The Win operating system is used by 95 percent of all the personal computers worldwide. Because of this great dominance, most people usually prefer to use Microsoft Windows for their web hosting needs.

1. Linux platforms do not offer .NET technologies, which includes ASP.net. If you have already built a website using Microsoft .NET technologies, then you would have to go for such a hosting plan. As a matter of fact, if you require ASP without the .NET features, a lot of Linux hosting plans would not offer support.

There is an endless number of hosting companies in the market today. A lot of these web hosting companies offer Linux and Windows hosting plans. Usually, the Windows plans cost more due to the license costs, which are imposed by Microsoft.

However in the web hosting industry, servers, which are Windows-based, actually are used by less than 20 percent of all websites. This is based on the most recent web server observations made by hostingcoupons.org However, here are the features of web hosting plans, which are Windows-based.

2. Access databases only come with these hosting plans. Access is only able to run on a Windows platform and not on a Linux OS.

Would a Windows Hosting Plan be the Best for You?

3. MS SQL, an enterprise class database, is put out by Microsoft. So if you would be needing you need an enterprise class database, then there are a couple of alternatives which run on the Linux platform, but if you would specifically be needing the MSSQL database of Microsoft, then you have to go for a windows hosting plan.

Another consideration is support. My pet peeve is bad customer service. I would rather a person tell me that they will get me an answer and it take a couple of days than to have someone who will not respond. I recently had a situation where one of my main websites that I have hosted with someone else, was hacked. I discovered it and was in a panic as I had been a little bit stupid and had not backed up my site like I should have. I emailed the support staff to see if they could assist me and to let them know what had happened and if there was any way of preventing this in the future. Guess what...to this day I have heard nothing from them. I even put in a support ticket. There has never been a response. This happened at least 6 months ago. Now the problem is that I have a lot of files there and I don't really want to move them, but since I am getting no service at all, I guess that will be my only option.

I would suggest that when you have decided on a web-host, email them and see how soon you get a response. That won't always tell you what kind of service you are going to get, but it will give you an idea of the attention you will get if you have a problem.

There are a lot of hosting companies out there. How do you chose the right one. Well, a lot of people tell you to chose one that has inexpensive monthly fees. I would agree that when starting out, you should possibly choose one that will not break the bank; however, there are other things to think about also. What do those companies offer you besides web-hosting. Are you going to have enough storage space? What about bandwidth? If you are hosting a business website, you should have the best web-hosting account you can find. Price alone should not be the deciding factor. What else are you getting for your price?

Each person will ultimately have to make their own decision on what is right for them, but do your homework. Compare the services. Look at several web-hosting services before choosing one for your business. Cheap isn't always better. My mother always told me that you get what you pay for.......and over the years, I have discovered that she was right.

Web-Hosting Considerations