To enable a person or company to host a website or other web based product, a web hosting company is required. This giant storage facility normally comes at a cost owing to the services it provides but in some instances (normally non-business or commercial), they can be offered free. Hosting companies can have many servers which they use to store these files, with each customer having their own section for storage; a little like a draw in a filing cabinet.
People first starting out with free hosting should consider if having a free package is what they need because although these supply almost everything needed to create and host a site, they are not a match for a service that is paid. There are many limitations to free web hosting services and they are not generally regarded as an option for serious web users as the amount of storage space is limited along with many other functions a web user may require. Paid hosting packages vary enormously so don't be surprised about the difference in prices; the best thing to do is sit down and work out exactly what your primary requirements are and then check out one of these hosting comparison websites.
Most people and companies start their hosting by using a shared server system which means your files are on the system with other peoples. It is usually possible to upgrade to have a dedicated server for your files once you know the service provider is reliable; there is normally an additional charge for this facility. You need to have a registered domain to have a web hosting package otherwise files, websites and other digital information cannot be stored or accessed. The word ‘files' is a generic term that can mean anything from video to audio tracks but be aware that basic packages do not give the most storage if you are intending to upload large files; however, as storage costs come down, companies are increasing this amount of space.
The good thing about having your own web hosting package and domain means that all your email addresses will contain your domain name in them and not that of the free service provider you may have been using previously. If you have a business presence online whether making use of business sales software you cannot afford to have another company's name at the end of your own e.g. www.yourcompanyname.hostingcompany.com when it should really look like this: www.yourcompanyname.com. The more information that is transferred from your website over the internet, the more bandwidth is used so it is important if you have a great deal of information stored to ensure you have a hosting package that will easily cater for your bandwidth usage.
If your package cannot provide this or the company cannot meet your needs then visitors will not always be able to access your site during busy periods so a new package or company may be needed. Sites that contain mp3 audio tracks or video files require more storage and a greater bandwidth allocation (amount of data that can be sent) if they are to be used. Some people use their own home computers for web hosting but there can be serious security and reliability issues here so it is best to look for a professional company to supply this service.
