But why do so many people select phpBB hosting services over larger bulletin board systems with more exhaustive built-in feature sets? What are the key benefits of picking a phpBB hosting plan for your community? And how can phpBB hosting grow with your visitors over time?

In this article, expert phpBB hosting provider Certified Hosting outlines the three major reasons businesses and individuals continue to choose phpBB hosting to launch their own online communities. You will learn more about the performance of phpBB hosting plans, the ease with which your forum can be modified to include advanced features, and why phpBB is more affordable than competing bulletin board services. Finally, the article explains how easy it is to install phpBB and test drive its impressive features for yourself.

phpBB hosting features and benefits

1. phpBB hosting offers a simple bulletin board for great performance

One of the most attractive qualities of starting an online discussion community is the ease with which masses of interesting content can be shared among your visitors and customers. However, visitors can quickly be dissuaded from engaging with your community if your board is slow-to-load or makes posting new threads or replying to existing ones complex. Fortunately, you don’t need to worry about these issues with phpBB hosting. phpBB hosting is consistently fast and responsive since the phpBB system is coded with simplicity in mind. The developers of phpBB have only included essential message board features, guaranteeing that your chosen phpBB hosting service is more than capable of processing discussions rapidly.

2. phpBB hosting plans can be easily modified to suit your community

Even though phpBB hosting message boards have simple and economical features, this does not mean that you cannot access all of the most advanced message board functions that you would usually associate with larger systems such as vBulletin. You can find a number of different phpBB modifications online, all of which are offered free-of-charge. With this modular approach to message board features, it is possible to create a version of phpBB hosting that includes all of the security and anti-spam features that come as standard in other message boards, without automatically having to include features that you do not want or need. The result is that your phpBB hosting plan suits your community perfectly, offering every feature you want without bloating the application or wasting your web hosting resources.

3. phpBB hosting software is open source and free forever

Best of all, phpBB hosting is an open source solution, with no one-time charges or ongoing license fees to be paid. You will never encounter expensive costs as you run and upgrade phpBB, making phpBB hosting a remarkably affordable and sensible investment for your business. In addition, the fact that phpBB is open source software means that there are many different web development communities who understand the application intricately. If you are in need of extra assistance with setting up your phpBB hosting, modifying settings, or installing phpBB mods, the help that you need is available online right now.

Between simple code, easy modification, and being available completely free-of-charge, phpBB remains a leading choice of bulletin board system for communities of all sizes. With the right phpBB hosting plan, your community could have the support and software that it needs to grow for years into the future.

phpBB hosting software can be ready for your visitors in minutes

One common concern among novice webmasters is whether installing phpBB is a time-consuming process. If you have never used a dynamic, database-driven application with your web hosting service, talk of MySQL and PHP could leave you feeling intimidated and unsure of how to proceed. To make the installation process quick and easy, some phpBB hosting providers offer a streamlined script installation system, where the entire installation is automated for your convenience.

One common script installer is Softaculous, which features a wide range of applications including not only message boards, but also ecommerce applications, blogs, and more. If your host provides Softaculous, simply navigate to the “Forums” category, select phpBB, and hit “Install.” Within just a few moments, phpBB will be installed to the folder of your choice, ready to configure, and waiting to serve your first community members.

Get specialized phpBB hosting services from Certified Hosting

With a comprehensive range of specialty web hosting services, Certified Hosting tailors every one of its hosting plans to the specific applications customers want to install. Certified Hosting’s phpBB hosting services make getting your forum up-and-running easier and quicker than ever, and thanks to Softaculous, you can install phpBB on any of Certified Hosting’s existing web hosting services.

With a phpBB hosting plan from Certified Hosting, you do not need to worry about installing or upgrading phpBB. Certified Hosting currently offers free phpBB hosting installation, free upgrades, and can even install free phpBB modules and modifications on request. You can also host an unlimited number of individual communities on just one phpBB hosting plan, at no additional cost.

For customers who are already using an alternative phpBB hosting provider, Certified Hosting is always happy to help with migration. The expert team of phpBB hosting specialists can not only move your application to Certified Hosting servers, but will also migrate your phpBB hosting database to keep all of your posts safe and secure.

To learn more about phpBB hosting services from Certified Hosting, call 909-498-4415 or visit certifiedhosting.com now.

There is, however, one way of starting your own online business that really works: affiliate web hosting. With affiliate hosting, you partner with a reputable web hosting provider to help them promote services and web hosting solutions in exchange for a payout fee that you can earn month after month. But which affiliate hosting services will generate you the most income? How do you find the best web hosting affiliate program with so many rival web hosts offering similar services?

In this article, you will learn more about affiliate web hosting, including how hosts pay their hosting affiliates. You will also discover the essential features that every good affiliate hosting plan should include, along with the added features offered by the very best hosting affiliate programs. With the help of this article, you can get started with quality affiliate hosting and start generating extra income today.

First, what is a web hosting affiliate program?

Whether a business primarily operates online or from a brick-and-mortar location, marketing and promotion lies at the very heart of what makes a company successful. After all, even the best products and services will go unnoticed unless information about them reaches the right consumers. For a web hosting provider, it is important to reach all types of web users, from novices looking to create their own corporate website, to expert web developers planning to launch an online application.

A web hosting affiliate program is a way for web hosts to increase their marketing reach with the help of the online community. Once you sign up to an affiliate hosting program, you can promote the services of your chosen web hosting provider in any way that you can imagine, from placing banner advertisements, to promoting them via social media. You can even tell your friends and the people you interact with online about the web hosting plans offered by your host.

Whichever method you use to market the affiliate hosting provider, any users you refer to the company will be tracked and linked to your hosting affiliate account. If your referred user makes a purchase, you will then receive a payout that is immediately credited to your account. Most web hosting affiliate programs pay for referrals using a commission-based system with fixed payouts for each new customer. However, the best hosting affiliate programs provide tiered payout ladders, rewarding you with higher payouts as you bring in more referrals.

Of course, a quality web hosting affiliate program will not ask you to create your own marketing campaign from scratch. The best web hosting affiliate programs include useful tools to help you earn money as easily as possible.

The best web hosting affiliate programs start with essential tools

As you search for the best affiliate hosting program, you will come across many promises of high payouts. However, with such programs, you often have to pay out-of-pocket for the promotional tools you will need in order to draw new customers to the business.

If you are looking for a hosting affiliate program, always verify that they include the following essential tools:

Free Affiliate Web Hosting

Whether you plan to launch an entire website dedicated to the hosting services offered by your affiliate hosting provider, or you simply aim to host email newsletters and advertisements, you will need a simple, shared web hosting solution. Of course, if you are forced to pay for this plan, you will  find yourself losing money before you even begin to attract referrals. Free web hosting ensures that your affiliate marketing plan is instantly profitable.

Branded Banners & Advertising

If your chosen web host has already built up a strong brand image using logos and advertisements, one of the most effective things you can do is simply distribute the brand to new places online. An affiliate hosting provider should give you access to a range of branded banners and logos, making it easy to create content that looks professional and gains the trust of your audience.

Specialty Hosting Affiliate Program Advertisements

There may be some instances where the marketing resources and graphics you need are more advanced than standard banner advertisements. The best web hosting affiliate programs always include advertisements in a range of formats, including lightboxes that can be opened on-screen for more information, and page peels that “peek” out from the corner of your website.

The three affiliate hosting features described above are essential, creating the basis from which you can begin to build your marketing presence and attract new customers to your host. But to maximize the impact of your advertising and make the most money, look for the following features that can turn a hosting affiliate program from good to great.

What makes the best hosting affiliate programs different?

The core components of most affiliate hosting programs are very similar, so choosing the best affiliate hosting program means looking for those added features that make a host stand out from the competition.

The first indicator of an excellent hosting affiliate plan is the host’s willingness to help you to achieve your marketing goals and earn more revenue. The best affiliate hosting providers will offer to customize your banners and advertisements, giving you the chance to use established brand imagery in a way that suits your individual endeavors.

Secondly, the best hosting affiliate programs use advanced cookie tracking to guarantee that you always receive the referral payouts that are due to you. If you bring a visitor to your hosting provider’s website but the visitor does not place their order for a few weeks, you are still owed the payout for the part you played in sourcing the new customer. Look for affiliate hosting that is tracked using cookies placed on the visitor’s computer, linking them to your hosting affiliate account for up to 90 days.

Finally, the best hosting affiliate programs have the fairest, most generous payouts in the industry. Why settle for a tiered payout structure that tops out at a few dollars per sale? Some affiliate hosting programs offer payouts of more than $100 for just one sale, giving you an incentive to source top-quality customers time and again.

Looking for the best affiliate web hosting? Choose Certified Hosting

Certified Hosting is an experienced web hosting provider, with services including shared web hosting, dedicated server hosting, and reseller hosting plans. The Certified Hosting Affiliate Program is the highest-paying affiliate program in the industry and is widely regarded as one of the best affiliate web hosting programs available.

What makes Certified Hosting the best hosting affiliate program is the company’s commitment to delivering excellent customer service and focusing on the individual needs of every customer. For web hosting users, this includes 24/7/365 customer support and an unrivalled money-back guarantee. For hosting affiliates, this means that the services offered by Certified Hosting are incredibly easy to sell, with features that attract customers. And with referral payouts of as much as $125 per sale, the Certified Hosting Affiliate Program is an effective way to increase your income.

To find out more about the Certified Hosting affiliate hosting program, call 909-498-4415 or visit certifiedhosting.com today.

In terms of a computer operating system, or OS, the most familiar name is Microsoft Windows. Over the years, Windows has become the center of the home and office computing industry, with as many as 90% of all users booting up to Windows every single time they use their PC. But did you know that Linux remains the most popular operating system for the web hosting industry, with Linux web hosting services outselling Windows hosting by a significant margin?

In this article, you will learn about the Linux operating system, including the key features of Linux hosting that make it the number one choice for web presences of all sizes. In addition, you will discover more about the open source nature of Linux web hosting services, and how this can translate into significant benefits that increase your chances of online success.

What is a Linux hosting plan?

Originally launched over twenty years ago in 1991, Linux is a free, open source operating system designed to give home computer users a lightweight, highly efficient operating system, completely free of charge. While Microsoft continues to charge high commercial prices to license the Windows operating system, Linux represents a refreshing attempt of passionate developers to give users another, more affordable choice.

Over the years, many different developers and development teams have helped Linux become even more successful. This ongoing development has resulted in a number of different variations, or distributions, of Linux, each with their own modifications and alterations built onto the core features of Linux.

A Linux hosting service is any kind of web hosting that uses a Linux distribution as the foundation of its hardware servers. Even though it is the web server that features the CPU, RAM, and disk space required to process data, the operating system is a vital tool that coordinates the way processing occurs. As a result, the choice of operating system has a direct influence on the way hardware will perform in practice.

Linux web hosting solutions continue to dominate the web hosting industry because developers understand that they can get a reliable, dependable operating system without increasing their expenses or buying prohibitive Windows licenses.

Linux web hosting services: reliable right down to the core

Reliability, or the general efficiency of your web server, is possibly the single most important factor to consider when buying a web hosting solution. After all, even if you develop the greatest, most exciting content in the world, this will be of little benefit to you if your hosting plan is routinely unavailable, or offline.

Linux hosting plans are incredibly reliable as a direct result of the Linux kernel. The Linux kernel is the core programming that makes up the Linux operating system – it is this part of Linux that does not change, regardless of which distribution you use. The kernel features several built-in features that help to keep your Linux web hosting online, all the time.

Ultimately, these features result from the unique way in which Linux hosting uses the resources of your server hardware. While Windows hosting attempts to maximize use of RAM and CPU to maintain lightning-speed performance, Linux web hosting has a more intelligent approach to performance, balancing speed against efficiency and overall server stability. Wherever possible, Linux hosting keeps some hardware power in reserve. This means that if your traffic suddenly increases without notice, a Linux hosting plan is able to cope with the change and call on its power reserves.

In addition, many Linux distributions, such as CentOS, are specifically targeted at the needs of the web hosting industry. To maintain great reliability, developers create a lightweight, simple GUI (graphical user interface), which does not drain the available system resources. While Windows has a relatively resource-intensive GUI used for direct interaction with the OS, the streamlined nature of Linux means that Linux web hosting plan customers can be confident that their web presence will be consistently online and responsive.

The benefits of an open source Linux hosting service

As well as being particularly reliable, the open source nature of Linux web hosting brings with it some unique advantages that can help make your Linux hosting service more flexible, compatible, and affordable.

First, open source software allows many different developers to easily access the raw code that makes up Linux in order to make modifications or check for errors. With so many people working closely with the Linux kernel and the code that comprises the common Linux distributions, security flaws and bugs are identified very quickly, keeping your Linux hosting data safe and secure.

Furthermore, Linux web hosting customers can readily find community-based support online. The web development community and programming communities alike are committed to understanding and explaining Linux to new users, and if you find yourself in need of extra assistance with your Linux hosting service, there is a good chance that you will find help with a quick search engine query.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, open source software is distributed free of charge. Even though some Linux distributions are commercial endeavors, there are strict guidelines surrounding the way that Linux is used and the necessity of providing free Linux versions. This means that Linux web hosting is usually significantly more affordable than Windows web hosting, and the decreased overhead for a web hosting provider means that more resources can be concentrated on other areas of the business, including customer support and network infrastructure.

Open source Linux hosting services can give you the reliable and dependable web hosting that your web presence requires, at a price point that helps you increase your profits and boost your success.

Get professional Linux hosting services from Certified Hosting

Certified Hosting is a specialty provider of Linux hosting services with proven expertise in implementing high-quality Linux web hosting solutions to suit individuals and businesses of all sizes.

Certified Hosting currently offers Linux hosting plans across shared Linux web hosting, Linux dedicated server hosting, and competitive Linux reseller hosting that enables you to start your own Linux hosting business online. We currently provide a selection of carefully chosen Linux distributions, including CentOS and FreeBSD for our Linux dedicated hosting services, and CloudLinux for Linux shared hosting solutions.

Every Certified Hosting Linux hosting plan comes with comprehensive help and support to assist you in making your web presence a success. Our customer support is available 24/7/365, and, for your peace of mind, we also include an anytime, money-back guarantee with every Linux web hosting service.

To find out more about Linux web hosting from Certified Hosting, call 909-498-4415 or visit certifiedhosting.com today.

In this context, Internet entrepreneurs have one big question: is there any room left? Can new social-based sites grow in the shadow of giants like Facebook? The answer is a definite “yes.” There are still many untapped niches that can support successful social networks. With a suitable social network hosting application, anyone can develop a community website, dating site, or a thriving social network, from scratch.

With a good social network web host and a specialized application, you too can create a hot social website, or even tomorrow’s social sensation. By reading this article, you can learn about the most important social network hosting solutions available today. Read on to discover the best tools to establish your social website without investing a fortune in custom development.

StatusNet social network web hosting

Formerly known as Laconica, StatusNet is a micro-blogging software platform oriented toward business environments. Put simply, StatusNet allows you to create an internal, Twitter-like network that people in your company can use to share information and collaborate. StatusNet is available in a free version and in an extended, paid version that offers advanced administrative functionality, custom branding, and preferential support services.

As a productivity-oriented social network hosting solution, StatusNet can replace traditional intranets, thanks to features like file sharing, user groups, custom access, and advanced security. In addition, StatusNet can be easily integrated with existing business apps, such as ERP systems, via a set of APIs.

Dolphin social network web hosting

Created by BoonEx, Dolphin is one of the most comprehensive social network web hosting applications available today. Dolphin is an open source, scalable, customizable, and feature-rich community software that makes it easy to create any type of social website. With a good Dolphin social network web host and a bit of elbow grease, you can build your own social network, dating website, or community website based on an interest, passion, or location.

BoonEx Dolphin runs on the PHP/MySQL platform, meaning that you only need an affordable Linux-based social network web hosting service to use it. You can use Dolphin for free if you accept a footer link to BoonEx, or you can buy a link-free version. The more expensive versions give you additional features, full access to the source code, and access to mobile Dolphin apps for iPhone and Android.

BuddyPress social network web hosting

Do you love WordPress? Would you like to combine the awesome power of WordPress with the reach of a social network? BuddyPress is the answer to your needs.

BuddyPress is not an actual application, but rather a collection of WordPress plugins and themes. With BuddyPress, you can turn your run-of-the-mill WordPress hosting plan into a powerful social network web hosting solution, without spending a dime. BuddyPress makes it easy to create a social network for your university or school, an internal collaboration tool for your organization, or a niche social network. Taking the social features of WordPress to the next level, BuddyPress is the best solution for you if you are already a WordPress expert and don’t want to spend time on learning new applications.

eMeeting social network web hosting

Dating websites are among the fastest-growing online properties, as more and more people get accustomed to using the Web for finding partners. eMeeting is an online dating script that lets you quickly and easily create an attractive dating site. Unlike most other social network hosting solutions on our list, eMeeting is a closed source application, with a one-site, basic license representing its most affordable option.

eMeeting features many ready-made templates, as well as a built-in editor for quick appearance customization. Other notable features of eMeeting include its powerful administration options, integration with most big payment gateways, in-depth analytics tools, chat rooms, forums, and instant messaging. If you are planning to offer live chat, make sure to opt for a good social network server hosting solution, as chat room applications are typically very demanding on the processor.

AbleDating social network web hosting

AbleDating provides a range of social network solutions, including the Chameleon dating script, a community site maker, and a business-oriented social application. AbleDating claims that Chameleon is the only social application that provides built-in support for 3D Flash games and an AJAX interface. The application also offers video chat capability, galleries, greeting recordings, plus many features that are specific to dating sites – advanced matchmaking, a Hot-or-Not module, and more.

AbleDating’s Chameleon software is the most expensive offering on our list. However, its rich and unique feature set may make it a good choice to use with your social network web host.

phpFox social network web hosting

If you want to build a Facebook-like social network, phpFox is the tool for you. Not only does it give you access to most of the features you see on Facebook, but it even lets you mimic the look and feel of the world’s largest social networking website.

phpFox boasts an impressive features list, including third-party app support, mobile versions, pages, groups, CMS capabilities, blogs, photo galleries, private messaging, custom privacy settings, and much more. Regardless of what type of social site you want to build, you will find that phpFox offers all the tools you need. As its name implies, phpFox requires that you choose a PHP social network web hosting provider. If you need advanced functionality, such as video streaming support, check out the application’s “About” page for a complete list of system requirements.

Elgg social network web hosting

Elgg is an open source social networking engine that runs on the LAMP stack and is licensed under the terms of the GNU license. Elgg contains the tools you need to create blogging platforms, micro-blogging sites, file sharing sites, social networks, and community sites. Its wide range of capabilities makes Elgg suitable for use as a full-fledged CMS, and many users appreciate its similarity to the popular open source CMS Drupal.

Elgg was originally designed as an e-learning platform, hence the high number of universities and educational organizations that use it to power their internal social networks. If you require a powerful, well-structured, and customizable social network hosting solution, then Elgg is your best choice.

eFriends social network web hosting

eFriends is another closed source social network hosting application, whose lowest-priced package includes a basic license plus six widgets. Users can add eFriends widgets, such as e-cards, photo cubes, or countdown timers, to their profiles.

eFriends offers most of the features that you would expect from a social network script, as well as a few extras, such as MP3 albums, listings, articles, and more. For a complete list of features, visit the developer’s website. Make sure to check the software’s requirements to ensure compatibility with your social network web hosting service.

Looking for a top social network hosting provider?

Certified Hosting, a leading provider of quality web hosting services, offers a wide range of social network hosting solutions, including Elgg hosting, phpFox hosting, StatusNet hosting, and Dolphin hosting. Whether you are looking to create a niche social site, a product-centric social network, or an online dating website, at Certified Hosting you get top quality infrastructure, free installation services, and 24/7 support.

Start now with social network web hosting or learn more details about our social network hosting services by visiting certifiedhosting.com or calling 909-498-4415 today.

With some elbow grease and a bit of imagination, you can create an attractive, compelling, multimedia-based portal in just a few days. And, with the affordable video hosting services available on the market, you can no longer argue that video streaming is too expensive. The best offers out there give you access to powerful video web hosting services for less than $10 per month. Even better, if you look closely, you can get unlimited bandwidth and disk space so that you never have to worry about reaching your capacity allowances again.

As you can see, starting out with video hosting is not as difficult as you might first think. However, you still need an essential ingredient to turn your vision into reality – a great idea. If you need inspiration, our team of nerds has come up with some ideas to help you get started with video web hosting. Read on to learn about the most effective ways to monetize your video website.

1. Review Site

People love watching video reviews, especially when you spice them up with relevant footage of the product. It doesn’t matter what you review – movies, books, apps, games, gadgets, or albums. Ideally, you should focus on something that you know well and you enjoy talking about. Other than that, the sky is the limit.

To get started, simply find a good video hosting solution, install a video sharing app like VidiScript, ClipBucket, or phpMotion, and start churning out reviews. If you plan to review physical products, such as smartphones, you will need a decent camera to shoot the reviews and a microphone to record your insightful commentary. With digital products (software, eBooks, etc.), you can even get by without a camera if you use a screen-capturing application such as Camtasia.

2. Trailer Site

Movies, video games, and TV show trailers are great sources of traffic. People are always looking for hot trailers, and if you research what people are searching for, then you can set up a lucrative niche site relatively easily. If you go this route, opt for a video hosting solution that is specifically adapted for trailer video hosting – i.e., one tailored for lots of files, little user generated content, and relatively short clips.

Popular items such as trailers for upcoming blockbuster movies draw a lot of attention and page views, so be sure to support heavy streaming. In other words, choose a video hosting provider that offers unlimited bandwidth (unless, of course, you like paying heavy over-usage fees).

3. Video News

Everybody likes news, right? And when providing it online, you are not limited to the classic news format. You can do short video news snippets on your local community, your favorite baseball team, or the latest Hollywood gossip. With a little passion, you too can become the unofficial go-to source for a specific topic and even generate some cash from it. You just have to find your niche and stick to it.

Any reputable video web hosting provider will give you the tools you need to start your news site. Give VidiScript, vShare, phpMotion, or ClipBucket a try and you will see how easy it is to create an impressive video news site from scratch.

4. Vlogging

You are probably familiar with blogging (after all, you’re reading a blog right now), but what the heck is vlogging? A video blog or a vlog (video log) replaces traditional text posts with video clips. Vlogs are great because you can capture the attention of the people who don’t have the time, patience, or attention span to read a 500-word post. You can vlog on a specific theme (and combine your posts with video news, reviews, or trailers), or you can vlog about your daily life or whatever else pleases you.

Vlogs are not usually big bandwidth eaters, but you still need to ensure that your followers enjoy a smooth viewing experience. Opt right from the beginning for a top-quality video web hosting provider and you won’t have any problems.

5. User generated content (UGC)

YouTube and many other sites are built entirely on UGC, so what’s stopping you from doing just that? Why bother creating your own content when you can use the videos created by your followers? You probably won’t be able build a YouTube-killer, but in the right niche, you can still make a boatload of money out of the videos created by regular Internet users.

There are many video sharing applications that let you build video websites (sometimes called YouTube clones). Just make sure to choose a video web hosting service that gives you unlimited disk space and bandwidth because you will need it when your site takes off. A few words of caution: when dealing with user generated content, you need to be careful about copyright infringement. Piracy legislation does protect you from being sued by copyright holders, but only if you actively work to stop infringement as soon as you discover it.

How to make money with video hosting

Now that we’ve reviewed some great options for setting up a video-based website, it’s time for you to learn how you can make some money from it. Many people who set up websites plan to monetize them, and even if you didn’t start your website to make money, why not make some extra income from your passion?

Here are a few ways to monetize websites based on video hosting:

• Pre-roll and post-roll commercials – insert short video commercials at the beginning or at the end of your video content. Most people don’t mind watching a short ad, and it’s a great way to gather paid views.
• Affiliation – just like with any website, you can use your video website to promote products or services and get a cut of the sale every time one of your visitors makes a purchase. Affiliation schemes can be especially lucrative on review websites, but any niche site can work.
• PPC and PPV – If you have a lot of traffic, you can try out a pay-per-click (PPC) or pay-per-view (PPV) advertising campaign, such as those offered by Google AdSense and other video marketing services. With the right layout and the right content, you can get some pretty decent returns, and you don’t have to do much after you set up the ads.

Looking for an affordable video web hosting provider?

There are many companies that offer video web hosting services, but very few can match the amazing combination of free services and unlimited resources provided by Certified Hosting. Whether you want to build a YouTube-like, user-generated content site or a lucrative review portal, Certified Hosting gives you everything you need to get started.

Only Certified Hosting offers free video hosting services for a wide range of applications, including VidiScript, ClipBucket, iVidPlay, Zomplog, vShare, ClipShare, and phpMotion. The free video hosting services include free installation, free templates, free website transfer, and free site upgrades. Did we mention that you get unlimited resources for every video hosting plan? With a Certified Hosting video hosting plan, you get unlimited resources for a low monthly price. No more worrying about reaching your bandwidth quota or filling up your disk space.

Find out how to get your own video hosting plan or learn more details about our services by visiting certifiedhosting.com or calling 909-498-4415 today.

Web applications such as WordPress, Joomla, Magento, and phpBB have contributed significantly to the development of the modern Internet. Millions of sites are built on these platforms, and every day, hundreds of thousands more go online. The huge demand for application hosting has spurred an impressive growth in the hosting industry as more and more companies compete to provide solutions for application web hosting. Today, most hosting providers offer some type of application hosting. But in most cases, hosting companies don’t provide specialized services, such as specialized blog hosting or forum hosting services. Typically, customers get generic solutions that they can use for application hosting but are not actually designed from the ground up for a specific application.

In this article, we go through the most important types of application hosting solutions, including blog hosting, CMS hosting, ecommerce hosting, forum hosting, and others. We explore why it’s important to choose a dedicated application hosting solution as opposed to a generic hosting plan. We also go over the features that should not be absent from a specific application hosting solution so that you can make an educated choice when you select the hosting plan for your blog, business site, or discussion board.

Blog hosting solutions

Unless you have a popular blog with thousands of daily visitors (and if you do, congratulations!), you will not need a super-powerful application hosting solution for your blog. This does not mean that you should use just any dirt-cheap hosting plan to host your blog. However, any server with decent specifications should be powerful enough to provide a smooth browsing experience to your followers. Make sure you choose a provider that has blogging software experts on-staff who can offer you quality support if needed.

Most application hosting services provide support for the most popular blogging applications, such as WordPress, MovableType, and b2evolution. WordPress is, indisputably, the current “king” of blogging platforms, accounting for a large percentage of all new blog installations worldwide. However, you can choose whichever blogging app you prefer, as long as you find a hosting service that supports it. Moreover, if you choose a reputable application hosting company, you can find dedicated hosting plans for lesser-known blogging software, such as Nucleus, Textpattern, Habari, and Nibble Blog.

WordPress hosting services

We’ve discussed WordPress application hosting in regards to blogging, but WordPress is so versatile and powerful that people use it for all sorts of hosting types, in addition to blogging. For example, you can use WordPress as a full-fledged CMS, a forum platform, an ecommerce solution, and for many other uses. There is so little you can’t do with WordPress that we think it deserves a section of its own in our review of application hosting solutions.

Why should you get a specialized WordPress hosting plan instead of a run-of-the-mill plan? With an application plan designed for WordPress, you have the certainty that the hosting environment is fine-tuned for working with WordPress. A well-oiled WordPress host will let you squeeze every last drop of performance from your hosting environment, meaning that you will be able to make sizable savings when you provision resources.

If you plan to use WordPress as a framework for a high-maintenance application, such as an online store or a business site, we highly recommend that you use a dedicated application web hosting service that includes competent, round-the-clock support. With a good WordPress hosting plan, you can also benefit from some freebies, including free installation, free themes, or free upgrades. Especially if you are not a techie, these free services can help you save a lot of money.

CMS hosting plans

A content management system (CMS) is a framework that allows easy content creation and separates content creation from the design and programming side of creating a website. In layman’s terms, a CMS lets you add stuff to your site without breaking it.

CMSs have diverse technical and resource requirements. Most popular CMSs, including the market leaders Joomla and Drupal, are built on the open source PHP/MySQL platform. With some modifications, WordPress can also be used successfully as a CMS. When you select an application hosting provider to host a CMS, make sure that the company supports the versions of PHP and MySQL that you need, as well as any other technical requirements that your CMS may have as generic plans may not include crucial features that can render your plan useless.

Forum application hosting

Forums are the perennial favorites of webmasters who want to create and grow vibrant communities. With forum application web hosting plans, it’s important to choose a solid server that can handle the stress created by multiple users using the discussion board at the same time. Poorly-configured forum application hosting solutions (even those that provide plenty of horsepower under the hood) can perform below par under the pressure of real-world usage scenarios.

Make sure you invest in a quality application hosting provider. If you have proper support from a forum software expert, it will be much easier for you to tweak your server for optimal performance or to troubleshoot the hard-to-solve glitches that often appear when working with complex, database-driven applications such as discussion boards.

Social network application web hosts

How would you like to build the next Facebook? A great place to start would be a social networking web application such as Elgg, Dolphin, StatusNet, or eMeeting. Coupled with a good application hosting solution, these free social network building tools are ideal for creating any type of online community, from dating sites to fan clubs.

Just like forums, social networks require proper configuration and careful monitoring in order to function within parameters. An application web hosting solution specially created for a social network is usually recommended for such scenarios, especially if you need help with operations such as installation, module addition, upgrading, or transfers. The best application hosting providers will offer these services free of charge when you sign up for a hosting solution.

Ecommerce application web hosting

With ecommerce, it is especially important to ensure the availability and reliability of your site, 24/7. While blog visitors may forgive occasional errors and downtime, with shoppers, you must go the extra mile to ensure stability – which is only truly possible with a dedicated application web hosting plan.

Ecommerce platforms are very diverse, so the first step when choosing an ecommerce application hosting provider should be to ensure that the application host can accommodate your specific software. osCommerce hosting, Magento hosting, Ubercart hosting, Zen Cart hosting – there are many possibilities for you to choose from. Regardless of which type of ecommerce application hosting you choose, the ecommerce hosting solution should provide great support, payment gateway integration, SSL support, and proper security.

Choose from the most diverse range of application hosting solutions at Certified Hosting

Certified Hosting boasts a wide portfolio of high-performance application web hosting services. From blog hosting to social network hosting and video streaming, Certified Hosting provides complete solutions for application hosting at reasonable pricing. At Certified Hosting, you will find specialized solutions for all popular web applications – including WordPress, Joomla, Magento, and phpBB – but also for smaller, lesser-known solutions such as Habari, StatusNet, and MODx.

Certified Hosting employs highly skilled and experienced technicians who possess extensive knowledge of all forms of application hosting. In addition to the world-class support that is available round the clock, you also get free services for most applications in Certified Hosting’s catalog.

Get started today with application hosting or learn more details about our offerings by visiting certifiedhosting.com or calling 909-498-4415 today.

In brick-and-mortar stores, shoppers use a cart to navigate the aisles, choose products, and take them to the checkout stand. The virtual shopping cart has the same core functionality, but it also takes the role of a catalog, by providing a means for users to browse your wares, and of a salesclerk, by allowing shoppers to pay for the products they want to purchase. More than that, shopping cart software provides inventory, order tracking, reporting, and marketing functionality. In other words, a good shopping cart solution will give you everything you need to create your virtual store.

The importance of choosing the right ecommerce solution cannot be overstated. The ultimate success of your online store may depend on this choice. With the right ecommerce web hosting solution and the right shopping cart, you have everything you need to succeed in online commerce. It is important to know what options you have and what the pros and cons are for each shopping cart. In this article, we explore the top shopping cart applications of the moment, with an emphasis on open source solutions. We discuss the strengths of each ecommerce hosting application and their most suitable uses.

osCommerce

osCommerce (“open source Commerce”), created in 2000, can be considered the original free shopping cart. A number of other open source solutions, including the popular Zen Cart, are actually forks of osCommerce. osCommerce is built on PHP and MySQL, so you will have no trouble finding ecommerce hosting solutions that support it.

osCommerce provides rather basic functionality out of the box, but the active osCommerce community provides numerous add-ons and contributions. This means that you will have to do a lot of work to extend and customize your online store. Another downside is the fact that osCommerce doesn’t have a graphic template system, so you’ll have to put some effort into modifying the appearance of your ecommerce host. Therefore, osCommerce is suitable for basic applications and for users who don’t mind spending time customizing the application.

CubeCart

CubeCart is another popular shopping cart that requires a PHP/MySQL ecommerce web host. According to the company that markets it, the application is used on more than a million websites. CubeCart is a proprietary solution, but the price is quite affordable at less than $250. Keep in mind that the basic version comes with a CubeCart logo on the front page, which you can disable for a fee.

CubeCart boasts an intuitive control panel, advanced sales reports, and built-in search engine optimization features. Also, you can customize your installation with the integrated code hooks, which is great news if you plan to scale or modify your ecommerce hosting installation in the future. You also get many payment processing gateways and shipping gateways that are readily integrated into your store, saving you time and money.

Zen Cart

The next application on our list is a shopping cart known for its accessibility and ease of use. Zen Cart is derived from osCommerce and includes most of its core functionality, plus many pre-installed add-ons that greatly extend its capabilities. However, you won’t be able to use extensions from osCommerce with a Zen Cart ecommerce web host because the two applications have distinct architectures.

Zen Cart can be installed easily, even by non-professionals, thanks to its smart setup system. Once you deploy it, you can use Zen Cart’s many built-in features such as product attributes, a templating system, and a coupon system. With other shopping carts, you may need to purchase or develop your own add-ons, but Zen Cart provides great capabilities in the base package. Used in conjunction with a good ecommerce web hosting plan, Zen Cart is recommended to beginners and professionals alike.

Magento

Magento is available in several paid editions and as a free “community” version that provides limited features and no support. The company that markets Magento recommends the community edition for experts and skilled enthusiasts who don’t mind spending time debugging and customizing the installation.

Magento is one of the most widely used ecommerce platforms for large online stores, servicing close to 10% of the top 10,000 online stores. However, Magento is equally suitable for smaller implementations. If you don’t have extensive requirements, you can create a rich online store with the community edition alone, saving thousands of dollars in the process. Note that some ecommerce website hosting providers offer free Magento services, including installation and updates, which may allow you to save additional time and money.

Ubercart

Ubercart differs from the other shopping carts presented in this article by being a module for the Drupal content management system, rather than a standalone ecommerce solution. For this reason, you will have to make sure that your ecommerce website hosting plan also provides full support for Drupal. Ubercart’s integration with a content management system provides many advantages over conventional shopping carts, such as tools to create a community around the online store and simple digital products (ebooks, music, etc.) distribution.

Ubercart delivers all the functionality required to run an online store, including a configurable catalog, a streamlined checkout process, integrated payment processors, and multiple order value calculation methods.

Choose from a wide variety of ecommerce platforms at Certified Hosting

Certified Hosting is a leader in ecommerce web hosting solutions, with thousands of satisfied customers from around the world relying on our services. We provide quality ecommerce web hosting plans at affordable prices, backed by a 99.99% uptime guarantee and a “No questions asked” anytime, money-back guarantee.

At Certified Hosting, you get best-in-class ecommerce server hosting, no matter if you work with osCommerce, CubeCart, Zen Cart, or another shopping cart solution. You also get free installation, free upgrades, and free templates for most of the popular ecommerce platforms, open source or proprietary. If you ever need assistance, our team of certified engineers is available around the clock to help you make the most out of your ecommerce hosting solution.

Learn more details about our ecommerce website hosting solutions or order your own ecommerce hosting plan by visiting certifiedhosting.com or calling 909-498-4415 today.

A CMS hosting solution eliminates the need to have a professional on-call to maintain and update your site. You can do everything yourself, without the risk of making a faulty edit that takes down your site. There are many CMS web hosting solutions of various degrees of usability and flexibility. To help you make a decision, we’ve put together a list of freely-available content management systems. We based our reviews on ease of use, capabilities, and extensibility so that you can make an informed decision as to which of the following solutions is best for creating a modern, attractive website for yourself or for your business.

1. Joomla

Joomla is one of the best-known content management systems and is deployed on millions of sites of all types and calibers. If you want a CMS web hosting plan that lets you build complex sites that include blogs, polls, search modules, RSS feeds, or international versions, Joomla CMS hosting is the best way to go.

Joomla CMS is especially suitable as a rich media publishing tool. With a good CMS hosting plan and Joomla, you can create your very own video blog, movie review site, video game site, or any other type of media-rich online presence that you can imagine. Joomla has more than 100 plug-ins available for video streaming alone. In fact, you can easily find a good plug-in for just about any task, from ecommerce to social networking integration. No matter what you plan to do with your Joomla site, make sure to opt for a resource-rich CMS hosting solution that is specially designed for the specifics of the Joomla CMS.

2. WordPress

Although WordPress is better known as a blogging platform, its flexibility make is superbly suitable for CMS hosting as well. With very little effort, you can turn your WordPress site into a fully-fledged CMS web hosting solution. There are many specialized themes online, available for free or for less than a hundred dollars, but with a bit of tinkering, you can create your own WordPress-based CMS, complete with article sections, testimonials, galleries, and many other features.

If you look for a CMS web hosting plan, we highly recommend that you try a WordPress plan that gives you unlimited resources and complete creative freedom. This way, you can create more than one CMS on one account, or have two different installations – one for your CMS, and one for your blog.

3. Drupal

We recommend a Drupal CMS web host if you want a large, stable site with many different pages and a solid implementation of ACL (access control levels), i.e., multiple user groups. The Drupal CMS is ideal if you want to accommodate many different types of users. For example, if you have a public portal built with Drupal, you can create custom roles for administrators, managers, developers, registered users, and visitors.

When shopping for a CMS web hosting service, you have to pay close attention to the version of PHP installed on the CMS web host, as some solutions, such as eZpublish, require custom PHP implementations. With Drupal, you will not have this problem because it can be installed remotely on any standard PHP site, with minimal hassle. Therefore, opting for Drupal may be wise if you expect to change servers in the future and you want to avoid being locked into a specific PHP version.

4. MODx

MODx is not as well-known as the other CMSs in our review, but it is nevertheless a comprehensive content management system that shines when it comes to standards compliance, versatility, and support for multiple AJAX libraries. MODx also has an excellent templating system that can be extended with snippets, themes, plugins, and custom variables.

It will not be difficult to find a CMS web host that supports MODx, because unlike other CMS products, this open source application can run on Lighttpd, Zeus, and even IIS web servers. MODx is great for creating interactive websites rich in AJAX, as it supports jQuery, MooTools, and other well-known libraries. If you ever run into a problem that you can’t solve on your own, MODx has a vibrant community of enthusiasts that are always eager to help.

5. CMS Made Simple

As its name implies, CMS Made Simple, or CMSMS, attempts to reduce the complexity that makes some other CMSs, such as Drupal, difficult to use for non-technical users. By default, CMSMS provides only core functionality, including news pages and a search module. And you can easily add functions with the free plug-ins and themes created by the CMSMS community. Even if CMS Made Simple was primarily designed as a lightweight, no-nonsense application for basic use, the sites created with CMSMS are not necessarily simple. CMSMS makes it easy to add more complex modules such as blogs, forums, polls, and even ecommerce tools.

CMSMS is ideal for users with little technical skill or for developers who are looking for a CMS that can be modified and updated by clients. The popular Smarty templating tool is great for creating nice-looking themes with a WYSISYG editor, and packaging these themes for distribution. To use CMSMS, look for a CMS web hosting solution that includes PHP and support for MySQL and PostgreSQL. Overall, CMSMS is still in its infancy, but we expect a remarkable growth in the future.

Certified Hosting provides great CMS web hosting at prices you can afford

For companies and organizations, content management systems have become an essential tool for marketing, communication, and daily operations. If you are looking for a capable CMS web host that can power your business website, you should know that it’s not necessary to pay a small fortune for a commercial tool.

The CMS hosting services provided by Certified Hosting include WordPress CMS hosting, Drupal CMS hosting, Joomla CMS web hosting, as well as many other solutions such as MODx, CMSMS, MiaCMS, and eZPublish. Let us provide you with a capable, stable CMS hosting solution at prices you can afford. To make your choice easier, we even provide free installation and other complimentary operations for your content management system of choice.

Learn more about our comprehensive set of CMS web hosting services, or order a plan, by visiting certifiedhosting.com, or by calling 909-498-4415 today.

WordPress has been embraced by millions of users, hobbyists, and professionals alike, and is now used to power an incredible range of projects. Which brings us to the subject of this article: although most people associate WordPress with blogging, the open source platform is so versatile that it can be used to build almost any type of website. With its powerful templating systems, open architecture, and extensive plugin support, WordPress is the cornerstone of blogs, business websites, forums, wikis, and even online stores.

In this article, we take a high-level look at the things you can accomplish with a WordPress website. In particular, we discuss how you can use WordPress as a CMS, to power a forum, and to build your own online store. We analyze some of the options that you have for each purpose and demonstrate why it’s important to invest in a quality WordPress hosting service.

Create an impressive website for your company with WordPress as a CMS

A content management system (CMS) is used to manage the content for a website. In other words, a CMS lets non-technical users add articles and pages, edit content, and upload media such as images or video, all without having to edit any HTML code.

Without a CMS, users have to edit the source code of the website in order to modify it. This makes simple operations, such as adding a page or changing the formatting of an article, difficult and time-consuming. In addition, modifying the source code directly poses reliability and security risks. On the other hand, a CMS separates the content from the code structure, thus eliminating the risk of breaking the website, while also making site updates simpler and more effective. If you plan to have a frequently-updated site, or one that uses interactive or dynamic elements such as news items, promotional items, or blog articles, using a CMS is highly recommended.

You can get all the features of an expensive CMS platform by opting for a WordPress web host. Turning a WordPress website into a capable CMS requires a few steps that we will not detail here. There are plenty of free WordPress tutorials to help you get started, and you can probably get some help from your WordPress hosting provider.

Alternatively, you can buy a good CMS-oriented theme or even use one of the free WordPress themes available online. No matter which option you choose, you can get a professional looking WordPress website at a fraction of the cost of hiring someone to build you a site from scratch. Plus, you will save a lot of money in the long-term, as you will be able to update the site yourself.

A blog or a forum? Why not both?

Whether you run a business, a non governmental organization (NGO), or a fan community, you can (and should) engage your visitors and give them the chance to interact with your site and provide feedback. One of the best ways to build a community around your site is to create a forum. However, forum applications can be expensive and hard to deploy and maintain. For many small sites, having a full-blown forum app is overkill. As a result, many site owners give up on the idea of using a forum and choose to have a blog instead.

But there’s an alternative. With only the small investment required to purchase a WordPress hosting solution, you can have your own easy-to-run forum. How is this possible? There are a number of free plugins that let you turn your WordPress website into a lightweight forum. These plugins use WordPress’ rich architecture to transform posts into forum threads, and comments into thread replies.

In a matter of hours, you can have your very own forum, with only a few dollars invested. There are many plugins that can help you achieve this. Among the best known are bbPress – built by the same team that created WordPress, a feature-rich forum plugin called Simple:Press, Wp2BB, and the easy-to-use Mingle.

The best part? With a good WordPress web hosting service, you can have both your blog and your forum. In fact, if you choose a provider that lets you host unlimited WordPress blogs, you can have a multitude of sites deployed for one small price.

Make money with a WordPress-powered online store

Having an online store used to mean paying a hefty fee for the services of a web designer and another fee to hire a programmer to code the back-end application. Today, there are some good shopping cart applications available that are cheaper and easier to deploy, and even some free ones.

But why complicate your life with an expensive, hard-to-work-with app, when you can get the same functionality for free with your WordPress host? That’s right: you can run your very own online store using the same platform that you have come to love for blogging.

You have a wide range of options for turning your WordPress site into an ecommerce platform. One of the most popular ecommerce plugins for WordPress is WP e-Commerce, a comprehensive online shopping solution that provides everything you need to run a successful ecommerce store. If you want something that is even easier to use and maintain, try Ecwid, a free plugin that lets you create beautiful, interactive web stores. Other notable ecommerce solutions include eShop, Shopp, PHPurchase, Checkout, and Shopify.

As with forums, you can host your online store and your other sites on one account if you use a WordPress web hosting solution that lets you host unlimited WordPress blogs.

Create the website of your dreams at Certified Hosting

As you can see, it’s surprisingly simple, and not to mention cheap, to find a WordPress-based solution for just about any application. And the list includes more than CMSs, forums, and online stores. There is really little that you can’t do with WordPress, some free themes and plugins, and of course, a quality WordPress web hosting services provider like Certified Hosting.

Certified Hosting is a leading provider of quality web hosting services, including unlimited WordPress hosting solutions. With Certified Hosting, you can host unlimited WordPress blogs for a flat monthly fee. Plus, you get free WordPress installation, free WordPress upgrades, and free WordPress themes, allowing you to start your own blog, forum, or online store with a minimal investment and no headaches.

To start now with Certified Hosting or to learn more about our WordPress hosting solutions, visit certifiedhosting.com or call 909-498-4415 today.

So, what can you do to protect your investment – your time, your energy, and ultimately your money? How can you keep your website running flawlessly, day in and day out? The answer is managed dedicated hosting. But not just any type of dedicated managed server will do. Find a hosting provider that offers quality, round-the-clock server monitoring services. Here are the top three reasons you should invest in a managed dedicated hosting solution that includes top-notch server monitoring.

Less downtime

Fact: dedicated managed server monitoring means less downtime. Servers have the nasty habit of crashing at the worst possible moment. And chances are the disaster will strike in the middle of the night. Without a managed dedicated server hosting service, you will have to wait until morning to solve the problem. At best, if you or your server admin receive an alert message, you can call support and ask them to have a look. But this can take a lot of time, and time is valuable in these situations.

Some may argue that a few minutes or even a few hours of downtime are no big deal. But when your website generates revenue, one hour of downtime can mean lost clients and lost sales. If your website caters to an international audience, every hour of the day can be considered primetime – even a small period of time can deprive you of many pageviews.

By opting for dedicated managed server hosting with server monitoring, you can sleep more soundly at night. Your dedicated server is monitored 24/7 by a trained professional. If something goes wrong, the response time will be minutes instead of hours. Instead of relying on dark of night phone calls, a full-time server admin will begin addressing the issues that caused the service interruption right away. In the long term, fully managed dedicated server hosting can save you many hours of downtime and potentially, a lot of money.

Better protection

Hacking attempts, Denial of Service attacks, and viruses can strike at any moment. No website should be considered safe from threats, no matter how small or inconspicuous. Good dedicated hosting managed server providers will harden your machine to prevent intrusions and attacks. But only great hosting providers will proactively monitor your server and respond accordingly when an attack is detected.

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are among the hackers’ favorite weapons for taking down a website. Without adequate protection, even a powerful dedicated host can fall in minutes when confronted with a DDoS attack.

With server monitoring, you get an extra layer of protection. The technicians monitoring your dedicated managed server are able to detect the telltale signs of an impending DDoS and intervene to mitigate its effects. Although there are protection solutions that can stop a large-scale attack, a managed dedicated host is more likely to withstand day-to-day malicious activities.

Good server monitoring will protect your managed dedicated server against other threats as well. Viruses, including worms, bots, and trojans, should be a major concern of any website owner. Malware infections can have devastating effects on your website, and some problems can even expand in the real world. For example, data stealing bots can collect the private information stored on your server, leaving you exposed to fraud or even extortion. Moreover, if you collect information from your users, you have the legal duty to protect it. Failing to do so can land you in trouble, including law suits and regulatory scrutiny.

A quality managed dedicated server hosting solution is your insurance against malware and other threats. Professional server administrators have the experience needed to spot suspicious activity, investigate, and act accordingly.

Money well spent

Although fully managed dedicated server hosting services are more expensive than solutions that don’t include server monitoring, you might find that you get a better return on investment by opting for a managed service.

Think of the flat monthly fee paid for the managed dedicated hosting as the insurance you pay to protect your assets. When your website is a primary business tool, the premium may very well be justified. In some cases, the lost revenue caused by a few hours of downtime may exceed the expenses with the dedicated managed server for several months. And even if you don’t suffer a concrete financial loss when your website doesn’t work within parameters, the costs of investigating and fixing the problem yourself can be substantial.

When you take into account the financial risks associated with having your website hacked or your private data stolen, it’s obvious that safety measures are a smart investment.

Plus, fully managed dedicated servers hosting can be more affordable than you expect. A little market research can reveal great bargains, including bundled dedicated managed hosting services and other special promotions. For the monthly cost of a cell phone data plan, you can ensure that your website works great, with no exception.

Get proactive server monitoring with any managed dedicated server from Certified Hosting

Certified Hosting employs some of the best specialists in the industry to monitor servers round the clock. No matter what plan you choose or what components you select for your managed dedicated server, at Certified Hosting you will get the full attention of a technician with extensive experience in Web hosting. If your server becomes unavailable for any reason, an alert is instantly issued in our network operations center and a technician begins addressing the problem right away.

The dedicated managed server hosting services from Certified Hosting let you minimize downtime and forget about maintenance headaches. And it costs you less than a hundred dollars per month.

To find out more about our leading dedicated managed servers or to get started with an impressive hosting solution, please call 1-909-498-4415 or visit us at certifiedhosting.com.