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How to Get WordPress Installed Right (Video Tutorial!)

May/24 in All Posts, Web Hosting Tutorials, Web Hosting Tutorials

How do you install WordPress? We are getting to the meat and potatoes of all of this. Now that you have WordPress downloaded to your desktop and a Web host ready to host it on we can start worrying about how we are going to get it installed on to the server. Before we get started make sure you can or have these ready:

  • You Have Access to MySQL via Your Control Panel
  • You Have a FTP Client Handy for the Uploading and Downloading
  • You Have a Paper and Pen Ready to Write Down Your MySQL Database and User Information (and password!)

Now sit back and learn with this very informative video tutorial:

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 108!

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Pick a Publishing Engine for Your Blog

May/23 in All Posts, Web Hosting Tutorials, Web Hosting Tutorials

Now this is where the real fun starts to happen. There are a million and one different content management systems or CMS scripts you can pick from. If you need a good resource on where to find the one that will work best for you I would highly suggest checking out OpenSourceCMS.com.

Here are some other good content management system resources to check out:

Now for the sake of keeping things simple – for today’s show we are going to go with my favorite WordPress. Now should you download WordPress from its Web site and install or install via your control panel’s easy “one-click” install? I would say do it the hard way. Navigate your favorite browser towards WordPress.org, hit the download link and pick up the .zip download file.

Here are a few other suggestions for blogging scripts you could use:

You want a blogging script that will be easy enough for you to manage and that has plenty of other users. The reason you want to use one of the more popular choices out there is because when you run into trouble, figuring out a problem is often easier to do in a group. There are a lot of WordPress resources out there so that would be why it would be my suggestion for the best script you could use.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 108!

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Firefox Extension for Hosting Gurus

May/02 in All Posts, Web Hosting Tutorials, Web Hosting Tutorials

LoriI have the perfect Firefox extension for any special hosting guru in your life. When it comes to trouble shooting issues with a Web page, the life-of-request information extension, otherwise known as lori, takes the cake at being useful enough to use, but not so complicated you don’t know what is going on.

So what exactly does this extension show you? Here is the rundown:

TTFB: This shows how long it took to see the first byte from remote server (from click to first byte received). This value gives a rough estimate on when the browser can start laying out the content.

TTC: How long it took to display the page (from click to complete drawing of the page)

Page Size:: This value includes both bytes fetched from network and bytes fetched from the browser’s cache.

Number of Requests: Number of requests used to fetch the page’s content (images, style-sheet, javascript, ect). Again, this value include both network requests and cache requests.

For more information about lori, check out the official Web site. To download the Firefox extension, check it out on the Mozilla Add-ons Web site.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 105!

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Watching Referrals and Changing Content

Apr/26 in All Posts, Web Hosting Tutorials, Web Hosting Tutorials

Server StatsWhen you are slaving away at your Web site, sometimes it is hard to figure out which section of your Web site is the most popular and which bring you in the most hits.

Now actual help on content writing is something I am not going to cover here – that is a sweet science that will have to be saved for another day.

What I want to talk to you about is learning how to watch where your links are coming from and what’s popular to decide on which direction your Web site should go in the future.

For an example, lets say you are running a blog and you write about a whole bunch of tech related material. Now after watching your Web site stats for a while you start to notice that your articles you wrote about Google Reader are really starting to pick up in popularity. It is bringing in a lot of people via the search engines and the blogosphere just loves that post to death.

What would you do? Now I wouldn’t stop writing about other things and focus on creating a Google Reader blog by itself. What that does tell you though is that there is a demand for that kind of post. You might experiment and write a couple of more, maybe one a week to see if you can keep getting those folks interested in that one topic coming back for more.

Most Web site statistics packages will let you know which Web pages or posts are the most popular. Learn to read that information, take into consideration how long it is popular and decide if you should post more or less about that topic in the future.

There is no basic ten step program to success here – so if that is what you are looking for you’ll never get it. You have to learn to watch trends and what your visitors want and enjoy if you want to becoming a success Online. You don’t give people what they want, they will go elsewhere to get it.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 104!

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A Web Host’s Most Asked Questions

Apr/24 in All Posts, Web Hosting Tutorials, Web Hosting Tutorials

QuestionSome might say that a Web host’s most feared nightmare is a customer with a list of 50 or more questions they want to have answered in under 15 minutes or less.

I have been in that situation myself, and I know it is a pain the butt to tackle. It is the duty of a hosting guru to explain these things though, and that is what I continue to do today.

Which one is better – Windows hosting or Linux hosting?

Both have their advantages and disadvantages. If you are new to Web sites and Web hosting (or if you just like it better) I would say go with Linux. Windows still can not compete with Linux as far as the number of services out there for you to use and the support for things you would want to do with your hosting account. Maybe someday – but not yet.

Should I backup my Web site or does my Web host do that for me?

Well, chances are your Web host will do that for you – but you can never be too safe. I would say at least backup one a month to make sure you do not loose any important files or pages on your Web site. Some of the data we are uploading is very valuable and it is too much of a pain to have to try to recreate it all again.

If I am a Web host, should I go out of my way to take PayPal payments for Web hosting?

Yes! PayPal is something that nearly everybody has and most people feel safer using it to pay for good than putting in their credit card information.

How long is the average wait time for a new Web hosting account to be setup?

Well it will change from Web host to Web host – but I would say a fair estimate would be within 24 hours of you signing up with them.

My hosting costs a month are pretty low. Is that a bad thing?

Not at all. Every Web host out there is trying to “lowball” the next by offering a bigger and better deal for even less money. Try to do your best to research the company before signing on the dotted line and you should be ok in most cases.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 104!

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Questions for a Hosting Guru

Apr/19 in All Posts, Web Hosting Tutorials, Web Hosting Tutorials

FAQWhat if you had your own personal Web hosting guru that you could lock up under your house and ask questions to whenever you needed to? Well I can’t promise I’ll live in your basement but I will answer some of your most frequently asked hosting questions.

What can I do if I want to host my Web site on a server that has no adult material on it? I don’t want to share a server with some pervert.

The first thing you can do is get over it. There is hardly any way you are going to know who your neighbors are on a server, and neither will the outside world. Your safe!

Do all Web hosts support Ruby on Rails (RoR)?

A lot do, but I don’t think it is an industry standard just yet. PHP and MySQL are easy to find, but you might have to ask if Ruby on Rails is available on the plan or as an upgrade to the hosting plan.

Are there any Web hosts out there that will deliver me a custom Web hosting plan?

I am sure there might be, but I do not know of any right off hand. Most Web hosts will allow for a few upgrades here or there, but for the most part you will be locked into the plan you have or the plan that is packaged over or under the one you have – depending on if you want to upgrade or downgrade.

What is the best forum software out there today?

I like Vanilla and SMF. Two good options and I am pretty sure both are totally free.

I plan on hosting videos on my Web site. Should I go with hosting the files myself or putting them up some place like YouTube?

The best way to go would be to go with the “YouTube” option. There are a lot of video hosting solutions out there to go with – and it will give you more exposure outside of your own little empire of Web sites. Also you don’t have to worry about the huge disk space and bandwidth limitations either.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 103!

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Web Dev Q and A

Apr/10 in All Posts, Web Hosting Tutorials, Web Hosting Tutorials

QuestionOn to week three of answering some of your most frequently asked questions. Web development can be a pretty hard business to get into – so hopefully I am helping to guide you in the right direction to learn.

Remember if you have any questions of your own that you would like to ask you can always drop me an E-mail at mitch@mitchkeeler.com.

What is an addon domain name?

This would be an additional domain name that you could host on your Web hosting account.

More control panels these days are coming with this feature and Web hosts are taking advantage of it.

I want to start up a Web hosting company, what is the most important thing to remember?

No matter if you have been in business one day or one thousands days you should always remember to respect your customers. Give them what they want and answer their every need and you should have no problems at all.

What is a good way to advertise my hosting business?

I would say your best bet would be to join some of the hosting forums out there like Web Hosting Talk and Web Hosting Chat. You might spend some cash on some advertising as well.

Where is a good place to comparison shop for Web hosting?

I have always liked FindMyHosting.com.

I want to start up an adult Web site, but I don’t know if the Web host I am interested in will allow it. How can I find out?

Well in most cases, as long as what you are producing is legal then you should have no problems. The best way to find out if they allow it or not is to ask their sales team. Most Web hosts are more than happy to let you know one way or the other.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 102!

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More Often Ask Hosting Questions

Apr/03 in All Posts, Web Hosting Tutorials, Web Hosting Tutorials

After getting a lot of happy folks E-mailing me back and thanking me for addressing some of their frequently asked questions, I figured we would do it again. This time around we have different questions, because answering the same questions each week would just get a little dull.

Why will my host not let me backup my personal backup files to my Web hosting account?

Some Web hosts might but most will not let you store personal backups of your photos or documents. This is because they just are not in that sort of business. There are plenty of places that are though and I would recommend going with them.

What are some Online hosting backup solutions?

My favorite from all the ones I have personally reviewed would be Box.net. Another popular choice out there is Carbonite.

I am a Web host and I keep getting bad press and reviews. What should I do?

I say turn that negative press into inspiration to make yourself better. Peoples’ opinions count and you should listen to as many as you can – then do your best with the most popular requests and thoughts you get.

I would like to find somebody to back my Online project. How do I find a Web host who would do that for free?

Find somebody out there (or maybe a few) and just ask them if they can help. You might get a few Web hosts laugh at you and your idea – but eventually you’ll run into that Web hosting business that will want to help you out.

When was the date of your very first Web hosting podcast and where can I find it?

The very first Web Hosting Show podcast as recorded February 14th, 2005. You can find it by searching WebHostingShow.com or by clicking the “All Archives” link on any of the Web Hosting Show’s Web pages.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 101!

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More Hosting Questions Answered

Mar/21 in All Posts, Web Hosting Tutorials, Web Hosting Tutorials

Some people might say that this Web hosting podcast is sort of like one big list of FAQs. I get a lot of frequently asked questions on or about the Web hosting industry so in the next few weeks I want to share with you some of the most common questions I get – and give you all the answers you seem to be looking for.

Who is the best Web host out there today?

Can’t say that I have a favorite, because I am trying to do my best to stay fair and balanced here. I would say shop for what you need and find the host that matches your budget.

Where is the best place to buy new domain names?

Well with this one I will be willing to say that GoDaddy.com has been pretty reliable for me in this department. I don’t know if I would buy anything else from them – but as far as domain names go you should be in good hands.

Why do some Web hosts offer unlimited services?

It is a gimmick to sell more Web hosting accounts. I have said it before and I will say it again. There is no such thing as unlimited in Web hosting. Every server has its limits.

Why would I want to get a dedicated or semi-dedicated Web hosting plan?

Well if you find yourself needing more of the server’s resources, such as RAM or CPU usage then a dedicated plan would be a good way to go. This way you have a little more room to stretch your legs and you can work the server a little harder as well.

Why do all Web hosts seem to like to put pictures of servers on their home page?

Maybe they think there are some sick freaks out there that get turned on by all the metal and hard working server action? For the most part I think they just want everybody to know they do hosting and hey, thats what a server looks like.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 100!

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Quick Tips for Hosting Bliss

Mar/08 in All Posts, Web Hosting Tutorials, Web Hosting Tutorials

When it comes to managing your digital empire on the Web I see people falling into the same traps over and over again. I figured I would hit upon three of the biggest dangers you can find yourself in when dealing with the Web hosting world – so that you, me and the dog down the street can keep from having trouble.

Backup Your Web Site

You should always backup is advice that we all hear from time to time, but we don’t often listen to this advice. Backing up can sometimes be a time waster and you would rather be doing other things that are a little more interesting. Sure, I can see that argument. Think of backing up as insurance on your proverbial mobile home on the Web. If a tornado comes tumbling towards you – you want to be ready don’t you?

Don’t Let Your Domain Name Registration Run Out

This is another pitfall that I see a lot of people run into. Always keep up to date on when your domain name registration runs out. Usually with places like GoDaddy – they will send you at least one E-mail giving you a 60 day or 30 day warning. Other than that though, it is up to you to keep up with this stuff. If you are really worried you won’t remember sign your domain up for a longer period of time. Register for five or ten year periods so you don’t have to worry about this headache any longer.

Keep Up to Date With Web Site Scripts

Just this past week WordPress was bitten by a nasty security issue. If you don’t keep up to date with what content management systems you use or scripts you run, you might run into trouble. If the script or service you have running on your hosting account has any sort of blog or E-mail updates – make sure that you sign up for them. Sometimes the quicker you get these updates installed, the less likely you will run into any problems in the future.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to the Web Hosting Show, Episode 98!

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