cPanel User Guide and Tutorial: Get the most from cPanel with this easy to follow guide

Disk Space: This is a measure of how much stuff you can store on the server. Disk space is measured in either computer megabytes, (1 MB = 1,024 KB) or metric standard gigabytes, (1 GB = 1,000 MB). If you are unsure how disk space is measured, you should ask the host. How much space you actually need depends on what you plan to do with your website. If your site is going to be just a few static web pages that won’t change often, then you could probably do with as little as 20 MB of disk space. If you plan on creating an online photo gallery, expect to need a lot more disk space, several GB, typically (pictures and media files tend to take up a lot of space). Generally most people seem to think they need far more disk space than they really do. The key is to get a bit more than you think you will use right now, but not too much more. When in doubt, assume you will use less disk space than you think you need.

Bandwidth: Bandwidth is a measure of how much data is transferred to or from your hosting account. Typically this is measured in computer gigabytes. Again, if you are unsure about how your host measures bandwidth, be sure to ask. Bandwidth includes any and all traffic coming to or from the server for your domain including web pages, FTP transfers, e-mail, and so on. Bandwidth on most cPanel servers is measured from the beginning of one calendar month to the beginning of the next. Bandwidth is typically reset some time on the first of every month. People tend to use more bandwidth than they think they need, so getting more is always a good thing. Many hosting companies make obtaining extra bandwidth rather expensive (sometimes as much as $5 per extra GB over the standard plan amount), so generally it is better to upgrade to the next higher hosting plan rather than pay for extra bandwidth every month.

MySQL Databases: Databases are used to store information. Even though you may never have used a database before, you will need at least one for web hosting. The reason for this is that many web-based programs (typically called scripts) use a database to store data that gets accessed regularly. For example, many forums and photo gallery scripts require the use of a database. While you can often get away with just one if your needs are modest, you should ideally look for plans with unlimited databases so you can feel free to use as many as you need. Keep in mind that data stored in databases typically counts against your disk space usage, so while you may be able to create as many databases as you want, you still cannot go over the total disk space assigned to your hosting plan.

PHP: PHP is a programming language that a lot of web-based scripts use. Make sure any host you choose offers at least PHP 4.4.1 or later.

Do you have true 24/7 technical support? Some companies claim they have this, but when you actually try to get support you might find that help at 2 AM is rather sparse. If you can submit your questions late at night, this is a good test to see if they are serious about their claims.

What support methods do you offer? Phone, fax, e-mail, helpdesk ticket, live help, instant messenger, etc. It is always good to know what alternative contacts are available in the case of a serious emergency. Always try to respect a web host’s chain of support though. If they want most of their support requests to come in via e-mail, don’t pick up the phone and call them every time you have a question or minor issue.

Do you have any guaranteed response time for support requests? Most hosts will not have a guaranteed response time, but the response time should be reasonably short. If you are paying 40 USD a year for hosting it may not be reasonable to expect responses in 15 minutes or less, but answers in less than an hour for critical items and less than 6 hours for less serious support requests is a good thumb rule.

Do you provide free domain names with your hosting accounts? A domain name is typically required for web hosting so people can find your site. Some hosts offer free domain names when you buy web hosting from them. Be careful, though, as some hosts will keep your domain name if you decide to leave them, causing major headaches for you if you’ve spent much time promoting that domain. Domain registrars like GoDaddy, http://godaddy.com/ offer inexpensive domain registration, so if you have any doubt about your host’s policies you should register your own domain and not use the offered free domain.

Do you offer a referral program? Some hosts offer special gifts or free hosting if you refer friends or family to them. Be sure you know what they offer so you don’t miss out on free stuff if you like the host.

Do you automatically back up data on all servers in case of an emergency? Please note that regardless of your host’s answer to this question you should always make your own regular backups. Thanks to Murphy’s Law, the one time you don’t have a backup is the time that your host’s backup drive will fail also.

What sort of hardware do you use for your servers? Ideally, fast dual processors and at least 2 GB of RAM are what you are looking for.

How many accounts do you generally place on a shared hosting server before you consider it full? Many hosts won’t be able to quote an exact number, but you are looking for an honest ballpark figure. If they tell you they don’t put more than 10 accounts on a shared server and you see their average account costs about $5 a month then clearly the host isn’t telling you the truth. A ballpark figure of 100-200 accounts per server on fast hardware is OK. If they use single Celeron CPU servers with 512 MB of RAM, then 20-30 accounts would be OK.

Do you offer a money-back guarantee? If so, how long do I have before the guarantee expires? A good host should have at least a 14-day money-back guarantee so if you find that this host isn’t the right one for your needs you can move on to another host without wasting money. Ideally, they should offer a full 1-month guarantee.

If I pre-pay for a year and then need to cancel my account half-way through the year, how do you handle that? What if I want to upgrade my plan in the middle of this term? Many hosts offer a discount if you pre-pay for a full year of service in advance. The host should always offer to refund any full months of unused service on a pro-rated basis. An example of a pro-rated refund: You buy a year of hosting for 100 USD and have used 3 months and cancel your account, the host should give you back approximately 75 USD (100 USD minus three months of service at 8.33 USD a month, 75.01 USD). Note that not all hosts offer pro-rated refunds (or even offer refunds at all). Hosts can handle upgrades in several ways, but always be sure you are getting your money’s worth.

Do you have any uptime guarantee? If so, how does the guarantee work? Many hosts claim to offer 99.9% or greater uptime, but you may find that a host can’t live up to that promise. If your site is unavailable for more than approximately 44 minutes in a given month through no fault of your own you may be due some recompense. You should find out what your host will do in such cases. Make a note of any limitations on the guarantee. For example, your host might only guarantee the data center in which the server is located will be up 99.9% each month and not your particular server. If you have a good host they will always try to make things right for their clients after an excessive amount of unplanned downtime without being prodded. Since the host has a business to run don’t expect a free month of hosting every time your site is only available 99.8% that month, but they should always offer some sort of recompense.

What happens if I use more bandwidth than my plan allows? cPanel hosts should tell you that your account will be suspended if you go over your bandwidth limit until you either buy extra bandwidth or the first of the next calendar month rolls around. Do not buy hosting from any company that says they automatically charge your credit card for every extra GB of bandwidth you use. While this might seem like a nice feature, it is very dangerous. All it takes is a mention of your website on another major site or in the news and you could find yourself with a bandwidth bill of thousands of dollars.

What sort of content do you allow on your servers? Some hosts do not allow certain kinds of content on their servers and you should know what the restrictions are before you sign up. Some hosts do not allow adult hosting or IRC servers, for example. Further, some place restrictions on the types of media you can host. If you want to host your band’s website and your host does not permit hosting of music or video files, you may want to look elsewhere.