What exactly is web hosting?  What features will you need from a web host?  Questions like these often overwhelm would-be online business owners who are looking at setting up their first website.  This can also prevent a lot of businesses from setting up a website or even starting their online business as they don’t know where to begin.

So where do you start?

To begin with, let’s look at what a web host is and what they do.

A web host is a company is essentially a company who “hosts” your website on their servers (their own computers), that are connected to the internet 24/7. They have computers which are stored in what they call a data center, that are used to store your files for your website. Then as someone visits your website, these computers then show your sites pages to your visitors.

If you want to have any type of website for your business, you WILL need a web host to host your website on.

What do you need to look for in a web host?

There are so many different web hosting companies available that all offer various features and pricing options. Two of the first things you will need to take a look at first is the amount of bandwidth and disk space you are offered. These are very important factors into deciding upon a plan and a web host.

Now in case you are a beginner and don’t know why this is important, I’ll briefly explain why.

First of all disk space is just that. The space you have to host all your files for your website on. Just like you do with your files on your computer. You store them on your hard drive.  The bigger your hard drive, the more you can store on it.  Right?  This is the same with a web host. The more disk space you have, the bigger your website can be. If you only have a small website that does not require a lot of disk space, then you don’t really need to go for a bigger size plan if you are not going to use it all. It all depends on what plans you have for your online business and your website.

Bandwidth is the amount of data that is transferred to and from your site. You need to make sure that you have enough bandwidth on the plan you select. If you run out of bandwidth then you won’t be able to display your website to your visitors.

Just one thing to watch out for though – sometimes a web hosting company will offer you unlimited bandwidth. Before you purchase a plan like this, make sure you read the fine print, very carefully. Sometimes there can be a catch to an offer like this as you may find that you are restricted in regard to the type of data you transfer. As an example, you may not be allowed to upload and use video and audio onto your website.

There are a few more feature that you need to look into:

• Find out if the web host’s plans are Windows, Unix or Linux based
• Are their plans script compatible
• How many databases can you have and what type?
• What type of control panel do you have access to?
• Can you have your own email account? If so how many and what type?

The operating system of the web hosts server will determine what software you can use on your website. The software applications you can use on your website, are often referred to as scripts. Not all web hosts are compatible to all scripting languages, like Perl, PHP and others.

Now the scripts you may want to use on your website often needs a database to manage the operation of the script, so you will need a compatible database yo do this. Most hosting plans allow you to create one or more email addresses using your own domain name.

Before you decide upon a web host company to host your website, do your research. Look at different companies and what type of plans they provide. Have a look in different forums and see what other people are saying.

Think about what you want to achieve in your website and what your plans are for the near future. In the end it all comes down to what is best for your business and what features and options you require.

To Your Success

About the Author

Kellie Simon is a Full Time Internet Marketer, who also provides support to Online Business. Kellie loves sharing her knowledge to encourage and assist others to get started in their online business. Visit Kellie’s Blog to get her free report revealing the top 9 methods you can use to get started online and making money today. Go To Kellie’s Blog – http://www.kelliesimon.com.au

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