Green” type of site.

Can Your Sales Lead Software Do This?

Any marketers managing leads through a sales lead software for lead management should make sure their sales software can do the following tasks.
1st off, lead nurturing should have the ability to be handled via automated mechanisms such as:
1. Emails – Automatic emails that are triggered at specified time intervals, when leads reach certain milestones.
2. Reminders – Reminders that are automatically triggered based on specified software rules and follow-up times.
3. Posting & Routing – Leads may be automatically posted to a predictive dialer, a telemarketing company, another database, a marketing services company, etc. to attempt additional contact or take other actions.

Your software should effectively perform lead nurturing and drip marketing tasks by incorporating different content at different intervals. Some recommended formats include:
• Varying Format – Newsletters, personal notes, relevant articles and follow-up calls can all work well in combination.
• Adding Value – Effective lead nurturing comes from being consistent and relevant.
• Keep it Simple – It’s got to be easy. After all; that’s why we purchased the software.

How About This..
Can Your Lead Management Software provide..

  • Dialers (Predictive/Progressive/Click-to-Dial) that offer built-in click-to-dial capabilities that integrates with Five9, Touchstar, Genesis, DialConnection and/or OPC Marketing
  • Pricing and Instant Offers that integrate with NYLX, Mortech, LoanSifter, Optimal Blue & QuoteBurst.
  • Loan Origination Tracking; bi-directional software solutions that can easily integrate with most applications using the Fannie Mae file format. Software is Calyx Point, Encompass, PCLender, OpenClose and Empower compatible.
  • PDF Generation that can merge lead information into PDF templates automatically. PDF’s can be emailed or attached to leads for storage.
  • Lead Routing, Lead Distribution & Live Transfers compatible with live transfer providers that integrates with DoublePositive & LeadQual.
  • DNC scrubbing capabilities that can be enabled for all leads or for specific lead groups based on campaigns or rules.
  • Email Marketing & autoResponder software for automatic lead follow-ups
  • Marketing Automation solutions for enhanced rich media email and tracking capabilities compatible with SoftVu
  • Lead Scoring verification technologies that integrates with TargusInfo, eBureau, iLeads
  • Custom development & integration for those that need something ultra specific.
  • Overall: A CRM solution to manage customer relationships, customer service and accounting. There are a variety of CRM solutions from Mortgage CRM, Insurance CRM & Enrollment CRM; all compatitble with SalesForce.com, RightNow Technologies (RNT)

Selecting a Hosting Provider

So you’ve found the perfect domain name for your soon to be successful online venture. Your mind is drifting to the many variables that will play a role in that success – site design, marketing, search engine listings, and so on. Thoughts of web hosting cross your mind, but only briefly. After all, development and marketing are exciting directions, and where you host your site is a mere technicality – or is it?

Selection of a host that is suitable for your online business is something that requires more thought, and research, than many newcomers to the internet business world realize. Your host is at the very core of your operation – without them your business literally does not exist.

Imagine the following scenario:

You’ve worked many months developing your site, its product lines, and the marketing efforts relative to getting those products to your potential customers. You’ve recently completed negotiations for a short term partnership arrangement with a high traffic web portal that is guaranteed to bring volumes of targeted visitors to your online store. Just as the links to your venture are activated at your partner’s end, your hosting provider experiences an all-out server failure. Their backup systems are inefficient, and unable to manage the sudden influx of data requests. In the end, they fail as well.

Technical staff supporting your host are inexperienced, and cannot bring the server up in less than 24 hours. Once all system issues are corrected, and your site is again live, your short term partnership arrangement has concluded. The only achievement of this agreement has been the exposure of thousands of potential customers to an error message indicating your site is unavailable. Will these previously motivated buyers return? Perhaps, but achieving this will now require twice the effort initially necessary – which often means twice the financial investment as well.

Is the above scenario one that your online business can afford? The answer is obvious, but the potential exists if one decides to select a hosting provider without doing their homework first.

There are innumerable areas of assessment when selecting a host, and the requirements of each business model is different. Here are some of the most common elements you will want to review:

Reliability

* what is their average uptime? Aim high here – many experienced providers average over 99% uptime.
* do they offer any testimonials from satisfied customers?
* can they be contacted to very the information they have provided on site?
* how do they ensure server security?

Backup Systems

* do they have well laid out risk management plans?
* server failures are inevitable – what is the average length of the downtime involved, if any?

General Service Offering

* megs of storage space allocated at given price
* number of email accounts provided per hosted domain
* cgi bin access to allow for the installation and use of various on-site forms
* free access to ready to install cgi based forms
* sql capability for database oriented sites
* fully detailed site statistics, including hits, visitors, page views, referrers, keywords, geographical analysis, etc.
* autoresponder availability, number allocated per domain
* bandwidth restrictions per domain
* other add-ons, including ecommerce applications, site building tools, mailing list software, etc.

Pricing

* is the price reflective of the level and number of services available – how does it compare to the competition
* is there a scalable level of service/pricing – can you upgrade as your business grows

Investing the level of effort necessary to selection of a qualified host today can save the online entrepreneur a significant amount of frustration, and financial loss down the road.

Research each potential host thoroughly. If the answers specific to your operation are not clearly stated on their site, take the time to contact them with your inquiry. Any ethical hosting provider will be more than happy to respond promptly, and in detail regarding your questions. If they fail to do so, presume the worst, and move on.

There are many outstanding performers such as Cheap web hosting who will make every effort to host your online venture in a reliable, and customer oriented manner, assisting in your achievement of online success.