This free web hosting guide will save you a ton of time and money when selecting a company to host or transfer your website. Here are the most 33 secrets you probably didn’t know!

1. FREE WEB HOSTING GUIDE
33 Secrets You Probably Didn’t Know!
By Herman Drost
www.iSiteBuild.com
Web Design, Hosting, SEO
Copyright 2013, iSiteBuild.com All Rights Reserved

2. Table of Contents
PREPARATION...........................................................................................................................3
1. What are the goals of your website?..............................................................................3
2. What type of hosting service do you need?...................................................................3
REQUIREMENTS/FEATURES...................................................................................................4
3. Disk Space......................................................................................................................4
4. Bandwidth.......................................................................................................................4
5. Server Speed..................................................................................................................5
6. Uptime............................................................................................................................5
7. Reliability........................................................................................................................5
8. Backups..........................................................................................................................5
9. Responsive Technical Support ......................................................................................6
10. cPanel Access..............................................................................................................6
11. Softaculous...................................................................................................................6
12. CGI Bin.........................................................................................................................6
13. Perl...............................................................................................................................6
14. Server Side Includes (SSI)...........................................................................................6
15. FTP Access...................................................................................................................7
16. Website Statistics.........................................................................................................7
17. MySQL Databases........................................................................................................7
18. FREE Shared SSL........................................................................................................7
19. POP3, SMTP, IMAP Email............................................................................................7
20. Website Builder ............................................................................................................8
21. Subdomains..................................................................................................................8
22. Add-on Domains ..........................................................................................................8
23. Domain Pointers...........................................................................................................8
24. Autoresponders............................................................................................................8
25. Email Aliases................................................................................................................9
26. Front Page Support......................................................................................................9
27. PHP Scripting...............................................................................................................9
28. Password Protection.....................................................................................................9
29. SpamAssassin..............................................................................................................9
30. Custom Error Pages...................................................................................................10
31. Secure Data Center....................................................................................................10
32. State-of-the-art Technology........................................................................................10
33. Affordable....................................................................................................................10

3. Many website owners often make the mistake of deciding too quickly which company to host
their website with. They don’t do their homework beforehand and pay the price later. This
means they’ll have to find an alternative web host then transfer their files, databases, etc to
the new one. No one wants to endure this kind of frustration as it takes the focus away from
building your business.
This free web hosting guide will save you a ton of time and money when selecting a company
to host or transfer your website. Here are the most important points to consider before laying
out your cash:
PREPARATION
1. What are the goals of your website?
Before deciding on a web host think about the goals you have for your website so you can
determine how much space and bandwidth you will need. For instance if your goal is to
generate leads for your business you won’t need much space however if you plan on adding
lots of content on a regular basis make sure you can upgrade your hosting plan as the need
arises.
Resources
20 Reasons to Put Your Business on the Web
2. What type of hosting service do you need?
Shared (virtual) web hosting
This is the most common type most website owners choose. You share the same space on
the same server with other websites. Most website owners purchase this type of service
because it’s inexpensive and usually provides sufficient space and bandwidth for their needs.
Dedicated hosting
This means you have the whole server to yourself. It is not shared by other websites except
the ones you own. This is commonly used for large websites that need tons of space and
bandwidth. Expect to pay over $100/month.
Reseller hosting
If you need to host multiple websites or want to resell hosting services to other site owners
consider a reseller hosting plan. Keep in mind you’ll need to learn how to use the web hosting
control panel as well as cpanel (if using a Linux server). If you have no desire to learn this or
the time, look for someone who will do this for you.
Free Hosting
These companies are able to offer free hosting because they include advertising. Others may
offer free hosting if you register a domain name with them. You only pay when you upgrade
your hosting plan. Free hosting means you get what you pay for. I wouldn’t recommend it if
you plan on building a serious business online.

4. Resources
Top 7 Web Hosting Mistakes to Avoid
REQUIREMENTS/FEATURES
3. Disk Space
This refers to the amount of space (MB) you need to host your files on the server. To get an
idea how much space you need right click on the folder containing your files and view the
properties. A basic website containing a few images and 10 pages won’t consume much disc
space e.g. 50MB will probably be sufficient. If not you can always upgrade to a higher plan.
If your site contains a lot of graphics (e.g. a photography site) or store a ton of information
you’ll need a greater amount of disc space and pay a higher fee.
Note: Avoid hosting companies that offer unlimited web space and unlimited bandwidth. In
reality there is no such thing because server space and bandwidth is limited. If your site
suddenly experiences a ton of visitors you could use up all the bandwidth on the server
causing the company to shut down your site so it doesn’t affect the other sites on the server.
Resources
What is Hosting Space | How Much Do I Need | How To Choose a Host
Use Add-On Domains To Optimize Your Web Hosting Space
How Much Hosting Space Do You Need?
4. Bandwidth
This refers to the amount of data transfer. For instance if your site contains video or audio
files that are regularly played you’ll consume large quantities of bandwidth. Data transfer will
be higher than a site containing mostly text. The average website uses less than 200MB of
bandwidth per month.
Resources

5. How much space and bandwidth do I need?
How To Reduce Web Hosting Bandwidth
5. Server Speed
A slow web server will cause your site to load slowly. Website visitors have little patience for
slow loading sites and will leave and go elsewhere. One of Google’s main ranking factors is
site speed so if your site doesn’t load quickly it may affect your rankings in the search
engines.
To speed up your site reduce the size and number of your images, videos, fix html errors and
reduce the number of plugins (if you’re using WordPress).
To check the load times of your web pages visit http://gtmetrix.com/.
Resources
Site Speed – 5 Ways to Decrease Your Website Loading Time
How to Calculate and Speed-Up the Download Time of Your Web Site
6. Uptime
If your site goes offline due to server downtime you may lose leads and sales. The more
uptime your hosting provider guarantees, the better. 99% uptime is the minimum acceptable
standard. Look for 99% plus guaranteed uptime. Keep in mind most servers will require some
downtime (usually 1% or less) due to server upgrades, maintenance, etc.
7. Reliability
Check how long the company has been in business. If it’s only been a few months or years it
may mean they lack experience and you don’t know how reliable they are.
Resources
How to Choose a Hosting Company That’s Reliable
8. Backups
If the server goes down or experiences a disaster (e.g. fire in the building housing the server)
your site will go offline and not be available to your visitors. Check if the hosting company
does daily backups of the server and if they also keep off site back-ups in case of the
disaster.
Sidenote: It’s a good idea make backups of your own site on a regular basis just in case a
server fails. You can do a one click backup from cpanel to a folder on your desktop or
purchase an automated solution such as BackUpBuddy. This software also enables you to
easily transfer a WordPress website to another hosting provider (preserves all files,
databases and plugins).
Resources
How to Backup SQL Database – 4 Top Methods

6. How to Backup mySQL Database With phpMyAdmin
9. Responsive Technical Support
Inevitably you’ll run into problems while hosting your website therefore highly responsive
technical support is a must. Test the response times by sending an email or calling tech
support. If they don’t respond to your email within 24 hours or less look for another provider.
10. cPanel Access
The cpanel is a dashboard that allows you to easily manage your hosting account. It contains
easy-to-view icons on the main page that include such features as:
• Add/edit/delete email accounts
• Check website statistics
• Monitor web space and bandwidth usage
• List of databases you’ve set-up
• Access to setup and maintain databases
• Installation of scripts ie WordPress, Joomla, Forums, etc
Resources
How to Use Cpanel: Top 7 Ways to Use a Web Host Control Panel
11. Softaculous
Softaculous is an auto installer for cPanel. It enables you to install scripts in just ONE STEP
i.e. WordPress, Joomla, Forums, etc.
12. CGI Bin
This is a standard feature included in almost all hosting companies. It enables you to enhance
the content of Web pages over and above what simple HTML provides.
If you do not have access to your own CGI Bin, you cannot install your own cgi scripts and
programs. For instance you may want to install an opt-in form that requires a cgi script to be
installed in the CGI Bin folder.
Resources
How to Install a CGI Script and Increase Website Interactivity
13. Perl
This is a programming language often nicknamed “the Swiss Army chainsaw of scripting
languages” because of its flexibility and power to enhance your website.

7. 14. Server Side Includes (SSI)
This allows you to update all web pages simultaneously across your whole site by simply
updating one line of code. It’s a great feature to implement if you need to maintain/update an
html website.
Resources
How to Update Your Web Site Using Server Side Includes (SSI)
15. FTP Access
This allows you unlimited and unrestricted access to your site. You’ll need an FTP program to
transfer files from your computer to the server such as Filezilla (free) or SmartFTP.
Alternatively you can also use the FTP feature included in cpanel although it’s more difficult to
use.
16. Website Statistics
It’s imperative to monitor how many visitors your website is receiving, where they are coming
from, what keywords they are using to find your site and what the top referrers are. Most
hosting plans include a web stats program (ie AW Stats) so check before you decide what
company to go with.
Resources
How to Analyze Your Web Site Traffic
How To Monitor Website Traffic
17. MySQL Databases
If you’re building a WordPress website you’ll need at least one MySQL Database. You may
need additional databases if you want to add a forum or membership component. Check how
many databases are included in your web hosting plan and how much you’ll need to pay
should you require more.
18. FREE Shared SSL
If you’re accepting payments on your website you’ll need a SSL certificate to ensure
transactions are secure (unless you use PayPal as your online payment provider). A free
shared SSL means the certificate is included in your hosting plan although it is shared by
other websites on the same server.
19. POP3, SMTP, IMAP Email
These days you need to be able to stay in touch with your customers via your computer, cell
phone and tablet therefore check that your web host offers POP3, SMTP, IMAP Email
so you can access your email from all your devices.
Resources

8. How to Organize Your Email Without Losing It
How to Stop Spam Mail
20. Website Builder
Some hosting companies include browser-based sitebuilding software with cpanel. This is a
great option to have if you want to build to quickly build a web presence without spending a
fortune hiring a professional web designer.
Resources
RVSitebuilder is browser based sitebuilding software that installs directly into cPanel. Its
easy-to-follow workflow, social media plugins, and robust content management features
makes it easy for even non-programmers to create, market, and maintain a high-end web
presence.
21. Subdomains
Subdomains are useful for adding additional sections to your website such as a forum or blog
ie blog.domain.com. A subdomain can even have it’s own stats and email accounts.
22. Add-on Domains
An add-on domain is a new domain that is added on top of your main domain. It creates a
subdirectory within your main web hosting directory but can show a different website. The
add-on domain collects the information from the subdomain directory using the same space
and bandwidth as your main account, however it doesn’t have its own cpanel.
Resources
Use Add-On Domains To Optimize Your Web Hosting Space
23. Domain Pointers
Domain pointing allows you to host multiple sites with just one hosting account. This can save
you hundreds of dollars each year.
Resources
How do Domain Pointers Work?
24. Autoresponders
Autoresponders enable you to deliver your message automatically by email. It can work for
you 24 hours per day delivering information without being at your computer. By placing your
marketing message in your autoresponder, customers can request information any time of the
day and instantly have it in their mailbox. This will save you hours of manually filling out
forms.
Note: Autoresponders included in cpanel (web hosting control panel) only offer one reply.
They are not to be confused with stand-a-lone autoresponder services such as Aweber which

9. enables you to store contacts in a database and automatically send out a series of emails at
pre-scheduled times.
Resources
Autoresponder Marketing System
How to Make Use of Autoresponders
Email Marketing Software Review: YourMailingListProvider (YMLP)
25. Email Aliases
An email alias is an alternative email address that points to an existing user account. For
example, the user bill@domain.com might also want to receive email addressed to
william@domain.com. If you create william@domain.com as an email alias for
bill@domain.com, email will be delivered to both of these addresses in the same inbox.
26. Front Page Support
There are still many people that use the once popular Front Page Software to build their
websites. In order to upload files to the server Front Page Extensions need to be installed. So
if you’re still using Front Page to build or maintain websites check the hosting company has
Front Page extensions installed.
27. PHP Scripting
PHP is a server-side scripting language designed for web development. It extends the
functioning of your website. Check your web hosting plan to see if it has support for the script
you need. Outdated scripts may not work for your site.
Resources
Create a Simple, Effective PHP Form for Your Website
Secure PHP Form Mail Script
How to Install and Configure Master Form v4
28. Password Protection
A password protected folder or file is useful if you don’t want to give access to the general
public. Within cpanel you can easily password protect a directory or sub-directory on your
website so it’s only accessible to those people who have the login information.
Resources
How To Password Protect A File Or Folder And Stop Snoopers
29. SpamAssassin
Email spam prevents you from easily viewing your important emails because you need to
spend time sorting out what to keep and what to delete. SpamAssassin is an automated email
filtering system that attempts to identify spam messages based on the content of the email’s

10. headers and body.
Resources
How to Stop Form Mail Spam
How to Stop Email Spam with SpamAssassin
How to Mass Delete Comments From WordPress Using phpMyAdmin
30. Custom Error Pages
You may have seen the dreaded “404 error” page. This occurs when the web server can not
find that page so access to an area of the website is denied. It could be caused by a broken
link or the person misspelling the address for that page.
Creating your own custom error pages within cpanel enables you to redirect visitors to
another page ie your home page or site map page so they don’t get lost. This should definitely
be included on your web hosting checklist.
Resources
How to Create a Custom 404 Error Page to Stop Losing Website Visitors
31. Secure Data Center
Web hosting providers both big and small need a central location where they house their
servers and equipment. It is important to have some idea as to where these systems are
located. If you seek reliability and high quality you may not really want your important web
venture hosted in someone’s basement. Most large web hosting companies house their
servers in a secure, fireproof building.
32. State-of-the-art Technology
Most web hosting companies will provide some detail on their data centers including the
different bandwidth providers they use, and physical security of their premises. Check if they
utilize rock solid servers and if each server contains an additional hard drive for continuous
backups so it provides protection for your crucial data on multiple levels.

11. 33. Affordable
Avoid purchasing the cheapest host you can find because you’ll probably get what you pay for
(ie slow or unresponsive tech support). Instead check off the features you need to host your
site, test the response times and ask if tech support has extensive knowledge on building
websites as you may need their help when you get stuck building yours.
And now I’d like to invite you to
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Warm Regards,
Herman Drost