Website Hosting

What is web hosting?

Hosting a website. Once you have a registered domain, you will need space or a home to store your files (web site’s info) so that all Internet users can access your data or so to speak access your website. Website hosting is a service to store website information and make this available for the world to access. It can be seen as a computer connected to the Internet with your data on it. This specialized computer is called a server and is available 24 hours a day to Internet users all over the world. The cost associated with web hosting varies from one hosting package to another. Things like the amount of traffic your site will generate called bandwidth, the size of your website (the amount of space your website will take up on the server) it includes maintaining your database and also protecting valuable information like credit card info and website information by running virus scans and backing up data on a regular basis.

Web Server

What is a domain name?

A domain name can be seen as the name or the address of your website. You will need to register a domain name prior to signing up with a web host. Consider an easy to remember domain name, something people can remember if they are woken up in the middle of the night.  I know this isn’t easy, seeing that domain names are literally taken every 5 minutes right across the world. If you have a company or business, try to choose a domain name like www.yourBusinessName.co.za. If you have a really long company name try to abbreviate it. A good domain name will add great value to your business. What if I don’t have a company? You still need a domain name, so choose it wisely. Domain registration is usually quick, it can take anything from 24 hours to 3 days to be registered.