Web Hosting: What Does a Host Do?

When you think of a host you may think of a smiling man or woman greeting you at the door and handing you a cool beverage. Or, you may think of a body that supports another parasitic one. Your relationship with your Web site host is kind of a symbiotic combination of the two. You depend on them and they depend on you -- and it can be good, or it can be bad. The thing to remember as you plan and build your online business, is that your Web host is a very important part of it. Bad customer service and support when problems arise (which they probably will at some point) can cost you a lot of money in lost sales and bad first impressions for the visitors arriving at your site while the problem persists. So make sure you get all of the facts about the host you choose for your business.
A Web host leases space for your Web files on their server, which has a direct connection to the Internet. You can either choose a Virtual Web Host who will allow you to use your own domain name, or a Non-Virtual Web Host who will give you a subdomain name that uses their primary domain name. For example, with a non-virtual Web host, your Web address might be http://www.earthlink.com/~yourname/yourwebfiles.html. There are some non-virtual Web hosts, however, that will let you use your own primary domain name, so be sure to ask.
The good thing about non-virtual Web hosting is that it is usually free. Many times the ISP who provides you with your Internet connection and e-mail address will also give you 5-10 MB of free space for a Web site along with a handful of simple tools for creating a Web site and uploading your files. While this might be great for your family or personal Web site, you probably don't want to use it for a business.
Some of the downside issues with non-virtual Web hosts are that the tools and capabilities are usually limited. Many of these hosts limit the types of CGI scripts you can use to their own pre-installed scripts for things like guest books, processing e-mail forms, etc. In other words, you may not be able to have an e-commerce site on a non-virtual site. You may also have to have advertisements on your site that you may not want. And finally, your Web address will not be easy for your customers to remember, and won't make your business appear to be very stable or legitimate.
Virtual Web hosting will typically provide a faster and more reliable connection, better management tools, support for higher level functions, and will range in price from about $10-$50 and on up for more complicated sites.
It is also possible to host your own site although, unless you know how to do it and have a good dedicated connection to the Internet, I don't recommend it for a new online business venture.

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