Reading over web hosting services’ ads, you might think that a web server was more like a seesaw: It’s either “up” or it’s “down.” Unlike a seesaw, however, you’ll get more out of the “up” than the “down”.

“Uptime” is the web hosting industry’s term for the reliability of the Internet connection you’ll get from a service provider and downtime is it’s exact opposite. This reliability factor is expressed as a percentage rate, and it’s determined by a combination of factors. These factors include server equipment age and quality, consistent server power sources, frequent software maintenance including security checks and shared hosting capacity (unless the business opts for a dedicated server). Since your website’s span of visibility over the internet is very much determined by the up time of the server on which it (web site) is hosted, hence the server uptime is critically important for your web presence. A low up time would simply mean that your website will not be displayed over the internet on certain times. Hence it is critical to choose a web host with 99% or above up time assurance. A good way to monitor server uptime is through using Pingdom.com platform (just go for a free trial account there!).

Some web hosting companies go so far as to claim 100 percent uptime, but be skeptical of this claim. Even with multiple redundancies such as extra servers, electrical generators, frequent system check-ups and low client-to-server ratios, everybody’s computers goes down sometime. The problem may be something that the web hosting service has no control over, such as downed telephone lines that cut off Internet access.

Here’s the best-case scenario for up time: A web hosting service that can prove a 99.99 percent reliability rating is an excellent choice for a business that operates an e-commerce website. That’s because a 99.99 percent rating shows that the servers are on nearly all the time, meaning the equipment is in good condition, up to date, well maintained by system administrators, operated on an uninterrupted power source and carry no more than 200 to 250 customers per server. Understanding the factors that go into that 99.99 up time rating can reassure business owners that their web host will keep the company’s web site running reliably.

Now that the Internet has become an integral part of everyday life, people looking to establish their own web sites often hear the phrase, “Content is king on the Internet.” This is true, provided the content is original, useful to web site visitors, and most of all, reliable.

Web sites eat content like a family of rabbits at a salad bar. That’s why it’s necessary to keep posting content that is original to your topic, purpose or business. Paying close attention to the company’s web site content is as important for a business owner as managing the company’s money. New and updated content, properly promoted through emails and other contacts, will bring people to your web site every time.

Good content seems obvious for sites published by professional services, but updating content also is key for web sites that center on e-commerce. After all, everything that’s sold is of special interest to someone. This means that there’s specialized information out there that relates to the web site’s product or service. The business owner doesn’t have to have this specialized knowledge (although many do) in order to create this website content. Instead, a web site can set up blogs or forums for visitors to share their special knowledge and experiences with one another. This works especially well if a user has a problem with some product that the owner can solve on the spot over the Internet. That kind of responsiveness raises a company’s reputation and breeds customer loyalty.

If writing content isn’t your thing, there’s probably someone on your staff or among your customers who’ve love to take on the job. Just be sure that the content is checked for factual accuracy and things like spelling and grammar before it’s posted online.

Ah, the quest to get people to find your business and buy what you’re selling! It’s as old as the practice of commerce in civilization. Online marketing has become big business now that there are millions of websites on the Internet, of which probably 90 percent are commercially oriented. Thankfully, many web hosting services are now offering ways for web site owners to improve their online marketing.

For instance, some of the best business hosting services – including those top-rated by our site – are offering coupons to get online advertising through Google, Yahoo and other search engines. These are excellent bonuses to look for if you’re choosing a new web hosting provider.

In addition, more and more web site owners have become aware of a practice known as Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. Basically, SEO involves techniques that will get a web site ranked at or near the top of search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, and many others. These techniques include such things as putting certain words and phrases known as “keywords” in the “meta-tags,” a set of codes at the beginning of your web site.

What’s more, search engines also rank web sites according to the number of visitors and the number and type of other web sites that link to them. Once again, the key to getting lots of traffic and links is good content. There’s no substitute for putting interesting, original content on a web site to make it stand out from the online crowd and attract lots of loyal customers.

Changing your web hosting provider means moving your website(s) to another web hosting company.

You’ve had it with your current web host. The rate’s cheap enough, but the service is terrible and the up-time has gotten worse. If it’s time to move on, consider these steps before pulling the plug on your current web hosting service.

First, pack up your website. Take note of whether your website is registered separately in your name or under the current web host. Then start backing up all the files for your website, include databases, scripts and graphics. Download them to your computer and then copy them to a CD or DVD to keep the files safe. Inventory the files you’ve collected, especially the databases, shopping carts or the scripts that make functions easy for your customers.

With your files safely collected, start looking for a new home for your web site. Make notes on what’s bugging you about your current web hosting service. Then begin looking for a vendor that does do those annoying things, and also provides you with uptimes of 99.9 percent or better (99.99 percent is best if you have a shopping cart) and 24/7 technical support. Check out your candidates thoroughly before signing a new contract. Ask the new host if they offer any “moving” services for new clients. If not, you’ll have to reset your files once they’re uploaded (unless you used a web designer who can do it for you).

Now it’s time to move. To transfer your domain name, change the DNS or Name Server data in your register to the new web host’s name servers. This action redirects your customers to the new site. Keep both sites running for at least 24 hours (or longer) until you’re sure everything has been updated. Then cancel the former hosting account and you’re at home in a new place.

Back in the days of early web sites, a person had to be an authentic computer geek to design and maintain a website. These days, however, designing and updating a web site for people who aren’t professional web site developers can be as easy as pointing to an icon and clicking.

What makes this point-and-click administration possible is a proprietary utility called cPanel, for control panel. cPanel is a popular web hosting and server management software that creates a screen with small graphics known as “icons.” cPanel web hosting (also preferred by many businesses) has made life easier for many webmasters. These icons link to various functions for site design and updating. More and more business hosting companies now offer cPanel control panel as a part of their hosting plan. The cPanel hosting interface can be found on nearly all the top-rated web hosting services, which pay a monthly fee to offer its convenience to their customers. The goal is to offer simple administration of web sites for clients who don’t have web designers on staff.

The cPanel for web hosting was invented by a designer named J. Nick Koston, and has been through several incarnations and disputes over its ownership. The software operates on the open-source operating system called Redhat Enterprise Linux and the proprietary Windows Server 2008.

Through cPanel web hosting customers can learn how to manage all aspects of your web site, including data files, online security, company email, and many other functions. There are litrally hundreds of cPanel web hosts offering cPanel hosting services. Today there are many popular add-ons for cPanel hosting that take interested amateurs into many different kinds of web applications. One of the benefits of cPanel for web hosting clients is that it manages software separately from operating systems. This means that it will apply upgrades to various kinds of web applications automatically. However, if this proves a problem, the customer can contact the web host’s technical support for guidance. Several business web hosting companies now offer cPanel with their plans.

Note: cPanel is a registered trademark of respective trademark owners.