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Cary Stuart

Expert Guru
Cary Stuart is a freelance writer specializing in web hosting, small business, technology, health and e-commerce issues. Her work can be seen on several business advice sites and a variety of other industry sites. Cary has experience in site development, design, and all aspects of building, maintaining and running a web site on a daily basis. Her work has included development and design for best selling authors, solutions for radio networks, and content for a myriad of different companies.

Cary is truly a “Jill of all Trades,” and continues to expand her knowledge with constant research, training and real-world experience. Her work as a designer and consultant began in 1997 as she became a mentor at one of the first free hosting communities. Over the years has expanded her expertise to include podcasting, content writing, and all facets of managing life on the internet. She is currently learning more about Ruby on Rails, and devotes her spare time to improving her craft.

When it comes to search engine optimization, Cary always takes the high road and consistently delivers content that out-performs her client’s expectations. Companies experience on average an increase in sales ranging from 200 to 400% after implementing her content and optimization tips.




10 Tips from Cary Stuart

Benefits of Free Blog Hosting

When you want to start your own blog, you’ll first need to decide where you want to host your new creation. There are numerous free blog hosting services that will provide you with the space you need to get started, but they may have some limitations when it comes to adding extra features.

If you are completely new to blogging, your best bet is to select a free blog hosting service that makes it very easy to get started. Bloggger.com and WordPress.com are both great solutions that are uncomplicated and very straightforward. Blog hosting is an area that can be very confusing, particularly when it comes to the actual application that will run your blog. This is the main reason that I recommend going with a free service first, before delving into complicated programs.

When you select a free blog hosting plan, you won’t have any risks, and you can take your time to truly learn what blogging is all about. Once you’ve got your self confidence up, you can then upgrade to a paid blog hosting package that will grow with you and your blog.

Mastering Your New Control Panel

When you are shopping for a hosting package, the selection of your new control panel should factor in as a major part of your decision. There are several control panels currently on the market, and many hosting companies favor CPanel, which is regarded as one of the easiest control panels to use.

Your best bet when it comes to selecting a control panel is to try a variety of different demos so that you can get a true feeling for how each one works. Several web hosting companies offer these free demos, and most companies that create control panels will provide a demo.

If your web hosting company has a proprietary control panel, make sure that they offer a demo before you sign a contract. This will help avoid confusion in dealing with a control panel you’re not used to.

How to Find a Reseller Hosting Package That Will Make You a Success

Before you purchase a reseller hosting plan, it is a good idea to make sure that you will have the necessary tools to make your reseller business a success. A good reseller hosting plan will include, at the very minimum, a client billing utility, a dedicated IP address, and your own customizable nameserver. These three items are absolutely necessary for running a reseller business.

In addition to these tools, it is also a good idea to look for a reseller hosting plan that offers an unlimited amount of email accounts and MySQL databases to ensure that you can build hosting plans that will be attractive to your future customers.

Which is Best - Dedicated or Shared SSL Certificates?

Many ecommerce hosting plans include a free shared SSL certificate. This is a great way to save money when it comes to setting up your site, but it may not always be the best move for your business. One major problem with a shared SSL certificate is that you may lose customer confidence. This is due to the fact that the certificate will not be registered in your company name, but rather, in the name of your hosting company.

As browsers begin to share more information about SSL certificates with website viewers, this can be a major issue. Your certificate will appear as though it does not belong to you, and your customer’s browser will tell them this. It really is a small investment to purchase your own SSL certificate, when you weigh the fact that you can increase customer confidence, and as such, your sales.

How to Get the Best Business Hosting Plan

When you are looking for a business hosting plan, you should be aware of certain features that will make the difference in how you can run your business. Mailing lists are a very good way to keep in touch with your customers, but not all business hosting companies will allow you to have them. In other cases, if you are allowed a mailing list, you may be limited as to the amount of subscriptions per each list. While it is easy to purchase a secondary off-site mailing list solution, this is an extra expense that can be avoided with some smart shopping.

Look for a business hosting company that offers an unlimited amount of mailing lists, or at the very least, an unlimited amount of users per mailing list. This will give you the freedom you need to keep in touch with your customers and significant savings.

Free Web Hosting Plans

Free web hosting can be complicated by the fact that most of these sites are supported by advertising. This means that whether you like it or not, your site visitors may be subjected to pop-up ads and other annoyances that keep them from enjoying your site. Before signing up with a free web hosting company, carefully read through their terms of use agreement. You’ll typically be able to find out what kind of advertising they use in this agreement.

It is also a good idea to visit other sites that are hosted by a free web hosting company to see what kind of advertising they are running. This will give you a better idea of what you’ll be working with in the future and help you avoid getting stuck with a bad free web hosting company.

The Importance of Having a Dedicated IP Address

If you are running a web site that will be doing business with the public, it is important to have your own dedicated IP address. In fact, if you are purchasing your own SSL certificate, it will be absolutely required that you have a dedicated IP address in order to install the certificate. Most web hosting companies will make this option available as an add-on, but the best ones will offer this as part of their standard features for business hosting. If your current hosting company doesn’t offer dedicated IP addresses, it may actually be cheaper to find a new company that will. Some hosting companies will charge as much as $50 a year for a dedicated IP address, which can really add up over time.

Dedicated Hosting Solutions May Save You Money Over the Long Term

If you are currently running your website with a shared hosting plan, you may be better served by a dedicated hosting solution if you are experiencing a sudden rise in site traffic. In many cases, shared hosting companies will have set limits on how much disk space and bandwidth you can use every month. They will charge extra fees if you go over these limits. Bandwidth spike fees and disk space allotment overages can easily add up to an extra $10,000 a year if you’re not careful.

If you aren’t sure whether you need a dedicated hosting solution, take some time to consider how much you’re paying for your current hosting plan, plus overages. In most cases, it will be more expensive than a dedicated hosting plan that offers higher limits and better service. Don’t get stuck paying extra fees when you could be saving money over the long-term.

How to Get to the Bottom of Your Host's Support Policies

Before you sign up with a web hosting provider, there is one truly easy way to find out how committed they are to customer service. If the hosting provider states that they offer a 24/7 live chat support utility, try it out during off hours, usually late at nights, or on the weekend. If you get a real person, chances are the web hosting provider is living up to their claims. If you do not, it could be a chance occurrence, but it may also be an indicator that their support is not really available 24/7.

Some web hosting providers will answer sales questions promptly and then drop the ball when it comes to support issues. Make sure you find a hosting plan that offers at least a 7 day money-back guarantee so that you can thoroughly test their support system. If you find that the web hosting provider is no longer as quick to respond, you may need to try another company.

How to Find the Right Shopping Cart

One of the most important features of your ecommerce site will be your shopping cart. Most hosting companies that offer ecommerce hosting plans will supply you with at least one free shopping cart. It is a good idea to try out a demo of this cart before you purchase an ecommerce hosting plan to make sure that it is easy to use, and to administer. OpenSourceCMS.com is a great place to find a number of popular shopping cart demos that are almost fully functional.

If you find that you like one more than another, you can search for an ecommerce hosting plan that offers your favorite cart. While you can easily pay for a regular shopping cart and install it yourself, it is much easier and cheaper to find an ecommerce hosting company that provides you with the cart you want to work with.