Your website has to "live" somewhere in cyberspace. That somewhere is normally on a web server which is simply a specialised computer. In theory any computer connected to the internet could be pressed into use for website hosting providing it was on line all the time but it would simply not be reliable enough to be usable for a serious web site. In addition, it has to be capable of sending the pages to the user very quickly. The best small business websites are designed to load quickly but would not work so well on an ordinary computer

Choosing a Website host

The first thing you need to do is work out exactly what you want from your website hosting provider. If you don't have any specific need for Microsoft Hosting to use Access or Visual basic scripts then you should choose Linux/Unix hosting service. Most hosting providers provide pretty much the same features for example:

Small Package. Webspace 5GB, Bandwidth 5GB, Email Accounts 10, Sub Domains 10

Medium Package. Webspace 10GB, Bandwidth 10GB, Email Accounts 20, Sub Domains 20

Large Package. Webspace 20GB, Bandwidth 20GB, Email Accounts 50, Sub Domains 50

If it's your first venture into hosting I would suggest starting with the smallest package. It's easier to upgrade later! The other main features are:

Webspace: The amount of webspace provided on the server, a small website can take up to 200 Mb on the server.

Bandwidth / Traffic allowance: This is the amount of data that you are providing to people. The general rule is, static website = low bandwidth, lots of media on the site = high bandwidth. Just imagine the bandwidth that You Tube uses!

My SQL Databases: Many websites depend on my SQL databases for features such as forums, blogs, forms customer forms, ecommerce and more. A single my sql database can often be used for multiple features.

Arguably the most important thing is customer support. You need quick answers to emails and a phoneline in your own country is best. At the very least, the chosen company should be able to answer email queries within twenty four hours bearing in mind there may be a time difference if they are located in a different country.

As far as price is concerned the old adage usually applies: you get what you pay for. The best advice is to shop around and use comparison sites: there are quite a few around.

Tony Sellick has been involved with computers since 1967 when he worked at English Electric Computers. He runs a small website hosting, design and marketing company offering these services for small businesses and organisations. He is also an expert on forklift trucks and runs a website devoted to them as well as his website company.

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