Hosting your website

If you want your Web Site to be visible to the world, it has to be Hosted on a Web Server.
A simple definition of web hosting is a service that provides, at a minimum, storage space on a server (specialized computer) and bandwidth which allows the data (web pages, images, etc) stored on this server to be transferred to anyone viewing the data. 

A more pragmatic definition is that web hosting is a service that allows your web site to be connect to the Internet at high speeds via a web server. Your information is then accessible from anywhere in the world. Renting space on a web server is much like renting an apartment. The monthly fee provides you with space on a web server but the up-keep of the server is the responsibility of the owner of the web server.

Web hosts exist to provide a bundle of services that make publishing on the Internet possible. Web hosts combine many services logically into a single package at a reasonable price. These services typically include:

• Storage space • The physical disk space on a server where your website data (pages, images, scripts, e-mails etc) is stored
• Bandwidth • The Internet traffic and the networking infrastructure needed to deliver the traffic to users of your website
• E-mail accounts • E-mail boxes where you can send and receive e-mail. Often many other e-mail service variations are provided as well
• Technical support • A staff of support technicians to help you with general service usage issues and other problems as they arise
• Scripting support • The ability to run scripts (small programs that perform certain tasks) on the server
• Backup services • A service that makes a copy of your website data in case of accidental deletion or other emergency situation

The above list is by no means all encompassing. Web hosts offer a wider array of services to provide a better user experience but the above covers the basics that can be expected with most web hosting firms.

Let’s start where the Internet starts: with a host. A host is a server that provides a home for your website on the World Wide Web. Just as your computer contains all your files, so a host contains all the files needed to run your website.

Why can’t you just keep all those files on your own computer? Because that would mean visitors would have to connect directly to your computer to see your website and that’s not a good idea. It wouldn’t be secure and it would make your machine run like a tired snail. With a host, you can simply upload everything you need to the server and your users can then connect there to see your site. It lets the site run faster and allows it to have all the security and extras it needs.

Selecting a host is the first important step towards building your Internet business.

Hosting services and companies vary from totally free, shared servers to large-scale dedicated machines.
You’ll have to decide which is right for you and your business.
Your choice of server will depend on how much money you have available at the beginning and how much you plan to grow in the
future.

In my opinion, for commercial sites, free hosting is a waste of time. Your users are going to get blasted with annoying pop-ups every time they surf to your page, it’s going to be impossible to get a decent position in a search engine, and you don’t even get a real business URL. No one’s going to remember your web address if they have to type: FreeWebsiteHosting.eu/mywebsite.
However, it is possible to choose a cheaper host at the beginning and move up as your business begins to bring in money.

If you need good and reliable hosting of your website, I can recommend Hostmonster. You get enough webspace and bandwidth for a more than reasonable price. I use them since 2 years, never had problems, which I cannot say from the hosting providers I used before.

The support is very fast through a live chat. Each question or problem you have is almost immediatly taken care of.
Hostmonster is a great hosting provider. This site is hosted by them.

Reliable web hosting Data Warehouse.