Any product or service that requires storage or access on the internet will use the services of a web hosting company to do this. And anything that is stored or accessible on the Internet will require some form of storage in a particular server; sometimes this is even supplied free of charge but is normally part of an overall package, so What ever is relating to a website (files, media etc.) can be uploaded onto one of these servers or data centers so people can access them form their computer.

Many beginners start by using the free hosting services that are provided by many internet service companies; while they will have access to email facilities, basic websites and blogs, they will have to pay for a full service provider. Many restrictions exist with free web hosting but that is to be expected and for some it is an ideal situation but for only a few dollars per month, a paid web hosting service is far superior.

Paid hosting packages vary enormously so don't be surprised about the difference in prices; the best thing to do is sit down and work out exactly what your primary requirements are and then check out one of these hosting comparison websites.

Initially, the majority of users decide on paying for a shared server with their hosting company. Once you are comfortable with the service level then it might be worth upgrading to a dedicated server. Before you can use your web hosting package you will need to register a domain otherwise it will be of no use, then once that is done your website and any other files can be uploaded to the server ready for viewing. Almost any information that is stored on a web server is called a file which can mean audio tracks, images, video footage and the website itself; as digital storage costs drop then the amount of space you are allocated tends to be increased over time.

When you have a paid web hosting package it will allow you to have an email address using your domain name unlike those that are offered free with the likes of Google, Yahoo or MSN for example where their name is at the end of the email address. People who are serious about their internet presence will want to have their own identity and to prove the point; you will never see a company using someone else's domain in their email address. Then you have bandwidth, which refers to how much data is being transferred over the internet, this is something that many people overlook simply because they're enamored with the low prices of hosting packages and don't consider how quickly bandwidth is used up.

If you have a busy website and you have a low bandwidth allocation then there will be times when potential visitors will be disappointed as they will not be able to access your site until the allocation has been re-set. Of course this won't matter if you only have a basic website but as soon as you start adding large images, audio tracks, video footage and other big files, your bandwidth will be used up very quickly. While it is possible to use your own home PC as a web host, this is not advised as the number of security issues involved will make it a risky proposition and it is far easier to pay another company for their web hosting service.