Web Hosting FAQ

Today, even the smallest, one-person shop must have a website, and as a result, the web hosting industry has gained incredible momentum. New competitors appear every day, and it may be difficult to navigate the waters of first-time web hosting, and the concept may seem complicated. If you are a small business enterprise looking at web hosting options, you will first need to get the basics right. Here are a few common questions small business users often have, and the answers to help you get a clearer picture of what is available and how to use it.

What is Web Hosting?

Web hosting is a process where an individual or business rents out space and bandwidth from a web hosting service provider for the purpose of putting up a website on the internet. There are thousands of web hosting companies on the market today with a wide variety of services available. The alternative to web hosting is to host your own web site with your own on-premises equipment.

What is meant by disk space?

Disk space refers to the amount of space you have to host your website. It may be allocated on a dynamic, as-needed basis; or statically, depending on your needs and the provider?s offering. Generally speaking, it is necessary to have more space available than that taken by your actual files, and so there is usually some unused space at any given time. Virtualized storage allows for a more dynamic allocation of disk space, and minimizes the instance of wasted space. Basic, static HTML sites typically do not require a large amount of disk space, however, database-driven sites or graphically rich sites will consume more space.

What is bandwidth?

Every time a visitor comes to your site, they are downloading files from the server. Bandwidth or data transfer is the amount of data that you are allowed to transfer over a given period of time, as determined by your contract with the web-hosting provider. This transfer of data is expressed in gigabytes, i.e., billions of bytes. On reaching your monthly limit, your web host provider will either stop you from further using your site or charge you for extra bandwidth usage.

What is Shared Hosting?

In shared hosting, a single physical server can host multiple sites instead of just one single site. This is ideal for small businesses, as the cost is significantly reduced, and it is generally considered to be secure. Under certain circumstances, shared hosting could imply that your web site gets to share the same IP address as the other sites hosted on the same server. This could become a matter of concern if one of those other sites is involved in generating or relaying spam or other objectionable content.

What is uptime?

Uptime is the amount of time your website remains accessible to you and internet users worldwide. 100% uptime is impractical to expect, although 99.9% is realistic, and 99.999% (?five nines?) is the best that can be achieved.

What is a domain name?

A domain name identifies one or more IP addresses on the internet. For example, the domain name www.boutique.com could stand for several IP addresses. You will find domain names in URLs that lead to specific web pages. For example, in the URL - http://www.boutique.com/home.html, the domain name is ?boutique.com?.

Will I need to change my domain if I get a new host?

This will not be necessary, given that the domain is registered in your name. All you need to do is update your nameserver, the place from where you manage your domain names, and shift it to the location of your new host.

What are sub-domains?

Sub-domains work as extensions of your domain. For example, if your site is called www.abc.com, a sub-domain could be www.one.abc.com, or www.two.abc.com. Sub-domains are generally regarded as separate individual sites from the main domain site.

What is Domain Parking?

How do I pay for Web Hosting?

Payments for web hosting services vary greatly depending on the terms and conditions of the web-hosting package. Most web hosts accept credit card payments, while some also accept payments through money order or PayPal.

How is UNIX hosting different from Windows hosting?

You could choose either UNIX hosting or Windows hosting depending on your requirement, although for basic HTML sites it makes very little difference. If your business requires you to support Microsoft products such as VB script, ASP, and MS Access, Windows hosting would be the best option. Windows hosting is also a good choice if you are familiar with IIS and can?t spare the free time to learn UNIX hosting. Here it is important to note that if you use a Windows computer to manage your web site, using Windows hosting is not required, and you can still use a UNIX server. Linux, a UNIX variant, is often preferred by web hosts due to its high level of stability, and the fact that it is available for free.

If I have a fast internet connection at home can I host my own site?

Yes, it?s possible, however it is highly not recommended. High-speed home Internet connections are great for surfing the web, but do not really offer enough downstream bandwidth to host a web site effectively. Also, most ISPs (Internet Service Providers) have strict terms and conditions wherein you are not allowed to host a website through your home internet connection. If you do so, your account will be closed. Not to mention, hosting a site from your home can turn into quite an ordeal as you will need to constantly check if your site is well secured and free of hackers. And finally, if you do host your own site, every time there?s something wrong with your server, you will have to fix it without professional help. If you do wish to host your own site, you will very likely need a higher-end (and more costly) Internet connection, such as a T1 line.

Is it a good idea to go for the cheapest web-hosting package?

While there are some cheap, or even free web hosting services, the available features may vary tremendously, so you need to be on your guard. Always make sure that you carefully read through the terms of service (TOS) and acceptable use policy (AUP) before choosing a cheap web hosting option, and make sure you have a clear understanding of what you?re getting. The lowest priced services may be adequate for very small web sites with no ecommerce or transactional systems, but the features may be very limited.

What are the main features of a good web host?

When looking for a good web host, make sure that you get adequate bandwidth to accommodate any anticipated spikes in traffic, as well as plenty of storage space. On the back end, your hosting company should provide a robust environment with full failover capability to ensure higher uptime, as well as a strong security environment. Other important features to look for are reliability and good service. You should be able to instantly contact your web host as and when you experience some problem with your website. Most good web hosts will provide you with a dedicated customer support number or a support email ID.

Will there be forced advertising on my site?

There is no possibility of having forced advertising on your site when you are paying for it. Since you are paying for server space that is only yours, no one can forcibly put up advertisements or pop ups on your site. Most free hosting services however, do deliver advertising to your web pages.

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