This will provide disk space on a server connected to the internet to which you will upload your site.

 

To get started you will need a domain name and you may be able to register a name through your website hosting service (sometimes one may be included in your package). However, although this is the easiest way to get started, it will probably not be the cheapest or best long term. You should look at several domain registration sites as prices do vary even for top level domains like .com. It is easy to link the two together later by entering the nameservers given to you by the company providing your website hosting service.   

 

Your website hosting service will provide a control panel through which you will be able to set-up ftp accounts to access their server, create/manage email accounts, manage databases, view statistics and much more.

 

The difficult bit is selecting the right website hosting service as there are a great many on offer. You can look at website hosting reviews but there are also a lot of these and many are of dubious quality. It is worth looking at sites like webhostingtalk.com or hostjury.com.

 

When selecting a website hosting service your aim should be to find a service that meets your needs at the best price. Simply looking for the cheapest service is not a good idea, conversely you cannot assume that the most expensive will be the best. The key factors to consider are:

 

Speed – It is essential that your pages load quickly otherwise users will get frustrated and probably go elsewhere.

 

Uptime – Look for an uptime guarantee of 99.9%, any downtime is bad as your site will simply not be available and you will lose visitors – maybe permanently.

 

Support – Good technical support will give you the comfort of knowing that in the event of problems you can get help promptly. A good website hosting service will provide support 24/7 by email and phone (ideally toll free).

 

Hosting companies like to offer “unlimited” disk space and bandwidth (which is actually meaningless) but these should not be a issue for a new site. You can start with a shared website hosting service but if you expect your site to become very busy you should look for a hosting company that offers Virtual Private Server Hosting and Dedicated Server Hosting so that you have an upgrade path for the future.