What exactly is a Web Hosting Company?
In a nutshell, a Web Hosting Company is in the business of housing, serving, and maintaining files for one or more Websites. They provide space on their servers to individuals and companies which allow them to publish their Websites, store information, images, video, or other content so that it is accessible via the World Wide Web. More important than the computer space that is provided for Website files is the fast connection to the Internet. Typically, an individual business hosting its own site would be quite expensive. Using a hosting service lets many companies share the cost of a fast Internet connection for serving files.
Which Hosting Company should I choose?
You need to do your research, but here are a few points to consider:
Speed and reliability of the servers and hardware. Have a good look online and check out different web hosting providers. There are many large web hosting companies, which I find advantageous, because with a larger hosting company, there is less downtime and their servers are fast and up-to-date.
Backup
Systems in place in case of power
failures, etc., is important because
without it, you could lose valuable
data. Ask how often backups are
made. (They should be done at least
on a daily basis).
Web Hosting costs can vary greatly,
but you will see prices that range from
$5 - $50/month for a small web hosting
package. Do not jump in because it
is cheap, and do not think the service
is great just because it is costly!
Check around and talk to other people.
(I pay $6.95/month)
Quality of their support services is critical! I would opt for no less than 24/7 live support! If they claim to include this service within the monthly fee, be certain that they don't mean voicemail or email 24-hours-a-day! You need a live person. This is REALLY important! You do not want to have to go through hundreds of "Frequently Asked Questions" before you are allowed to send an email, or have to wait on hold for an hour before being asked to call back at another time!