Web hosting is a service that allows users to post Web pages to



the Internet. A Web host, or hosting service provider (HSP), is

a business that provides the technologies and services needed

for Web sites to be viewed on the Web.

When you choose hosting for your website consider the following

things.

Price: Don't simply look for the lowest price. Your website is

your lively hood and you need reliablity that you may not get

with cheap hosting.

Technical Support: Is it available 24 hours a day, 7 days a

week? If you have a question you need an answer.

Features: Various internet hosting companies offer a variety of

services. Make a list of what you know you want your website to

do. Here are a few services you will want to consider. Set up

fees, transfer fees, email aliases, site stats, contol panel,

site creation tool, front page extensions, submit to search

engines, sub domains, multiple domain discounts.

Disk Space: The amount of disk space that will be allotted to

your web site is another of the key elements in a good web host

package. While it might seem that 30 megabytes is plenty of

room, the potential for growth of your company means that you

could easily need more space later. If you choose a web hosting

provider that simply can't offer more space, you might find that

your growth will be severely limited.

E-mail accounts How many e-mail accounts do you need? You'll

probably need one for each employee and one for each department

(sales, accounts, support). Make sure you purchase a hosting

plan that has enough e-mail accounts. Also, do you want full

POPS access, Web-based e- mail, or both?

E-commerce Will you be selling goods or services through your

site? If not, there's no need to sign up for an e-commerce web

hosting service. If you are, e-commerce web hosting services

such as shopping cart software, SSL support and a merchant

account will be vital.

Speed: You need to know how fast your internet hosting provider

can provide access to your visitors.

Uptime: This may be the most important thing when choosing the

best web hosting company. You can not make money if your web

site is down.