| The fear factor is in not knowing the language of | | | | deal with the host to design your website. |
| the Internet and nothing to do with the Internet | | | | Though, if you plan on going that route, cheap |
| itself. Web hosting has the same quality. It can | | | | web hosting isn’t going to help you much. No, |
| appear as magic wondering how people got those | | | | how attractive your site is depends upon who |
| pictures and words to appear on your computer | | | | you have design the website. This could be you, |
| screen, and yes, explaining it exactly would get | | | | your nephew, or a professional graphic designer. |
| technical. But as luck would have it you don’t | | | | The cost of the designer should not affect the |
| need to know anything about how the Internet | | | | monthly cost of hosting the website. |
| works in order to publish to the Internet on your | | | | Now if you want a site that is updated |
| very own website using cheap web hosting. | | | | semi-regularly, such as a blog or company news |
| The most important aspect of web hosting is | | | | site. You need to have a web host that offers |
| having a good understanding of what you want to | | | | services like PHP and MySQL. Most of the popular |
| put on your website. You don’t want to end | | | | blogging software uses both of these services to |
| up paying for features you don’t use. And | | | | power their functionality. It doesn’t matter if |
| you certainly don’t want to miss out on a | | | | you don’t know what those services are or |
| feature because you didn’t realize you | | | | what they do. Your host should be willing to help |
| needed it. | | | | you set up you blogging software. Once |
| So what do you want on your website? A simple | | | | configured, you shouldn’t have to deal with |
| site with a few pages, some images, and that | | | | the code within and can only worry about the |
| won’t be updated very often? There are | | | | content for your site. The price range for this |
| sites that offer a hosting package that starts at | | | | kind of site can be anywhere from $5 to $20 |
| only a few dollars a month. Most hosting sites can | | | | depending on your bandwidth package. |
| even help you purchase the domain for your | | | | So what is this “bandwidth?” In the |
| website. If you are going to be storing a lot of | | | | easiest of descriptions, bandwidth is the gasoline |
| large images, then you need to be sure that your | | | | of the Internet. But instead of a tank of gas |
| host has a plan giving you adequate space to | | | | allowing you to drive 200 miles, a monthly |
| store your files. | | | | allotment of bandwidth permits a certain number |
| It is true that there are free webhosts. But these | | | | of visits to your site per month. The reality is a |
| hosts usually have drawbacks such as automatic | | | | little more complicated that that, but in the |
| placement of ads or severely limited bandwidth | | | | beginning you won’t have to worry about |
| restrictions, something we will talk about later. | | | | bandwidth so much. And any host will help you |
| Free hosts are also subject to sudden shutdowns, | | | | increase your bandwidth allotments for a nominal |
| so you could lose your website’s information | | | | cost. |
| at a moment’s notice! | | | | In the end, the quality of your website is up to |
| Something to keep in mind: the visual quality of | | | | you, but finding a good, cheap web host is the |
| your website, the “prettiness,” has nothing | | | | first step to breaking on the Internet. The rest is |
| to do with your host unless you have struck a | | | | up to you. |