Web Hosting Definition

If you have made a decision to set up your very own personal site, but are not quite sure about what a web site is and are not aware of the term "web hosting", this article is devoted to explaining these notions in simple terms.

What precisely is a web site?

A website is an amalgamation of webpages gathered systematically. It has a unique web site address, also called a URL (Uniform Resource Locator). A web site may consist of only one web page and sometimes may even contain as many as 1000 webpages.

What is a web hosting server?

A web hosting server enables you to upload your site onto it. In some instances, there might be even thousands of websites on one single hosting server. The web hosting server essentially is a computer with special hardware, which is kept in a datacenter with special cooling systems, whose task is to ensure the seamless performance of the server and all the websites accommodated on it.

In brief, a hosting server will be truly a launching pad when the time arrives for you to launch your web site. It could be any kind of web site - a business website containing a huge number of pages, or a site, which is comprised of just a few webpages and which you have created just for your buddies and relatives.

You've reached a decision about what your web site will be, now what?

As soon as you have reached a decision about what sort of web site you desire to set up, the next move is to find out what sort of web hosting service you must choose for your Internet adventure. Essentially, there are two sorts of hosting services - charge-free hosting services and professional paid website hosting services. The cost-free web hosting solution is commonly used by users that do not possess a business web site.

Strong and weak sides of the cost-free website hosting solution

You will not get lots of features with a free-of-charge web hosting plan. Features such as web traffic, RAM memory and web server hard disk space are restricted and inadequate for an elaborate e-commerce website or a business-related website, or even for a site with plenty of graphics. Additionally, there are lots of advertisement banners inserted on your web site by the hosting packages provider. These advertisements take up plenty of space on your website and are rather annoying.

Shared website hosting

The paid shared website hosting services tend to be more reliable and offer numerous powerful features apart from the high-end server that will accommodate your website and its data. In spite of that, it is important to know which features your site needs prior to choosing your web hosting package. You should not hurry and end up spending money on something that your site does not demand.

Choose your web hosting packages provider

It is easy to find a hosting distributor. You have to simply conduct an online survey in order to find a web hosting provider that fulfills your website's requirements. Before you make your actual choice, take a glimpse at the features of the hosting packages offered by the web hosting distributors that have got your interest. We, for example, are among the premier hosting vendors on the marketplace nowadays. The large array of hosting services and our prices are what renders us an attractive choice. In spite of that, you must verify what sort of hosting service you require and whether the price suits your allowance. Also, you must always remember to check the hosting company's Terms of Service prior to opening an account to confirm that your website is not violating them.

Signing up for a web hosting account

Once you have determined what features are ideal for your website, the next step is to sign up for an account with the web hosting supplier of your preference. You will be bestowed with all the important tools for administering your website files and databases. With us, for example, you will acquire a Control Panel, which is comprised of domain, website, database and e-mail account management areas. You log into the web hosting Control Panel using your unique username and password, which grants you safe access to the part of the hosting server where your website will be hosted.

Uploading your web site

You can either upload your web site through FTP or, as is with most hosting companies, via an online tool that is integrated within the web hosting Control Panel. With us, the File Manager is very intuitive and offers features similar to those observed in Windows Explorer, which renders file manipulation exceptionally easy. We offer additionally a site builder and a PHP-based script installation tool, which you can use to build your site if you possess no programming expertise and are taking your first steps in web design. The web-based website builder, whose name is SiteStudio, will also save you the time and effort of creating a website on your PC and then uploading it via an FTP program or the File Manager tool.