What is a Web Host server?

A Web host will store your Web pages on a computer Web server making them available to visitors from around the world. As soon as you have your Web host settled you can Upload your Web pages so that others can in turn download your pages.

A Web Host server is nothing more than a computer. It has a hard drive, a CPU, memory and all of the things you will generally find in a home computer. A server by definition is just a computer which serves other computers. A web hosting server is nothing more than a computer which serves web pages to the computers requesting them.

The data exchange between web browser and the web server has grown more complicated as there has become the need for dynamic Web content that is used by firms and individual customers to manage online business operations.   In a general way, Web servers operate with simple, static content: HTML documents and images. The needed file is loaded from the host server disk and in the end is delivered to the Web browser by the Web server.

What makes a computer a good web server?

A web hosting server is a server set up to perform web hosting tasks quickly and efficiently. It needs maintenance from a qualified professional from time to time to ensure it is running efficiently.
A good web hosting facility has redundancy. Typically, a host server has multiple hard drives which store the data. With a multiple hard drive system data is saved on more than one. Reliability is essential.
Most servers run lower end CPUs. Frequently Celeron chips are used which range from 1.0 Ghz to 1.7 Ghz. The reason for this is two-fold: these chips generate less heat which is important to keep heat down in a server and web hosting does not generally demand much cpu processing. RAM is more important at times than the CPU. Typically a server should have 512 MB to 2 GB of memory.

Web hosting companies typically connect to the Internet through T (Transmission), OC (Optical Carrier), and DS (Digital Signal) lines. Many smaller web hosting providers connect your site to the world at a rate of 1.544 megabits per second (Mbps). The best hosting companies use redundant lines to ensure that customers' sites remain responsive even if their primary Internet connections are temporarily unavailable. It's a good idea to determine which providers offer backup connections fast enough to maintain your site's performance in the event of a primary line failure.

 

How should I choose a Web host? 

Choosing a host that meets your needs is important. You need to choose one that provides what you need, and doesn't provide what you don't need. You don't want to have a Web site that doesn't function as you want it to, and you don't want to be paying for facilities that you don't use. So, take some time to write a quick list of what you're looking for in a web host.

There are many thousands of Web host companies that can be found on search engines. The following criteria should be considered:

 

 

How much space will by Web site require on the Host server?	As an approximation 100 pages will require 10Mb. The larger your Web site the more memory you will occupy on the hosts hard drives. It should be recognised that the cost of memory has fallen sharply over recent years.
Does the Host offer 24 hour technical support by telephone and e-mail?	Telephone support 24 hours daily and e-mail reply within 24 hours are desirable.
Can the Web Host guarantee less than 1% downtime?	A maximum of 1% downtime is essential. During such times, your Web site will not be on-line. A good host will have technical personnel by their computers continuously.
How much am I prepared to pay for Web Hosting?	As a general rule, you get what you pay for. There is no harm in searching around, but as costs are generally low, make quality a priority. There is inevitably a trade off between the cost and the quality of Web Host service?
E-commerce support.	Many host companies would welcome an e-commerce package with you.
Contract duration.	What is the duration of the initial contract with the Web Host? Monthly or annual fees are usually agreed at the outset.
Statistics.	Does the Web Host provide a statistics package? The best data that you can obtain about your site should  come directly from your web server. The better Hosts will provide graphical presentations of data ranging from the number of visitors to all the Web site to hits on individual pages. The data may be presented by the day, week or month so that you can track progress.
What is the likely quantity of downloads (Bandwidth) of my Web site and how is this charged by the Web Host?	Bandwidth is the measure of usage of your site from the Web host. The greater the bandwidth the greater the costs to the host and these must be met by you to make Web hosting viable.
Do you require e-mail accounts?	If so, how many?
Do you need access to a server-side scripting and database solution? (ASP, PHP, Cold Fusion, Perl, CGI, MySQL, Microsoft Access, FrontPage)	With the exception of Frontpage extensions and Microsoft Access, these requirements are complex and you will probably need a Web site design company to assist you.

 

Your ISP (Internet Service Provider) will almost certainly provide you with Web space that will allow you to start your early exploration of setting up a Web site. Once you have a serious Web presence you will probably want to upgrade to a specialist Web host. This will cost several pounds each month depending on the size of you Web site and the Bandwidth (a factor of the number of visitors to your site and the amount of time that they spend perusing your pages). The Web host will have a network administrator on site continuously to sort out any problems should they arise. They can also advise you if there are any difficulties pertaining to your Web site. As with everything in commercial life, you get what you pay for. There are thousands of Web host services that can be located through search engines. Before signing up to a contract, check with your friends for a recommendation. Many Web hosting companies provide “freebies” such as counters and small programs that can enhance your Web site. They provide these as part of their marketing strategy in the hope that once you have seen the quality of their products that you will consider purchasing their products including their Web hosting. 

To check on the function of a Web server, visit their home page at several times through the day to ensure that it is running smoothly and quickly. 

If you start your Web site with one Web host, and you would prefer to move it to another with better facilities, there is nothing to stop you. It is possible to transfer a Web site, including the domain name from one host to another.

What is a Web Hosting Reseller?

This is a company that is between the Web Host and the customer. It may be a good business for some but it puts an extra layer in the system and can cause delays when problems arise.

How can you tell when you are purchasing services from an actual hosting provider, or from a hosting reseller?

 An actual web host provider is selling services from host servers that it owns and maintains. When you call a true hosting provider for support, they handle it directly. Resellers do not own the servers, or manage the network, or any of the truly technical stuff that the actual provider does. When you call a reseller for support issues, most of the technical problems are relayed to the actual host. 

The Cheap Web Hosting companies that claim to offer unlimited storage or transfer rely on the fact that, in reality, the majority of customers do not use very much of either. Data transfer and disk storage space cost money and a truthful host will impose some monthly limit and inform you of this in advance. However as a user of this "unlimited" service, if you wish to have a serious and professional on line business you may well offer free downloads of electronic books or free software trials for example. If your business proves to be a success and is popular then undoubtedly your host will contact you to discuss their "unlimited" policy.

A cheap web host simply cannot afford to stay in business if they truly let you have unlimited transfer or storage. If all their customers were to use large amounts of data transfer then they would need to upgrade their bandwidth capacity to allow access to all the hosted sites at one time.  

One way to avoid some of these problems is to avoid hosts that host sites that place large burdens on bandwidth Essentially don't let your site suffer as a result of other sites hosted by your hosting provider. A reasonable data transfer limit from a good cheap host is 3 gigabytes of data per month; this is more than ample for most sites. If the host offers more than this for free, check out their bandwidth provisions to ensure they can actually meet their promises.   For sites that are not so critical, consider a cheaper price at the cost of a little more "down" time and inconvenience than more important sites.

In general, if you run a business on the web, you would not want to take that kind of risk. Bad support and "down" times have a habit of occurring at the worst moments such as during your peak ordering seasons. Cheap web hosts often don't fully control their servers - they might have a dedicated server with another company to make their costs lowest possible, so they are sometimes forced to rely on others to perform some physical tasks like replacing some hardware on the server. 

 

You can find a good deal because cheap web hosting industry is very competitive but if a host is way too cheap for the features it offers compared to others, don't go with them. Visit the support pages and see if you are comfortable with the level of support offered by this host. You can't expect to get the greatest and fastest support for every little problem you have by paying less than £5/month. Such a business would fail soon because qualified support personnel costs money. Cheap web hosts often don't fully control their servers - they might have a dedicated server with another company to make their costs low as possible, so they are sometimes forced to rely on others to perform some physical tasks like replacing some hardware on the server.

 

Bandwidth (data transfer) is usually measured in gigabytes. A gigabyte is one billion bytes. Each letter on this page is one byte. Images can take up a large amount of kilobytes (thousands of bytes), and file downloads can be several megabytes (millions of bytes) in size.

 

You need to think of how much bandwidth your site will need. Unless your site has a lot of it will be unlikely that you will need many gigabytes of transfer - 5 gigabytes should be enough. Any more, and you will just be paying extra for something to use. On that note though, you should be careful and make sure you always do have some extra bandwidth - many hosts charge $2.00 and more for every gigabyte of transfer you use extra. That can add up very quickly.

 

Like most things, bandwidth is not created equally. There are varying degrees of performance delivered by hosts. One company may provide expensive, but super-fast connections while another could provide slow but cheap bandwidth. It is good to test it yourself by visiting the web host's page multiple times throughout the day to see how fast their response loads up. A slow loading Web site could be a sign of a slow and over-loaded internet connection.

 

Also like most things, internet connections can break. To ensure that your site does not go down, most Hosts use multiple carriers for their internet connection. It is a good thing to look up a host's network of connection (usually found on its own or in the about section) and see that they have multiple connections. It is also important to note carriers designated as 'backup connections.' These carriers are only used when the primary connections go down.

 

Should the Web Host be local?

For businesses that specialize in certain localities it is appropriate to try to choose a host that is located near you. There is some evidence that your Web site will be downloaded faster by the majority of your local visitors and you will have access to local technical support when required on the telephone.

 

Many hosting companies in fact resell hosting solutions from other companies - these other companies could be located elsewhere, and although you think you're getting service from a local company, you are in fact receiving it from somewhere else.

Fortunately, there is a way to find out if the host you are thinking about choosing is located near you. Assuming that the host's own Web site is hosted on the same servers that they provide to their customers, you can find out the IP address of their Web site and using that, the exact city in which they are located. Once you have the IP address (which you can obtain by "pinging" their Web site), you can enter it into a program called NeoTrace, which will tell you the city they are located in.

Data transfer costs money, even for hosting providers. If a hosting provider promises you unlimited data transfer, it's a sign of a scam. If it costs them money, how can they afford to give it to you for free?

Before going with a new hosting company, always take some time to check them out. Do a quick search with your favourite search engine for your host, and read up on any articles and reviews that come up about them. By reading about other people's experiences, you can learn from their mistakes.

 

Is it appropriate to use a free Web Host?

There is no such thing as a free lunch. You will find your Web pages presented with advertisements that detract from their quality. Free web hosting services are suitable for personal, family or hobby activities. If you are looking to establish an online business or become an affiliate and earn commissions, free sites often limit your flexibility in terms of real time credit card processing, choice of shopping cart, and use of customized scripts.  Many affiliate programs will not accept persons who are hosted on a free web service. Additionally the constant barrage of advertising by the free service, will lure your customers away and eventually hurt the sales-effectiveness of your site. Finally, your site is almost certainly not going to be listed by the Search Engines.   

Web Host Directories

The following Web Host directories have been listed according to the facilities they provide. Higher ranking Web Host directories provide facilities for searching their database for criteria that you may require.  The ranking of Web host directories has been undertaken bearing in mind that visitors to www.firstWeb sitedesign.com are setting up their first Web site. Larger companies are more likely to have dedicated Web site designers set up their Web Host for them.

 

 http://www.hostpulse.com/app/

"I have personally analyzed and researched over 1400 hosting companies in our database. I have awarded these companies for their outstanding hosting services. If you are looking for serious, reliable and yet affordable host, these are the ones" Terence L, Founder of hostPulse.com 

http://www.hostsearch.com/shared_zone.asp

Web hosting found easily! hostSearch.com features web host search tools, host directory, hosting promotions, web hosting reviews, hosting news, hosting guides & articles, host lab test, web host companies' pictures, and much more...

http://www.webhostingmall.com/

Provides an indication of cost for various webh hosting requirements.

http://www.webhostingmall.com/

http://hostsearch.com/

Web hosting found easily! HostSearch.com features web host search tools, host directory, hosting promotions, web hosting reviews, hosting news, hosting guides & articles, host lab test, web host companies' pictures, and much more..

  http://hostsearch.com/

http://www.hostcompanies.com/

You have just found probably the most advanced web hosting directory in the world. We wanted to take the Web site hosting directory a step further and have spent over a year preparing a very advanced business base. Our intention is to connect the three main areas of internet business ( web hosting companies, web design companies, small and large online business based companies ) together.

http://www.webhostingratings.com/

Web hosting Ratings is a complete independent guide to selecting the right domain web hosting service for personal or business use.  We feature a large searchable database of web hosting plans with all their features, over 4000 user reviews, uptime monitoring of hundreds of web hosts, and educational web hosting guides. You can search according to 44 separate criteria. Having provisionally found your selection of Web hosts, this directory provides you with more detail of these hosts to assist you in making a final selection.

http://www.ahfb2000.com/host/index.php

AHFB web host directory is your one stop to find a new server or webhost. We are a fast hosting directory providing friendly information.Using our Fast Search search bar, you are able to narrow your web hosting search to get the best web host tailored to your individual needs. Users are also able to read and leave web host reviews as well as join us in our Web hosting Forums. Finding a place to host your Web site has never been easier, finding the right web host for your needs has never been less stressful.

http://www.webhostdir.com/

Web hosting services in a searchable web host directory. Powerful web host search engines, reviewed web hosts, awards, news and much more!

http://www.411hostlist.com/

Search, locate, compare and email hundreds of web hosting companies to find the host that is the perfect match for YOUR site. Each site has different needs, so it is important to find the right matching host. That's where we come in! Thousands of Web site owners, business owners and webmasters trust 411 to help them find the right host for them.

http://www.webhostsonline.com/

Web hosting Directory: Web hosts Online offers a searchable database of web hosts and web hosting plans along with specialty showcase categories.

http://www.webhostingrank.com/

This Web host Directory has a database of nearly 2,500 Web hosts. You can search according to 44 separate criteria. Having provisionally found your selection of Web hosts, this directory provides you with more detail of these hosts to assist you in making a final selection.

http://www.hostcompare.net/

Looking for reliable and affordable web hosting services? host Compare is a complete independent guide to finding the right Web site hosting service for any purpose: from cheap web hosting and affordable web hosting to business web hosting and E-commerce web hosting. host Compare is one of the most comprehensive web hosting directory resources on the Internet. host Compare provides a searchable database of web hosting plans. Use host Compare to find your web hosting service. We have the tools and resources that will help you search and find the perfect and best low cost Web site hosting Provider.

http://www.ratemyhost.com/

Our web hosting showcases offer an excellent place to begin searching for a web hosting provider. Whether you are looking for cheap web hosting, or high-end managed hosting services, we are sure that the following showcases will assist you in your search.

http://www.hostprofessor.com/defaults.asp

A guide to the best web hosting bargains online. Looking for the best deals in web hosting, both dedicated and virtual. This site shares my findings and can give you a head-start when searching for that perfect web hosting provider.

http://www.Web site-hosting-web.com/

Web site-hosting-web.com provides you choices of Web hosting services, affordable web hosting and dedicated hosting for all your business and ecommerce needs, cheap Web site hosting and professional http://www.Web site-hosting-web.com/

web hosting. http://www.Web site-hosting-web.com/

world's best Web hosting companies, services, special offers and plans.” 

http://www.hostindex.com/

Search Search and compare web hosting companies. Get a custom-made report on your hosting needs. Web hosts supporting e-commerce, merchant accounts, and online shopping! Companies hosting FrontPage 2000 and FrontPage 2002 Web sites. This showcase has reliable and powerful hosts for all-purpose Web sites.

 http://www.hostreview.com/

Web hosting directory for the web hosting industry.

 http://cheap-web-hosting-directory.com/

A comprehensive guide to low-cost web hosting.

 http://www.hostlead.com/

Web hosting directory. Easily find cheap quality web hosting. Whether you need unix web hosting , windows hosting , reseller webhosting , domain hosting , virtual private servers or complex managed dedicated server solutions , find it all at host Lead.

 http://www.webhostingchoice.com/

Web hosting Choice is your advertisement free guide to choosing the right web host for your personal or business site. Our focus is on a searchable directory that will let you find web hosting plans suitable for a small site or for a large e-commerce Web site

  http://www.low-cost-web-hosting-guide.com/

Are you searching for cheap web hosting services and having trouble sorting through the thousands of hosting providers out there to find just the right deal? Worse yet, have you visited a web hosting directory that lists tons of Web site hosting providers without ever actually helping you to find what you were truly searching for -- feature-rich, inexpensive web hosting accounts? Well, you've finally come to the right place. Our web hosting guide lists only high-quality, discount web hosting accounts and web hosting providers that offer you the most value for your money.

 http://www.webhostseek.com/

A Yellow pages of Web hosts. Each month visitors to this site vote for their favourite Web host and the latest results are featured.

 http://www.hostpulse.com/app/

I have personally analyzed and researched over 1400 hosting companies in our database. I have awarded these companies for their outstanding hosting services. If you are looking for serious, reliable and yet affordable host, these are the ones" Terence L, Founder of hostPulse.com 

 http://www.ifoundhost.com/

Web hosting Directory:  Your best free source of Web hosting services.  Find your next Web hosting Service Now!

http://www.myispfinder.org/hosting/

This Web host directory allows you to search for Web host Sites according to the features you require, the storage (in MB), and the bandwidth. You can search by price, storage or bandwidth.

 http://www.starterplans.com/

Starter Plans is the premier online directory for cheap web hosting plans. Web hosting starter plans with the top features at the lowest possible prices to start a new Web site. The web hosting plans are listed in order of cost to Web site owners.  Browse thru the list of starter plans and choose the web hosting plan which offers the most features for your hosting dollars.  

http://www.hostdetective.net/

A web hosting directory offering non biased results for virtual, reseller and dedicated hosting. This web hosting directory allows you to score your current web host and visitors can see the ranking of Web hosts according to these scores.

http://www.hostdetective.net/

http://www.webhostsonline.com/

Web hosting Directory: Web hosts Online offers a searchable database of web hosts and web hosting plans along with specialty showcase categories.

http://www.hostchart.com

Compare Web Hosting Companies and Web Hosts Plans

http://www.top-web-hosting-directory.com/

Featuring web hosting directory, powerful search engine, web host awards, web hosting industry news and other web host lists.

http://www.webhostdirectory.com/

Our Web host Directory has over 1200 web hosts to choose from.  Find a great host fast!

http://www.webhosters.com/

Webhosters Directory: The internets best free resource of web hosting services, featuring more Web hosting faqs, content, how-to's than ANY other Web host Directory.

http://www.webhostjunction.com/

Looking for a host for your new site, but don’t know where to start? WebhostJunction.com includes a feature based interactive search system, web host reviews, a hosting proposal generation system, web hosting awards, web hosting related articles and tutorials as well as the latest web host industry news, and so much more...

 http://Web sitehosting.thetop11.com/171.php

Web hosting,free web hosting,Web site hosting, free Web site hosting,business web hosting,and affordable web hosting.

Forums:

http://Web sitehosting.thetop11.com/171.php

Forums dedicated to web hosting provide a friendly place to ask questions about web hosts and web host companies.

http://www.hostchart.com/forums.asp

http://www.findspforums.com/

http://forums.webhostdir.com/

http://www.hostcompanies.com/forums/

http://www.hostingdiscussion.com/

http://www.resellerforums.com/

http://www.supportville.com/

http://webhostingchat.com/forum/index.php

http://www.webhostingtalk.com/

http://www.webhostingmall.com/

 

http://www.webhostmagazine.com/

Web host Magazine & Buyer's Guide - the Toughest Web hosting Reviews from fair and objective independent review panel - with latest Web site hosting news, articles, and thousands of resources