How Do I Choose The Best Plan For Me?

[Lyla]

Hello, everyone. I'm a digital imaging specialist trying to set up my own website and would really appreciate some advice. I've done plenty of research, but I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with all of the info I've gathered.

My services will focus on photo restoration and enhancement, so I believe I'll need ftp support so that my clients can upload their files to me. I'll also need a shopping cart and a method for them to pay me securely online. I already have a PayPal merchant account, but I'd like to offer other options as well. I'm thinking of using NOVA (http://www.costco.com/Service/FeaturePage.aspx?ProductNo=10166089) for internet credit card processing for my customers who don't want to deal with PayPal. I'm torn over whether I should offer photo archiving and multiple printing choices (i.e. links to Ofoto, Shutterfly, Smugmug), or just leave that up to them. Personally, I prefer to just repair the images, send them a print or digital copy, and then let them worry about storage and who the best printing companies are.

So, how do I guesstimate how much bandwidth I'll need and what the best hosting plan is for me? I'd prefer to start small and upgrade my plan as needed later. Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Steven]

Hi Lyla,
Thanks for the post and welcome to IH forums :) It's hard to guestimate on how much bandwidth will be used, because it depends on how big the images are, how many times they are viewed etc.. What I would recommend is signing up for a package you feel comfortable with monetarily initially, then after the first month you'll know your bandwidth usage according to your control panel and can opt to upgrade/downgrade the account as you see fit :)

-Steven

[Lyla]

Thanks, Steven. I think you're absolutely right. After the site design is finalized, I'll get in touch with you.

Take care,

Lyla