Web Site Hosting

Web site hosting services have never been more economical. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) may provide very basic web hosting services for little or no extra cost. This is, however, not usually a very good solution for an internet business. Pages served from ISPs often load very slowly, data storage is limited, and such essentials as databases and shopping carts are not supported. ISP hosted services are often fine for personal web pages, but are inadequate for money making businesses.

Selecting a Host For Your Site

Your Web site is a series of files that reside on a special computer, called a Web server, connected to the Internet. For customers to visit your site, they must actually connect to that Web server via the Internet and view the files. Web servers and the Internet connections that link them to visitors must be fast and powerful enough to quickly respond to all the visitors’ requests to view your site.

Large businesses prefer the complete control of purchasing, setting up, and managing their own Web server hardware and software. Other small- and medium-sized businesses prefer to turn to a Web hosting company, instead of investing in the hardware, software, and infrastructure necessary to get online. For a monthly fee, Web hosting companies will connect your site to the Internet at high speed via one of their Web servers, allowing the site to be viewed by anyone with an Internet connection and a Web browser. The host provides your site with space on a server, and also offers Web server software, access to its high-speed Internet connection, tools for managing and maintaining your site, customer support, e-commerce features, and more. There are many Web hosting options to choose from, so use the following list to find one that meets your needs.

• Shared hosting or dedicated server. Shared hosting is an arrangement in which your site is housed on the same host server with several other Web sites. This is an economical solution for smaller sites. Paying the host for your own dedicated server, a solution used by larger and busier sites, provides faster access and ensures that your site will be accessible to visitors 100 percent of the time (instead of sharing Web server speed and power with other sites). Does your ISP or Web hosting provider offer both options?
• Hard-disk storage space. Smaller sites may need only 300-500 MB (megabytes) of Web site storage space, while busier e-commerce sites may need at least 9 GB (gigabytes) of space-or their own dedicated Web server. As your site grows, your hosting company should be able to accommodate you with a range of options.
• Availability. If you run an e-commerce business, your site must be accessible to customers 24 hours a day. Web hosts maximize the availability of the sites they host using techniques like load balancing and clustering. Can your host promise near 100% availability?
• E-mail accounts. E-mail accounts that match your domain name are often available from your host. Are they included with your monthly access and hosting fee?
• SSL Encryption: The security of the credit card numbers and other personal information customers send you should be a top concern. Does your ISP or Web host protect your site with an SSL server ID? See Step Four below to learn more about Web site security.
• Support. A big part of the value of turning to an ISP or Web host is that you don’t have to worry about keeping the Web server running. Does your host offer 24×7 customer service?