When we refer to an Internet posting service, which facilitates a simplistic accessibility of websites belonging to companies or individuals through the world wide web, we call it a web hosting service. Web hosting has become a major business today, where some organizations or web sites lease or sell space on their server to interested clients. In countries like Latin America and France, the web hosts, through a process called co-location, can provide data center space and Internet connectivity for other servers in their data center.
Different hosting companies have their specific range of services, among which the web page and small-scale file hosting service form the basic ingredients. Here you can upload files via a web interface or FTP (File Transfer Protocol) with negligible effort, and you will be happy to note that several Internet Service Providers do this free.
The old connotation of the Internet as a medium for the quick transfer of information and data has now transcended to a higher platform of diverse interests. From its pivotal role in matters of international commerce and finance, the Internet has moved on to become the most important medium for buying and selling a variety of products from pins to large corporations, over the net. Consequent upon the growing popularity of the Internet several organizations are queuing up in the Internet marketing arena to taste and enjoy a piece of the cake.
Domain Hosting
Hosting a website on your own computer is not a good idea, as you will have only limited visibility on the web. For this, the best alternative is to take space from a hosting company and put your website on the International web. An effectively fast and high bandwidth is the basic requirement of a web host who promises very good connectivity with the Internet. You must ensure however that your hosting company has domain hosting facilities that allow you to change the hosting provider at your will.
Bandwidth
The volume of data that you can transfer on a data communication channel is the bandwidth. This measures the volume of data that the web host will allow you to download from your website per month, and proportionately, it restricts the volume of text and pictures that your visitors can download. Assuming the number of page views per visitor is constant, then the web host will restrict your number of visitors per month.
The speed of the communication channel between you, as the customer, your web host and the Internet is also an important point in web hosting. When we assume that bandwidth refers to the volume of data that we can transfer per second, we also have to know that under a same provider, all the participants share the bandwidth. If however, there is more data than the existing bandwidth can handle your system will slow down.
Selecting a Hosting Service
Some of the important aspects that we should bear in mind before finalizing a web host are their price, data center standards, easy control panel access and an easy navigation interface. Equally important are multi-language scripting facilities and a 24-hour efficient customer support system, besides different packages to suit your growth and up-gradation needs. Look for a provider offering money-back guarantee to ensure safety and peace of mind.
