Archive for October, 2011

HostGator Shopping Carts

Thursday, October 27th, 2011

When it comes to setting up an online business, one of the most important aspects will be the digital shopping cart. Working with a shopping cart gives visitors to the website the ability to buy products online, and they can treat their online purchase just like any purchase they make in their local stores. For those looking to turn a brisk business by selling their wares online, the online shopping cart is one of the most important aspects of their website.

Hostgator Shopping Carts provide users with an easy method of setting up their own online shopping carts. Those working with Hostgator will find that the hosting site gives them the ability to quickly create a shopping cart feature that can be integrated into the design of their website. The shopping cart used by Hostgator is incredibly simple and easy to set up, and even those with limited amount of web experience will be able to use the Hostgator Shopping Carts.

Some of the shopping carts supported by Hostgator include:
-    Zen Cart
-    Tomato Cart
-    Presta Shop

These are three of the most commonly used online shopping carts, and they are designed to be as user friendly as possible. In fact, with Hostgator Shopping carts users are able to tailor their shopping cart to meet their needs. The shopping cart can be modified and altered at will, and users can determine what color scheme they want to use, what message they want to display once the purchase is made, and a host of other details.

The fact that Hostgator shopping carts are so user friendly is one of the things that make them so popular. Those looking to improve the performance of their website and increase its profitability will find that the ability to integrate a shopping cart and checkout feature into the website’s design will ensure that they are able to earn a good deal of money through their online business.

One of the things that have many people concerned about their online business, and the checkout process in particular, is the safety of their site. With so many hackers, thieves, and credit card fraudsters on the loose in the world, many people are afraid that their personal and credit card information will be stolen should they decide to make a purchase online.
Hostgator addresses the issue by integrating an SSL code into the Hostgator Shopping carts. SSL means Secure Sockets layer, and it is the protocol used to manage security for online transactions. SSL basically created a layer between the HTTP and the TCP, ensuring that the online transaction is secure from any interference or hacking.

Using the SSL certificates is the best way to ensure that an online transaction is safe, and Hostgator uses these SSL certificates provide website owners with a reliable method of online payments. Anyone using SSL certificates can rest assured that their online transactions are 100% safe, as there are few hackers around the world that are capable of cracking these transactions. Thanks to the SSL certificates, online payments have never been easier and safer.

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HostGator PHP

Sunday, October 16th, 2011

PHP is the most used web scripting language that was originally created to allow web users to create web sites with dynamic content (changes depending on the request), in contrast to the static content produced by HTML alone. PHP is embedded in into a web page’s source code, just like other scripting languages like Javascript. The PHP elements in the source code are read by a web server’s PHP processing module, which generates the page’s content after the code has been interpreted. PHP has several versions available, the latest stable version of which is 5.3.8, released in August of 2011. There is a later version of PHP available, but this is not an official stable release.

Many people choose to use PHP alongside HTML in their websites. The biggest reason for this is that PHP allows users to interact with websites in ways that HTML itself can’t. Things like e-mail forms, private messaging systems, or websites that remember information about what a user did last time they visited the site. PHP is also easy to learn for people who are familiar with HTML, making it very easy to incorporate into pages that are already HTML-based. Considering all of the benefits there are to producing dynamic web content (versus the static web content you get with HTML alone), incorporating PHP into a website makes sense.

HostGator offers their users the latest version of PHP, which includes all of the functions that were not supported by earlier versions. These include things like closures and the goto statement, which versions of PHP prior to 5.3 did not support. HostGator’s PHP is also very fast, so users won’t experience any lag or other problems running forums, blogs. Even content management system-based sites, like those that rely on WordPress or Joomla, work with lightning quick speed on HostGator.

They also support the .htaccess file. The .htaccess file allows web designers to redirect visitors to their URL to a different page, display PHP-based pages that still use a .htm or .html file extension, password protect portions of the site, block virus bots to portions of a site, and choose whether or not to allow visitors to a site to browse the site’s directory. This file comes in handy in a lot of situations, so it’s worthwhile for PHP users to choose a host like HostGator that supports the .htaccess file.

HostGator also allows users to set custom php.ini settings. The php.ini file is read as soon as PHP starts up. In some situations, this only occurs when the server itself is started. For other applications, it’s read each time PHP is invoked. Instead of relying on a php.ini file generated by the hosting company, HostGator users can create their own php.ini file, then refer to it in their .htaccess file to declare changes to their PHP settings, like choosing to turn register globals on or off.

Millions of websites use PHP to produce dynamic content for their users. If you’d like to incorporate this language into your own sites, it behooves you to consider choosing HostGator as your hosting provider. They offer a wide variety of reliable, affordable hosting plans, all of which support the latest versions of PHP for your dynamic web content.

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HostGator MySQL

Friday, October 14th, 2011

MySQL is the internet’s most popular open source SQL database management system. SQL itself stands for ‘Structured Query Language,’ and MySQL functions as a server that allows multiple users to have access to several databases. Through MySQL, users can create and manage databases. It is also employed by applications like WordPress and Joomla, which require database access. For this reason, it’s important that people who wish to use these and other content management systems have access to MySQL.

HostGator offers several benefits to users who need MySQL databases for their sites. For one, they fully support MySQL, as well as the PHP-based MySQL database management software phpMyAdmin. This allows users to easily create, modify, or delete databases right through their browser, as well as modify and delete tables, rows, lines, and items within databases, and manage administrative permissions. While many users won’t need to use these functions above creating a database to allow them to install a content management system like Joomla, several well-known websites do, including Wikipedia and Facebook.

Secondly, HostGator allows their users to create an unlimited number of MySQL databases. This puts them at an advantage over hosts that limit their users’ database creation, since HostGator users can create all of the databases they need for their applications. Though most content management software will only require one database, specific applications can require multiple databases. In this case, it’s good to know that HostGator allows you to create all of the databases you need.

HostGator also makes it easy to back up your MySQL databases. Users can choose to either generate a full backup of all of their databases, or select specific areas to back up. By logging in to cPanel and clicking ‘Backups,’ users can choose the specific database that they wish to create a duplicate copy of, and save it to their computer. Restoring a database it easy, too. All users need to do is login to cPanel, click ‘Backups,’ and choose to ‘Restore a MySQL Database.’ This will allow them to browse for the MySQL database that they saved to their computer during the database backup procedure. Backups must be performed manually by the user, unless they have a script that will create a Cron Job for them. This script is not provided by HostGator, but can be found elsewhere on the web.

MySQL databases are a vital component for many websites. Millions of sites out there are Joomla, WordPress, or Drupal based, and all of these content management systems employ MySQL databases to function. Even sites that don’t use any of these content management systems may still be database-driven, and they couldn’t exist without MySQL.

HostGator makes it easy for users to create, store, backup, and restore databases using MySQL and phpMyAdmin. They also allow users who want to use applications that require MySQL databases to install their software and set up their databases in minutes using Fantastico. If you’re planning on creating a MySQL-driven website, or using a content management system like Joomla or Drupal, it’s definitely worth your while to check out HostGator’s affordable, reliable hosting plans.

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Do I Really Need a Hosting Company?

Wednesday, October 12th, 2011

When you’re pricing out hosting plans, it can get frustrating to comparison shop. One host might offer all of the services you need (and even some you don’t) and be priced out of your budget, while another will be more affordable, but end up lacking a lot of the features you want. As a result, a lot of site owners end up asking themselves whether or not they really, honestly need a hosting company.

If you’re asking yourself this question, then there are a couple of other questions you need to ask yourself before you decide to make the leap into self-hosting your site. For one, do you have the money to lay out for a server? Servers can cost a lot of money, and that’s just for the hardware alone. Software will end up running you still more money, unless you use all open source programs. Even then, if you have an e-commerce or other business website, you may have to pay for the business versions of software you’d otherwise get for free. Instead, why not look at one of HostGator’s plans? They have a lot of plans from shared servers to dedicated servers, so you can get all of the resources you need for less than it would cost to buy your own server.

If you have the money for your own server, you need to ask yourself whether or not you have the time and expertise to operate it. Have you run a server by yourself before? You’ll have to act as your own technical support if you do, and nobody will be there to walk you through things like installations and software conflicts. If you choose a shared server plan or fully-managed hosting plan through HostGator, that’s not a concern. The cost of managing your server is factored into your monthly fee, so it doesn’t matter if you have the time, energy, and know-how to handle it yourself or not.

If you have the money for your own server and have some experience managing one, you have to look at the ongoing issues that come with having a server. Will you be able to keep your server secure, virus-free, and powered? Servers have a lot of added costs, like electricity, internet access, subscriptions to antivirus software, and other things that aren’t factored into its initial price. If you aren’t prepared to pay for all of these things on a regular basis, it may be a wiser decision to go for a monthly plan through HostGator. They have hosting plans starting from less than $4, which is far less than you’d end up paying to set up and maintain your own server.

Having your own server gives you some advantages, like all of the disk space, bandwidth, and CPU power you could possibly need. However, ninety nine percent of website owners will do better to get a hosting plan through a company like HostGator. HostGator pays for the cost of their servers, electricity, and other overhead charges, as well as the time and effort of maintaining their servers. You’ll end up saving money, and you won’t have any of the headaches that come with maintaining a server by yourself.

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HostGator Hosting Plans

Sunday, October 9th, 2011

HostGator is known for providing inexpensive, reliable hosting services to individuals and businesses. They have a wide variety of hosting plans that range from cheap shared hosting all of the way to top-of-the-line private servers.

All of HostGator’s shared hosting plans come with unlimited bandwidth and disk space, unlimited access to their 24/7 technical support, and free site building tools. Their shared plans are available in three different types- the Hatchling plan, the Baby plan, and the Business plan. Their Hatchling plan is the least expensive starting at only $3.96 per month, and comes with a single domain and shared SSL certificate. The next step up, their Baby plan, comes with unlimited domains and a shared SSL certificate for $6.36 per month. Lastly, their Buisness plan comes with unlimited domains, a free private SSL, a free private IP address, and a free toll-free number, all for just $10.36 per month.

HostGator also offers excellent virtual private server hosting plans. Their VPS plans are flexible, fully managed above level 3, allow users to have full root access, and come with unlimited e-mail accounts, domains, subdomains, ftp accounts, and MySQL databases. Their virtual private servers are available in nine different packages ranging from just $19.95 per month to $209.95 per month. Their least expensive plan, the $19.95 level 1 plan, gives users .56 GHz of CPU power, 384 MB of RAM, 10 GB of disk space, and 250 GB of bandwidth. Their most expensive plan, the $209.95 per month level 9 plan, gives users 5.94 GHz of CPU power, 4435 MB of RAM, 231 GB of disk space, and 3150 GB of bandwidth.

For resellers, HostGator offers a couple of different reseller VPS hosting plans. Their plans range from Aluminum to Diamond, and are priced according to how much disk space and bandwidth the user gets for resale. Their least expensive reseller plan, the Aluminum plan, is $24.95 per month and comes with 50 GB of disk space, and 500 GB of bandwidth. Their top-of-the-line reseller plan, the Diamond plan, is $99.95 per month for 200 GB of disk space and 1400 GB of bandwidth. All of their reseller plans come with unlimited domains, subdomains, MySQL dtabases, ftp accounts, cPanels, and e-mail accounts. Users also get free billing software, and private name servers to help brand their hosting.

Last but not least, HostGator also offers a range of dedicated servers ranging from their Linux- or Windows-based $174 per month Basic server to their $374 per month Pro server. All of their dedicated private servers come with free billing software and cPanel. Their Basic server features an Intel Xeon 3450 quad-core processor, 2 GB of DDR3 memory, two 250 GB hard drives, 10 TB of bandwidth, and 5 dedicated IP addresses. Their Pro server features an Intel Xenon 3470 quad-core processor, 8 GB of Ddr3 memory, two 500 GB hard drives, 10 TB of bandwidth, and 5 dedicated IP addresses.

HostGator has made a name for themselves as having some of the best hosting in the industry. Their plans are ideally suited for a variety of needs, and all of them provide really good value for the user.

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Top 10 Reasons to Choose HostGator

Friday, October 7th, 2011

10 – HostGator’s hosting plans are inexpensive. Price shouldn’t be the primary consideration when you’re shopping for a hosting plan, but it is nice to know that you aren’t being overcharged. With HostGator, you know you’re getting some of the most reasonable hosting rates in the industry.

9 – Their hosting plans are flexible. HostGator covers a full range of hosting needs. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a cheap shared hosting plan or a top-of-the-line dedicated server, they can provide it. They have plans for personal sites, reseller accounts, vps, and big businesses alike.

8 – HostGator gives you a lot of space and bandwidth. Even their inexpensive shared hosting plans give the user unlimited bandwidth and disk space. All of their VPS, reseller, or dedicated server plans can be easily customized to fit the user’s wants, so you know you will always get the amount of bandwidth and disk space you need for your site.

7 – Their plans are a really good value. Aside from just offering the user a ton of disk space and bandwidth, HostGator’s plans also come with a lot of extras. From things like unlimited e-mail accounts, domains, subdomains, and MySQL databases, to free billing software, unlimited cPanel accounts for resellers, and more, their hosting plans come bundled with a ton of extras.

6 – HostGator has great site building software. Even if you aren’t experienced with coding, HostGator makes it possible for you to have a professional-looking site up within minutes. Best of all, their site-building software is completely free.

5 – HostGator offers one-click script installation. Want to use Drupal or WordPress, and don’t know how to go through the manual installation? No problem! HostGator gives you an easy way to install just about any script you want, with a single click.

4 – They have some of the best customer support in the industry. A hosting company is judged on three things- how much disk space and bandwidth they give you, how reliable their servers are, and how good their support is. HostGator’s support team is friendly, knowledgeable, fast-acting, and can be reached by toll free number, ticketing system, or live chat. Users can also take advantage of their forums, video tutorials, and library of help topics.

3 – HostGator offers a money-back guarantee. They are so confident that you’ll love their web hosting plans, service, and support that they offer a full 45 day guarantee.

2 – HostGator is one of the most trusted names in the hosting industry. They are an extremely popular choice for everything from people who just want to host a small personal website, to large businesses who want to store crucial data. Over one million hosted domains can’t be wrong!

1 – HostGator always meets or exceeds the hosting industry’s standards for uptime. They have a lot of experience when it comes to running servers, so users aren’t ever subject to excessive downtime. As a result, if you choose HostGator, you know your site will be up at least 99.9% of the time.

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