WEB HOSTING INFORMATION
How You Can Have Your Very Own Website
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Choosing Your Web Hosting Provider
If you are going for more than just a personal website, you should register a Domain Name. We'll cover that in a separate article, so be sure to check out the index. Once you have registered your Domain Name, you are ready to select your Web Hosting Provider.
If you are only planning to develop a basic personal webpage, there are plenty of web hosting providers who offer free or very low-cost service plans. Check with your own ISP (Internet Service Provider) first, as many offer space to host your website free of charge, as part of your Internet package. In fact, even if you are planning your website for business use, your ISP may still offer reasonable business packages. They should be the first place you look. If yours doesn't offer this, or if their packages do not meet your needs, there are plenty of other Web Hosts to choose from. Some free service providers include Geocities, doteasy.com, and Bravenet.com. We recommend free sites only if you are just starting out or only want a personal site. There are some decided disadvantages to using the free hosting services. They include having ad banners on your website (where else will they make their money if they don't charge for their services), limited storage space and technical support, and poor security, to name a few. However, for the first-time web page developer, this gives you a place to experiment without spending a lot of money. These free hosting services also offer low-cost or mid-range cost plans, so once you are ready, you can upgrade without having to move your website.
What To Look For In a Web Hosting Provider
Price isn't the only consideration when selecting a Web Hosting Provider, although that is certainly one point to consider. Why pay $249 for something you can get for $10 or $20? Here are some suggestions for selecting your Web Hosting Service:
• Stability
Look at how long the provider has been in business. You'll want to select a provider who has a proven track record of stability and satisfied customers.
• Disk Space and Bandwidth
Disk space is the amount of storage space for your web pages, including html, graphics, databases and other files. This usually isn't a problem with most hosting plans, unless you are using a free hosting service with limited disk space. Bandwidth is the amount of data sent when others access your site. You'll want a hosting service which will provide bandwidth in the gigabyes, since you can quickly amass bandwidth usage in the 40MB range per day if 100 visitors access your site.
• Technical Support
If your website develops problems or (worse-case scenario) crashes, how difficult will it be to reach someone to help you? Is there live telephone support? How long does it take to reach your support staff?
• Server Type
The most common server type is the shared server. You are sharing your site with anywhere from 20 to 200 others on the same server. This usually presents very little problems, unless your site or another on the same server is very busy. This can cause your pages to load slowly and other problems. If you run into this type of problem fairly often, though, it's easily solved by having your site moved to a dedicated server. This means that you are all by yourself with no one else to share server space with.
• Cost
Cost can be a factor, although there are many affordable plans available that it shouldn't be. You'll want the best value for your dollar, so check carefully into just what you'll be getting for your money. See our article on free and affordable web hosting for more help in selecting your web hosting provider.
Final Words
If you want your own website, there are plenty of places that can provide a home for your site. You can start out small and with a free provider, working your way up as you gain experience and have more material to include. There are websites for just about anything under the sun on the World Wide Web. Feel free to add yours, too! Good luck!
Selection of reliable web hosting provider is must for the success of a website. There are many web site hosting companies which offer different packages for small website owner to a large business website. Some companies offer only shared hosting while some companies offer only dedicated web servers. For making a good comparison among all providers,hosting reviews can be a good source of information. Many providers also offer free web design programs with their packages. |