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Choosing a Web Hosting Company

BY: Chris Fertig
Words: 378

What is a web hosting company? What services do they provide? What does bandwidth, server, html, ftp, domain and banner mean?

Do you have more questions than Carter has little liver pills about web site hosting and the business of running a web site? Don�t worry, you are not alone. Unfortunately I won�t be able to answer all those questions in the space I have here. The purpose of this article is to help familiarize you with what a web hosting company does for you and how to select a good one to handle your business.

Now there are literally hundreds of web hosting companies out there, but they all do basically the same thing. For a fee a web hosting company will allow you space on their computer system, or server, which then acts as a �host� computer for your web site. The coded information that makes your web site appear and function is stored on the hosting company�s server (think of the hard drive in your PC, only many times larger and permanently connected to the Internet through a T1 trunk line) and access to your website is available through the company�s internet connection. For providing this service, the web hosting company will charge you a fee, usually on a monthly basis. Occasionally a new company will offer a discounted rate if you pay a year in advance. Take care though, some of these companies are short lived and if they go down, they take your web site with them.

The type of services a web hosting company may offer can differ slightly as well. Usually there is a limit on how much space you are allowed to occupy on the server and this can vary from company to company. Some will offer you a free email account that goes along with your website and is specific to your business. Some offer advertising, affiliate programs and more. The best advice I can give you is this: Look for a company that has been in business for a while, at least three or four years. That way you know that they will be around and that they know how to be profitable in their own business which equals good service, few problems and longevity.

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