Web hosting companies are businesses that lease space on their servers to place your Web site files on. It is important to know that there are choices. Every Web site sits on a server. There are two options of where the server is housed: 1) in-house or internal, which is considered self-hosting, or 2) somewhere else, as an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or host company.
Although there are lots of Web hosting companies with hosting services, start out with visiting a local host. Ask your ISP if it hosts Web sites. Understanding where your Web site is and what services are available will help you make your decision. Paying a monthly fee to have your site hosted by someone other than your Web developer may be the right choice, although having your Web developer host your site may make the process smoother.
By hosting your own server, you are in charge of your support, but you also assume all the risk. You can go with a dedicated server (used only by one company) or a shared server, which is usually the least expensive.
Before you decide, make sure you ask the hosting company these questions:
• What are the setup fees, monthly fees, other fees?
• Is there software and hardware technical support?
• Do you support phone call inquiries or e-mail only?
• What are the charges for phone call or e-mail support?
• What languages do you allow (e.g., Java, CGI, Perl, ASP, etc.)?
• Is the server Unix- or Microsoft-based?
• What services do you provide?
• Do you provide Web stats for analysis?
Choosing the right Web hosting company is very important. Take the time to research, ask for a list of companies who currently use their hosting services, and ask them about their experience. Making the right choice can save you time and energy in the long run.
