Web Hosting
An online place to call your own
A web hosting provider offers a place on its server to users who need a place to put up their websites. Web hosting providers either offer free services, with the proviso that they can advertise on your website, or commercial services, in which the user will pay a monthly or yearly fee in order to use the provider's bandwidth. Normally, in both cases, the user must sign an agreement with the provider's conditions. Essentially, web hosting is online real estate – the user is renting space to put up a website. In a company's case, it will have its own server and bandwidth, eliminating the need for a web hosting provider.
People who use web site hosting tend to be individuals looking for a place to host a personal or commercial website or blog. They are looking for space and a safe place in which to edit and upload content to their site. Free web hosting providers will often provide site builders; a commercial web hosting provider may provide an FTP site in which to securely host and test content. Beware of cheap web hosting providers, however; often these providers will promise you "unlimited" bandwidth or file upload size - always remember that providers have to pay for bandwidth, so they won't allow you to use a lot of it without a price. Read the fine print, always.
Must-Have Features
- A secure place to host your site
- Clear pricing for space and bandwidth
- Unlimited file size
- Technical support
Major Considerations
- What sort of site are you building? How much traffic do you expect?
- How much are you willing to spend on web hosting?
- Will you need a site builder?
- Will you need FTP access?
Top Manufacturers
- Geocities
- Angelfire
- GearHost
- Media3
- XtreemHost
Price Range
Depending on what kind of web hosting you want, you can get free web hosting or pay $5 to $30 a month.
Summary
Every website needs a host, and unless you're a big company, you won't have your own server to host it on. Web hosting allows the individual to host his or her website and take advantage of bandwidth for free or for a small price. A user must watch out for conditions, file size caps and "unlimited" bandwidth promises, though. Read the fine print and take advantage of the features to build and maintain your site. Take the time to do research and find the best web hosting situation for your needs.
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