web hosting companies in uganda

25 February 2016
by: admin
in: web hosting
Tags: linux hosting, web hosting in uganda, webhosting companies in uganda, windows hosting
note: no comments

Web Hosting Companies in Uganda

The list of web hosting companies in Uganda keeps growing with each day that comes. Still many Ugandans keep asking which web hosting company should i choose? How do we decide if a web host is good? Do bandwidth and disk storage features still matter these days? Which type of hosting service should you go with? Hostaculous will help you answer some of these very important questions and guide you in which web hosting service will suite you best.

Know Your Hosting Needs

You can never get the right web host without knowing what you need. So before you go any further – put everything aside (including this guide you are reading) and think thoroughly on your own needs.

What kind of website are you building?
Do you want something common (a WordPress blog, for example)?
Do you need Windows applications?
Do you need a special version of software (ie. PHP)?
Does your website need special software?
How big (or small) can the web traffic volume go?

These are some of the basic questions you need to answer for yourself.

Have a quick picture of what you want to do with your website now. Figure what happens next for the next 12 months.

If you are totally new…

For newbies, the no-brainer rule is to always start small with a good shared hosting account.

A shared hosting account is cheap, easy to maintain, and sufficient for most new sites. Plus, you can always upgrade to VPS or dedicated hosting in the later stage when your site grows bigger.

Server Reliability / Uptime Scores

Nothing is more important than having a 24×7 operating web host. You need a web host is operating on a powerful server and stable network connections. 99.5% and above is the recommended uptime score; anything below 99% is unacceptable.

Cron Jobs, Auto Script Installer, .Htaccess, And SSI

I am always surprise that some web hosts out there still do not offer these basic hosting features nowadays. You need Cron for day-in-day-out operations, Auto Script Installer (like Fantastico, Simple Scripts, Quick Installer, Softaculous, Installatron, and so on) for easy web apps installations and updates, .htaccess access for security/page redirects/etc purposes, Server Side Include (SSI) for easier site maintenance (especially when you are building a static site), and FTP access for easy file transfer.

Unless you are signing up on a specialty web host like WP Engine and Pressidium, else these basic features are must-have. You SHOULD NOT settle with hosting providers that do not supply them.

Ignore Disk Space and Data Transfer Capacity (for now)

Disk space and data transfers are hardly a meaningful comparison factor for shoppers – especially if you are new – these days.

One, if you check, almost all shared hosting providers are offering “unlimited” storage and data transfers. While the term “unlimited” is nothing but a marketing gimmick; web hosting users get more than enough capacity in storage and data transfer. (In most cases, it is RAM and processor power that limit the usage of an unlimited hosting account.)

Two, if you think about it, disk storage and bandwidth hardly matter to an average website owners these days. Images can be stored on Flickr; files and documents on Google Doc, videos on YouTube and Vimeo, large data files on cloud storage.

So in conclusion – you don’t need to care that much on your hosting storage or bandwidth for now.

E-Commerce Features

Are you running an e-commerce website?
Are you using any specific shopping cart software?
Do you need to process business transactions on your website?
Do you need special technical support (ie. PrestaShop guide, or so on)?

If yes, then it is important for you to pick a web host with sufficient e-commerce features support. SSL certification, dedicated IP, and one-click shopping cart software installation are some of the essential features/supports you will need.

An Easy-To-Use Hosting Control Panel

A user-friendly and functional hosting control panel is very, very important.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a cPanel or a Plesk or a third party control panels– we are okay as long as it is user-friendly and come with all the necessary functions. Without an adequate control panel, you will be left at the mercy of the hosting tech support staff – even if all you need is some basic server changes.

Site Backup

There are times when a site crashes. Perhaps a hacker got into your WordPress blog and replaced your index.php file, or your entire database got nuked, or the server had a severe hard disk failure.

If your web host does site backups regularly then there is nothing to worry about when these incidents happen. Your hosting provider should be able to restore back your full (or at least, a big chunk of) site in no time.

On backups, here are a few key questions to ask your web host:

Does your web host provide full backups regularly?
Can site backup be done easily via the control panel?
Can you create auto backup your site easily via cron job or other program?
Can you restore your backup files by yourself easily (so you don’t have to wait for the support staffs to do it for you during disaster time)?

24/7 Live Chat Support?

Personally I prefer live chat over phone and I prefer web hosting company with comprehensive documentation (so I can just read and solve the problems myself).

But it’s just me. You might prefer email or telephone support instead.

What we want is someone who can throw us the life saving rope instantly when we press the S.O.S button.

web hosting companies in uganda,web hosting companies in uganda,web hosting companies in uganda,web hosting companies in uganda,web hosting companies in uganda,web hosting companies in uganda,web hosting companies in uganda,web hosting companies in uganda,web hosting companies in uganda,web hosting companies in uganda,web hosting companies in uganda,web hosting companies in uganda,web hosting companies in ugandaweb hosting companies in uganda

WordPress vs Static HTML – What’s Best for Your Business Website?

WordPress vs Static HTML is one battle that can only be fought on a technical front. Do you want to launch a business website but not sure how to get started? Recently while attending an event, one of the users asked us what’s the advantage of using WordPress over a static HTML site. If you had a developer tell you that you need a HTML site or was wondering because you had heard this elsewhere, then you’re in the right place. In this article, we will compare WordPress vs HTML and what’s best for your business website.

What is WordPress?

WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS). Content Management Systems allow YOU to manage your website from a user friendly interface.

You can make all the changes on your website from an admin area which is quite easy to understand, even for absolute beginners.

While there are many CMS out there, WordPress is the most popular one because it powers nearly 26% of all websites on the internet.

It is important not to confuse WordPress.org with WordPress.com. WordPress, the open source CMS is available on WordPress.org. On the other hand, WordPress.com is a blog hosting service. Please see our guide on the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com.

Having said that, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of using WordPress.

Advantages of Using WordPress

Easy to Update – You can simply login to your WordPress site and add new pages without paying your developer. WordPress is easy to use and has an intuitive user interface, which makes it easy for you to create or update pages on your site.

Professional Templates – There are thousands of ready-made templates that you can use on your site. These themes are developed by professionals from all over the world.

Incredibly Powerful – WordPress websites can be easily extended with plugins. By installing plugins, you can add any functionality to your existing website such as adding a contact form, adding a reservation system, adding a photo gallery, and more.

Full control and Ownership – You get full control of your website, its domain name, and all its contents. You can make any changes you want, and there is no limit on how much your site can grow in popularity, traffic, sales, and users.

Disadvantages of Using WordPress

Learning Curve – While WordPress is easy to use but it takes a while for most beginners to get familiar with the software. There is plenty of help available to get over this learning curve quickly, but it will take a little effort.

Maintenance – You will be responsible for keeping WordPress, installed plugins, and themes up to date. You can also use managed WordPress hosting who can do this for you.

What is a Static HTML Website

HTML is the markup language used to display web pages. Most websites on the internet use HTML with a variety of markup and scripting languages to create web pages.

Typically you will need to hire a web developer to create an HTML website for your business. They will use HTML, CSS, JavaScript and some other technologies to build your website.

CMS software like WordPress use database to store and retrieve content. On the other hand, HTML websites have all your content in static files.

Having said that, Let’s take a look at advantages and disadvantages of a HTML website for your business.

Advantages of a HTML Website

Little to No Maintenance – Once your website is live, you do not need to install any updates or regularly backup. If nothing is changed, you can just backup your website once and forget about it.

Low Requirements – HTML websites don’t need servers with PHP or MySQLinstalled on them. They can run on cheaper server with low resources. Although most good web hosting companies offer PHP and MySQL support.

Disadvantages of a HTML Website

No Updates – Unless you know HTML/CSS, static HTML websites can be very difficult to update for beginners. You will need to hire a developer even for smaller tasks like adding new pages, updating old content, or uploading videos or images.

No Additional Features – If your business grows and you want to add a feature to your website like a store, a survey or poll, a gallery, etc. All of this would require you to hire a developer and in most cases they would recommend you to move to WordPress.

Costs – Considering that you will have to hire people even for smallest tasks, the cost of a HTML website could get much higher than a WordPress website.

What is Better? WordPress or HTML?

Now that we know the pros and cons of both WordPress and HTML websites. Let’s talk about which one is better for your business website.

If you are certain that you will never want to update, change, or add anything new to your website, then by all means go for a HTML website. It will be faster and will serve your purpose.

If you want to have the freedom and control of your website and not waste money on monthly retainers paying developers to add images, then WordPress is obviously the better choice.

For those who want grow their business website to make you more money, then WordPress is the way to go forward.

Using WordPress you can add content to your website without hiring anyone. You can create as many pages as you need at any time.

You can add a blog section to keep your customers updated, or even build your own email list and keep bringing more customers to your business.

You will be part of a global community of businesses using WordPress to manage their online presence. You will find plenty of free help, resources, tools and pluginsto grow your business every day.

Instead of paying developers loads of money for smallest things, you will be able to spend that money on growing your business with WordPress.

How to Get Started With WordPress for Your Business Website?

First, you will need to sign up for a WordPress hosting service provider. These are specialized companies that will host your website on their servers.

We recommend Hostaculous as they are the official WordPress hosting providers.