How to select the best windows VPS for your needs? We're not going to treat you like a idiot. If you are looking for a Windows VPS for running SEO tools, you probably know what you are doing. So instead of a sales pitch, we are just going to explain the factors that make a good VPS. That way if you decide to order a VPS through us, you will know you are getting a good deal.

Line speed is obviously important. The faster the line speed the better. Most VPS's will be hosted on a 100MB or 1GB line. However, it's not as simple as just looking for the VPS that is hosted on the "fattest pipe". How many users that are sharing the line is also important. If the VPS provider over sells their hardware, you might actually be sharing that line with a lot of other users. So although the overall line speed is fast, you only get access to a small amount of bandwidth and you are fighting for it with other users. You will often see VPS providers providing speed test results from speedtest.net, this is useful, however it's not the whole picture. I have used a 1GB VPS, that has a speedtest.net download in the 500mb/sec range, however, when I tried to download something via http it was slower than my home broadband. So it's a good idea to test the connection when you get your VPS by downloading a file from a major site, and test how fast it downloads. Downloading the .net framework from Mircosoft is a good example....that should come down the line very fast, and if it's not, then you know you are probably sharing resources with a lot of other users.

Like with your desktop computer, the CPU on a VPS is important. VPS providers allocate a certain amount of processing power to running your OS. So the physical node your VPS is running on may have a Quadcore Xeon processor, however, your plan may only have a single core allocated to it. Obviously the more processing power here the better, particuly if you want to run multiple applications at the same time. Scrapebox is well programmed, and only has a small footprint, so it will run fine using a single core processor. So if you only want to run Scrapebox, a single core option will be fine. For running multiple applications and really taking advantage of that line speed, you will want at least a dual core.

RAM is also important, once again, particularly if you plan on using multiple applications at the same time. 512MB would be enough to run a single instance of Scrapebox, however, you will find the server a little annoying to navigatearound with so little RAM at your disposal, it will probably appear very laggy. Win2008 server seems to idle at around the 500-600 meg limit, so you would be cutting things pretty tight. 1 GB is probably a better starting point, then scaling up for heavier users.

For running SEO tools you are almost certainty looking for a windows server. Windows 2008 server being the most common option. Win2003 is still available through many providers, and if you are looking for a budget box, and can only afford low specs, 2003 may be a good option because of it's lower resource use.

A server based closer to you will most likely be more responsive, as their will be less packet loss over a shorter distance. The other consideration is what laws are in place in regards to complaints in that country. For example, if someone complains you are spamming their blog, or forum, some places have stricter laws than others. I would read up on provider guidelines before signing up. Your ideal provider should be fine with most tasks, as long as they are not illegal.

Some providers will limit the type of applications you can run. so if you plan to run SEO apps like SEnukeX or Scrapebox you need to look for SEO tool friendly providers. Many of the standard Windows VPS providers will ban you if they find out you are running such apps. Check out the FAQ section before signing up, and check out if they have a policy on what apps you can run.

Running Scrapebox 24/7 is going to expose your VPS to a lot a dodgy infected sites, in particular, if you haven't run URLs through the Malware scanner Addon first. So it's a good idea to install a virus scanner on your VPS. It's not as straight forward as downloading your favorite free for personal use virus scanner like Avast or AVG, as they won't run on Windows 2008 easily. Mainly because use on a server is considered commercial use, and they will want to you to pay. Clamwin is a free virus scanner that seems to be adequate enough for this job, and installs on Windows 2008. Running a virus scanner will use a little of your RAM and CPU, but is well worth it. Getting your whole OS re-imaged because of a virus infection will be a real pain, and may come with an extra fee from your provider.

Great support, and turn around time on ticket requests is important. Don't expect the instant service you get from main stream hosting providers. An SEO tool friendly VPS provider will probably be a smaller company most likely reselling wholesale space on a server. Sometimes these are just run by an individual. This is ok, as after the initial setup phase, these things tend to be fairly low maintenance. At the end of the day, you want someone supporting you who is helpful, and professional. 12 hours to answer a support query is pretty standard.

You need to transfer files from your home PC most likely. Some providers will setup your VPS with an FTP file server. This is great. Sometimes you will see VPS plans with a proxy subscription. This is great too, as if you are running a VPS, you will likely need a good supply of proxies.