Introduction to Web Hosting

A web site is a compilation of files and data put on the web for everyone to access. These files include HTML files (which is the programming language used to develop web pages which are a part of a web site), pictures (JPEG files, GIF files, etc), movie files and Flash files which is what's used to create dynamic animated sites. Web sites like YouTube power their video files through Flash, but the actual pages themselves are built in HTML code. Images inside the html that make the site look nice, like the one that shows their logo is an image file. We are trying to keep this guide relatively short and concise, if you are looking more clarification on certain things, also check out shared hosting guide which is a little more in-depth.

1. What is Web Hosting?
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Web sites are stored on computers designated for the purpose of storing data. In the case of a web site that data would be a compilation of web pages (HTML files), images, movies, other files. These computers, used for the purpose of storing data are referred to as servers. Any regular computer can in theory be a server. Hosting companies buy these servers and rent out space on the servers for a monthly fee. They essentially "host" your your web site and data for you, so you wouldn't have to setup a server on your end. In a shared hosting scenario your web site and data are stored on a portion of a server. So you are sharing the web space with other users, who also have their files on the computer. If you don't need massive amounts of space, then this an ideal setup. It is affordable, and an easy way to keep a web site online and to access data from any location. If you are in need of a full computer then you would upgrade to what is referred to as dedicated hosting. Dedicated hosting is where an entire server is provided for you needs. For the purpose of this particular article we will focus purely on shared server hosting. Shared hosting is also referred to as "virtual hosting" which means you are splitting a server to maintain separate sites as if they were on their own machines. Virtual in this case implies that the storage is like a simulated version of a full server. In a nutshell, shared hosting is for people getting started with the web. If you're reading a guide like this chances are web hosting is relatively new to you and chances are you will be starting with a shared web hosting provider. These plans cost about $3 a month to $20 a month, and offer all of the basics you will need to run a web site. You will however, need to provide your own web publishing tool and your own graphic design tools. The web design tool will most likely have what is called FTP functionality on it, (file transfer protoacal) which will allow you to upload files to your server. You will need to upload these files in order to create a web site. Your web publishing tool will also create the pages for you in HTML format. Common web publishing tools include Microsoft FrontPage (Office SharePoint) and Adobe Dreamweaver. These tools are popular because of their visual interface, meaning you don't need to know a lot of code (or in the case of FrontPage any code) to create visually nice looking and functional web sites. Popular graphic design tools include Adobe Photoshop, Corel Paint Shop Pro, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Flash for more dynamic Flash based web sites. See our Starting a Web Site Guide for more information on these tools. Before selecting a shared web hosting provider make sure you have secured your domain name. You will then connect the two by providing your web host with your domain name information and your domain registrar with information from your web host. The information you supply to the domain registrar are called "name servers". Don't worry about this yet, your well web hosting provider will supply you with this information as soon as you sign up for a web hosting package. A domain registrar is simply a company that reserves domain names. We recommend choosing a registrar through our Domain Names section.

Step 1: Get a domain name:

Starting a solid web site is relatively easy, fast and affordable. Anyone can do it, it doesn't require special talents or resources. You begin by reserving a domain name. A domain name is a web address like "something.com" - usually this will cost you about $8 to $9 a year dependent on whom you have reserve the name. We recommend trying a company like GoDaddy, or Yahoo. For more information on domain names see our domain name guide. After you select a domain registrar you will find a web host, whom will then provide you with name server information that you will provide to your domain registrar. This will connect the hosting services to the domain. Until you connect these serves if you type in your domain, there will most likely be a default "coming soon" page.

Step 2: Find a web hosting provider:

Your web hosting provider will store your web site in the same way an apartment rents out rooms. They will store your web site on a computer called a server. Hosting companies will generally charge anywhere from $3 a month to $20 a month. For more information on different types of web hosting explore some of our hosting guides: Shared Web Hosting, Budget Web Hosting, or Windows Server, or Unix/Linux. To learn how to startup an online store, see our Ecommerce Hosting Guide. Here we have some different tools you can use to find and compare web hosting companies.

Type:		Shared Web Hosting
Type:		Dedicated Web Hosting

Platform:

Unix

Windows

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Research Web Hosts:

TopHosts.com Monthly Top 25
A highly regarded monthly top 25 list. See if any of the web hosting companies you have an interest in appear on this list.

HostIndex.com Monthly Top 25
Another well-regarded top 25 list. Not as highly regarded as TopHosts.com, but nevertheless an established list for reputable hosting companies.

WebHostingTalk.com Discussion Forum
See if a provider of interest is mentioned or discussed on WebHostingTalk.com, the industry's leading web hosting community forum.

WebHostingRatings.com
See if there are any ratings or reviews of a web hosting company of interest here.

WebHostDir.com Awards
Top web hosting providers from WebHostDir.com.

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3. Web Publishing Tools:
Web publishing tools will allow you to create the actual pages of your web site. Tools like Microsoft FrontPage (SharePoint) and Adobe Dreamweaver will allow you to create your site in (HTML code) and upload your files onto your server (using a system called FTP or file transfer protocal). You then will need to use a tool like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, or a cheaper application like Paint Shop Pro to create the images for your site. If you are interested in creating dynamic animated web sites you will probably need Adobe Flash.
	Adobe Dreamweaver A highly popular web publishing tool. The learning curve can be a little steep for beginners, but once learned is the standard for high-end web development professionals. The program is versatile adheres strictly to accessible standard HTML code, and creates clean professional sites. Street price is generally $400 + dependent on where you buy it.
	Microsoft SharePoint & FrontPage Recently upgrading from Microsoft FrontPage, the new standard is Windows SharePoint services a variety of tools with some similar functionality as the previous renditions of FrontPage. If you are looking to still you use FrontPage, it certainly is still usable and recognized by hosting providers. You can find an affordable copy of FrontPage through CNET's Shopper.com. Street price is generally well under $150.
	Corel Paint Shop Pro An inexpensive, highly powerful versatile web imaging program. It will let you create logos, alter and revise digital photos and save files in a variety of formats usable for the web. Generally costs $100, but on CNET or Ebay you can find it for even less.
	Download.com For more web publishing and graphic design tools we recommend taking a look around CNET Downlaod.com. There a variety of excellent free tools and shareware tools you can try out before you buy.

4. Promote Your Site - Make Money
You can promote your site using AdWords and AdBrite. Each system provides you with the ability to pay for new visitors on a pay-per-click basis. We also recommend generating money through AdSense and Commission Junction, and Azoogle Ads. These are programs that let you place links to sponsors on your site to generate income. For more information on affiliate marketing and generating money online see the links below and also check out QuitYourDayJob.com.


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