What Is a Web Host?

In order for people to find your web site on the Internet, the site has to be on a computer called a web server. The web server runs programs to serve web pages, send and receive email, look up domain names and so on. It has to connect to the Internet, preferably through a fast connection.

Fast connections are expensive and setting up a web server takes effort and expertise. As a result, companies called web hosts have arisen to provide and maintain computers, software and Internet connections so that everyone else can create web sites easily and inexpensively. By sharing their services among tens or hundreds of thousands of users, web hosts can make the cost of having your own web site very affordable.

If you don't already have a web host for your site, the next step in creating your web business is to find one. You could set up your own web hosting environment if you're a computer wizard but, even if you are, it doesn't make sense when you're starting a web business. You're better off paying to get a high-quality web host so you can focus on your core business. In business parlance, this is called outsourcing and it's one of the keys to profitability.

What Features Do You Need?

Web hosts provide various features to make your life as a web businessperson easier. As you look for a web host, you want to find one that offers all of the following features:

• High-quality, responsive customer service.
• A fast, redundant connection to the Internet. Look for words like "fiber optic," "OC-48 backbone" and "DS3 circuit" that indicate high speed connections. Be sure the host has two or more separate connections through separate providers. Otherwise, a problem with one of the connections could leave your site inaccessible and that will mean lost business for you.
• An easy-to-use control panel, such as CPanel, Plesk or vDesk, that will give you access to the functions offered by your web host.
• A fast, easy way to install software or "scripts" as they're called. Most sites provide either Fantastico or Simple Scripts.
• A large number of email accounts.
• A huge amount of bandwidth or "file transfer" for sending information to and from your customers. It's measured in gigabytes (billions of characters). The best deal is unlimited bandwidth.
• A huge amount of storage space to keep documents and images that are part of your web site. You want unlimited storage space.
• The option to run different web sites or "domains" from the same account. You really want unlimited web sites.
• The following software:
  • PHP 5 or higher
  • MySQL or PostgreSQL databases
  • FTP for uploading files
  • SSH (secure shell) for uploading files and system administration
  • Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) so you can have encrypted passwords, offer credit cards, etc.

If you don't know what some of these items are, don't worry. You'll learn about them as you go along. Just be sure your web host offers them.

You can use either Linux (sometimes available under the name CentOS) or Microsoft Windows as an operating system. (Macintosh computers are seldom used as web servers.) If you don't know which to choose, you'll probably pay less and get better results from Linux.

How Do You Get a Web Host?

Getting a web host is easy. There are thousands of them. Type "web host" in your favorite search engine and you'll be inundated with choices. You could just choose one and sign up.

The trick is finding a really good web host because no web host is perfect. To make life easier for you, you'll find a short list of web hosts that provide the required features in the table below. They're called "shared" hosts because your site will share a web server with other sites. It's less expensive than having a web server all to yourself. That's fine when you're starting your web business because you won't have a lot of traffic yet and you want to keep your startup costs low.

The information in the table is from the web sites of the various hosts. All web hosts listed offer 24/7 telephone support, feature a control panel and provide PHP 5, a database, File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and SSH access. Simple Scripts, mentioned earlier, is built in to some of them and can be used on the others if you subscribe to it yourself. (See Tip below.)

Web Host	Simple Scripts	Email Accounts	File Transfer Bandwidth	Storage Space	Number of Domains	MySQL Databases	PostgreSQL Databases	Free Domain Name	SSH	Check It Out	Monthly Cost
BlueHost.com	Built In	2,500	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	100	100	Yes	Yes
HostMonster.com	Built In	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	100	100	Yes	Yes
FastDomain.com	Built In	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	100	100	Yes	Yes
LunarPages.com	Private	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Yes	$2 per month
HostGator.com	Private	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited		Yes	Yes
MidPhase.com	Private	Yes	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	3		Yes	Yes

Your 20 Minute Task

Your task is to identify a good web host for your business. If you already have one and you're happy with it, you're done with this task (and the next one).

If you don't have a web host or you have one but you're unhappy with it, try the ones in the list above or locate one through a search engine.

Spend the rest of the 20 minutes searching for web hosts. (In fairness, you may need to repeat this 20 minute task if you don't locate one in the first 20 minutes.) When you find one you like, type the domain name into your favorite search engine. (In the table above, you can click the icon in the "Check It Out" column for each host.) Search the first couple of pages of recommendations to see whether people are praising the web host or complaining about it. You'll likely get some of both. When you're satisfied that you've found a good web host, write down the name and URL, then file it in a folder named "Create Web Site."

---

Tip: You'll be adding scripts to your web site quite frequently. It's not unusual to spend 30 to 90 minutes installing a single script if you do it yourself. Simple Scripts does the job in as little as seven seconds. In addition, each time a new version of a script becomes available, you'll want to upgrade quickly, especially if a security problem is involved. Upgrading can take as long as installing the original script. Again, Simple Scripts does it in seconds. Simple Scripts also makes updates available within hours of their release while other programs often take months to do so. Finally, Simple Scripts knows how to do all the complicated things such as making backups and handling databases so you don't have to.

Simple Scripts is a new program. If the web host you choose doesn't offer it yet, consider asking them to get it. Alternatively, you can pay a small amount to get a personal account that lets you use it on almost any web host. Try it for free at www.SimpleScripts.com.

---

Tip: If you already have a web host but you're NOT happy with it, check to see if a new web host will move your site for you. Some will do it for free or for a fee. If not, EZSiteMove.com will move your site from one web host to another for a reasonable fee. They guarantee their results and you can order a backup CD of your site.