Web
Hosting Guide
There's a lot to know about Web
hosting, and this guide will help
you understand it all. We've rounded
up everything you need, from basic
definitions to our Web Hosting How-To.
You can read the guide straight
through, or skip directly to the
chapter you want.
Chapters
- What
is a Web site?
- What is Web hosting?
- What is the procedure for building a
Web presence?
- What is e-commerce?
- Which hosting plan fits my needs?
Web
Hosting Plans
What is a Web site?
Your Web site is a place on the Internet
where anyone in the world can visit
whenever they want to find out more
about you, ask you questions, give
you feedback, or even buy your products.
Think of the Internet as the world's
biggest trade show, and your Web site
is your booth.
What is a Domain Name?
Your Domain Name is your address
on the Internet. Just like people
use your phone number to call you
on the phone, your Domain Name allows
people to access your site on the
Web. Clever, simple, or easy to
remember Domain Names are most desirable
as they can play a large part in
attracting visitors to your site.
What can a Web site do for me?
Your Web site can be used for a
large number of tasks such as:
- Making public announcements
- Providing support to your customers
- Receiving feedback from your
visitors
- Sharing/distributing files and
images
- And, of course, selling your
products
Those might not sound impressive,
but don't forget that you'll be
able to do those things for people
around the world at any time of
day or night. You have the potential
to become a household name 10,000
miles away.
How does a Web site work?
A Web site is simply a collection
of files that reside on a computer
connected to the Internet. When
someone visits your site, they are
actually contacting that computer,
and that computer (called a Web
server) gives the visitor the files
they want to see. It sounds very
simple, but most normal computers
don't have the power or the software
needed to constantly respond to
all the requests made by all the
visitors to a site. And even if
they did, they'd need an extremely
fast connection to the Internet
to keep up with all the requests.
Most people and small companies
don't have the resources to run
a Web server, and that is where
Web Hosting comes in.
Hosting