Getting the Most from Your Web Hosting Company.

If you're like many small business owners out there using a web hosting company, you probably have a small website that was designed some time ago, but you're probably not entirely familiar with what options you have available to you for web hosting. Once your site has been designed and launched, the work has just begun and it's up to you to make the most of your relationship with your web host.

The good news is that the cost of web hosting is consistently dropping and chances are, your web host probably has a wealth of free resources available for you to use. Many web hosting companies today, like Blue Host, Host Gator and Yahoo! not only offer control panels and free plug-in functionality, they also offer great features like free domain names, merchant accounts and even free marketing money from online advertisers.

So how do you get your fair share of these free features? Contact your hosting company today and make sure that you understand the current web hosting package that you are using. Also, have a look at their website - do they offer a free control panel, free domain, 24/7 support and other features that are now industry standard?

If your hosting company doesn't have a good uptime record, doesn't offer a control panel, 24/7 support, free scripts and other goodies, it's time to find a new host. Most small business hosting plans are available now days for less than $10 monthly, which offer unlimited disk storage, unlimited bandwidth and even an unlimited number of websites that can be hosted on your account.

"But how do I move my website to a new host", you ask? This is easier than you think. If you use the popular cPanel control panel, the move process is as simple as 1, 2, 3 One, create a full backup of your website within your control panel. Two, create your new web hosting account and select upload your backup files by choosing the restore from backup option. Three, contact your domain registrar and point your domain to your new hosting account.

Domain name registrars have the authority to register and maintain domain name registrations. Companies like GoDaddy and Yahoo! offer both web hosting and domain name registration. Many website owners find that it is most convenient to have one vendor handle both their domain name registration as well as their web hosting.

About the Author

This article is published with permission from WebHostingMadness.com, a provider of web hosting company reviews, articles and helpful guides on web hosting.

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