A Beginner's Guide To Web Hosting

When a user visits a website, the web page that is seen on the web browser is basically downloaded from a web server. The website consists of web pages, each composed of graphic images and content. In order for the website to be available to online users, all the web pages have to be stored on web servers. So if a user decides to own a website, the website has to be compulsorily hosted on a server. In this way users on the Internet can access the site using browsers. The companies that provide the service of hosting a website are known as web hosting providers.

The web host provides different hosting requirements that users need, with each providing a different plan, rates and type of web hosting. For a novice Webmaster, it is important to understand the type of web host the website would require, depending on business and other feasibilities.

1. Shared Hosting
In this type of hosting, numerous websites share space on a single physical web server, i.e. virtual web hosting.
2. Dedicated Hosting
In dedicated hosting, the user website is allotted to a specific web server that can be used by one user only, for this reason, the name 'dedicated.'
3. Co-location hosting
In co-location hosting, the server hardware is owned by the customer, but stored inside the web hosting company's safe and reliable data center.
4. Reseller hosting
In this type of hosting, a third party buys the web server storage from a web hosting provider at discounted prices and resells it to other customers.

While the web hosting industry is booming, there are plenty of companies that offer such services. For beginners in web hosting, there are plenty of free web hosting services that do not require the user to pay a cent. Once the business expands the user can then opt for a paid hosting service. Since the free services offer limited space, bandwidth and sub-domains. However when choosing a web host, newcomers should be careful. A thorough research on the web host and user reviews should be conducted and it always good to use a web host that comes recommended by friends or someone who is in the business.

There are a few steps prior to hosting a website. Here is a step-by-step plan that will help users get a brief idea:

Step 1: Selecting Domain Name

The domain name is very important from a business point of view. It is the launching pad of your website.

Step 2: Website

It is advisable to keep the website simple if you are a rookie in the industry, but try to maintain a unique look. There are plenty of website templates that can be used or using designing tools like Dreamweaver etc.

Step 3: Pick Your Host

After domain registration and site building, the host serve should be decided on, depending on the budget and the site requirements.

Step 4: Site Upload
Using an FTP tool, the website can be made accessible to online users by uploading text, images, and pages.