WebhostingScoop.com

What Exactly Is Web Hosting?

Web hosting is the service that makes a Website available to others on the Internet. Here are a few key terms to know:

Operating Platform
Disk Space
Bandwidth
SSL, MySQL and Shopping Cart
Control Panel
Technical Support

Choosing A Web Hosting Plan

Web hosting plans generally fall into three categories: inexpensive Web hosting, professional hosting and ecommerce Website hosting. You should select a plan based on your storage, data transfer, pricing and other requirements.

Inexpensive Web hosting
Professional Web hosting
Ecommerce Web hosting

Inexpensive Web hosting is a popular option for individuals, families or small businesses needing a basic site. Budget hosting features range from email and domain names to scripts and Web statistics. Inexpensive hosting plans are typically available for less than $8. At LunarPages and BlueHost, for example, hosting plans are as low as $3.95 per month and include 5 GB of disk space, 50 GB of bandwidth, Front Page extensions and other features.

Professional hosting is ideal for mid-sized businesses with larger, more complex Websites. Hosting plans include expanded disk space, scripting options, FrontPage extensions, MySql database and more. LunarPages and BlueHost, with pricing plans starting at just $4.95 and $7.95 a month, are also excellent options for this hosting category.

Ecommerce Website hosting is perfect for Website owners wanting to sell products or services directly online. This type of hosting typically includes a shopping cart system that keeps products in a database and allows customers to make selections and payments in a secure environment. BlueHost is an ideal ecommerce hosting company. For less than $50 each month, it offers an 2000 MB of disk space, all the standard hosting features, plus toll-free support. Or for about half the cost and disk space, LunarPages is a good alternative.