Selecting A Web Host

A Web Host is company that acts as a host for your website. A website is an electronic document and in order for you to share your site with others, it needs to reside on a web host that is connected to the World Wide Web. The web host has powerful servers (computers) that act as storage for all these websites. Once you have placed (correct term is uploaded) via FTP your website on a host, anyone in the world can now access your website.

So here is how it works, you design a website on your computer. You then upload your website to a host (which is connected to the WWW), and voila your site is live on the internet. Of course before you can upload your site you need to follow the steps to build a website.

A piece of advise here; I firmly do not agree with using free host for my  website. If you are serious about building a site that is meaningful, professional and portrays a good image then pay for your hosting. Free hosting could mean no support, sites may have advertisements or popups, slow servers, there could be plenty of downtime and you can't complain about it cause it's free. You may even have security and spamming issues. So stay away from them.

NOTE: Some hosting companies give you free domain name registration when you purchase a hosting plan. I say register your own domain and pay for it. It is free only until you host with them. Your free domain may cost you a lot more later. So check with the company if the domain belongs to you and what will it cost for that domain if you were to leave?

There are thousands of Web Hosting Companies and it gets really confusing when making your decision. Over the last few years I have been using my partners for all my web hosting requirements. I have never had any issues, and if I do they have 24/7/365 phone and e-mail support. 

I recommend you use a reputable hosting company, that has good phone support. I get very concerned when I can only use e-mail as my source of contact, since it maybe hours and in some cases days before they get back to you with resolutions. The problem in selecting your host provider is magnified because it is fairly easy to setup a server and become an Internet Hosting Service Company, so many individuals and small companies provide this service in the hopes of making money, except they forget to provide the required support to their clients.

In order to make an intelligent decision about your host provider, you must be aware of what kind of site you will build. Do you require special requirements such MySQL for database, do want your server to be on Windows or Linux? Do you wish to run PHP, PEARL scripts? How much storage space do you need? Bandwidth? etc. How many Domains, Sub Domains does the plan allow for. How many e-mail addresses are you allowed to setup? Check all the various options each one provides and go with the one you feel most comfortable. DO NOT always go for the cheapest one. Remember the saying; "Buy Cheap and Weep".

Most good hosting providers, even on their lowest hosting plan provide what a beginner requires for his/her website. On my very first website I chose the most basic plan, and it was good enough for me. A 5 to 30 page website takes up next to nothing in storage space, so don't get suckered into getting a more expensive plan which has unlimited space, and unlimited bandwidth etc. It is similar when we buy an electronic gadget. We get conned into paying for all the features (bells and whistles) and options we can use. In reality we never use more then 30% of the purchased features.

If you are new or have a small website, buy the most reasonable plan. With any hosting plan, if the need arises you can always upgrade it later (this does not affect your website). So save your money and go for the basic plan, but do choose a good web host. As you build your site and begin to comprehend the internet world you will  understand your needs and get more specific.

Another bit of advise I can give is to perhaps go on a monthly plan. Many hosting companies give you the flexibility to take on a hosting plan and pay monthly or a minimum of 2 months initially (thereafter you pay monthly). Of course they may give you a slight discount if you purchased a yearly plan, but if you are not sure, then take a monthly plan that way you can always leave if you are not happy with the company or their service. You can always find another host.

So take small steps if you have to, this way your initial cost is minimal and you learn as you go without spending a ton of money. Imagine right now you could have a domain name and a hosting plan that would cost you less then $11 (US) (plus applicable taxes) for the first 2 months, there after $3.99/month for hosting, and you get it at the following hosting provider.