Website Hosting tips and info

What is hosting?
Hosting is providing a computer (server) somewhere for a website to be physically located and be accessible to the rest of the world. You create your website on your own computer, but to be available to the world, your computer would need to be kept online 24 hours a day. A server is a computer that is specifically configured to do just that.

What are the different types of hosting?
There is domain hosting and subdomain hosting. Domain hosting is having your own domain name to use for your website, like PremierWebsiteSolutions.com or internic.net. Subdomain hosting is a method of hosting that doesn't require you to get your own domain name. You get your own subdirectory in someone elses domain, like mysite.twentymegs.com (or twentymegs.com/mysite). Subdomains, (like geocities, tripod, angelfire, and lots of others), used to be very popular because domain names were expensive, $65/year, and required some knowledge on how they work. Domain names are much cheaper now, and even include technical support, but since they are being used much more now, it's also getting harder to find a good one that's not taken yet.

What is a hosting package?
A hosting package consists of space on a servers hard drive, a certain amount of data transfer (sometimes called bandwidth), and various other extras and limitations, like web based control, databases, number of POP accounts, and so on.

What hosting package do I need?
This depends on what you need for space, transfer, and extra features, like SQL databases, subdomains (for domain hosting), and whether or not you want a dedicated IP for an SSL certificate.

- Our smallest options, (20 and 50 MB), are fine for a small website with only a few photos, or maybe even a small photo gallery, but email accounts can quickly use up the space if messages are kept on the server.
- Our medium options, (100 and 200 MB), give you more room to play with, space for more photos, small audio video clips, and more room to store email.
- Our larger options, (500 MB and up), give extra space for websites containing lots of photos, high resolution photos, or larger audio or video clips.
- If you will be using a database, (mySQL), which is needed for most message boards or shopping carts, consider the space it will take as well.
- If your site will involve transmitting any personal or sensative data, like credit card info, you may want an SSL certificate which requires a dedicated IP. Make sure you choose a package that gives a dedicated IP as an option.

If you already have your basic site ready on your own computer, find out how much space it uses. Add a little extra for email storage, planned additions for the near future, and a little room to spare, and that will give you a good idea of the minimum package you need. If you still don't know what size package you need, email us and we will be glad to help out. Your package can always be changed later.