#web hosting guide

Got domain name but now what? Here web hosting comes in the picture. In simple words, we can say that web hosting is the bridge and filling the gap between the website and worldwide internet.

How to pick a web host

You've picked out the perfect domain name for your website, but where do you host it? Insider secrets to choosing a website hosting provider We are going to assume that you have an idea for what you want to do on your website. And we also are going to assume that you have already chosen a domain name to register.

3 Ways to get started with a website:

A blogging service - The registrar where you register your domain name can forward the address to your blog. A blog service like  is a good place to start. If you want your blog's address to be , may let you point a domain name directly to your blog.

This won't, however, change the URL of your blog. So in that case, a blog that you host yourself on your own host account is better. By having your blog under your own domain name, it displays a more professional presentation. And, if you want to do more than just blog, you will need more.

Free blogging platforms to create your own site - Please like yahoo, Geocities, and Google pages will let you host for free, but they place ads and commercial messages to your pages. Free services with domain names and bandwidth are available but, again, they place ads on your pages and impose limits on the storage and bandwidth that you can use.

Pay for a web host - The most reliable way that gives you the most control is to pay for a web hosting account. You supervise the website content, you have your own email addresses, and you have more control.

Don't pay too little. Super discounts mean a web host does not have a lot of capacity, so be weary of services that are too cheap. They might suffer outages. If it is $5 a year, it is probably too good to be true. Don't pay too much, on the other hand, either.

A year contract with a discount is pretty standard in this industry.  Reputable web hosts will list testimonials of their customers. Visit those sites and see if those sites load quickly. Get referrals from friends and people to whom you place your trust.

Visit websites and compile a list of sites that you like.  can help you to find out who is hosting a site, and then you can get started with a list of web hosting candidates.

Prior to reaching an agreement, look into the return policy. There are times that, even when you have done your best to research the company beforehand, things just don't work out. Know what your options could be in this situation before you purchase. You don't want to be stuck with improper service with no way out.

Web host comparison: Once you have narrowed down your web host list to a few candidates, here are a few things to look at for comparison:

1. How much storage space and bandwidth do they offer? What are the penalties for going over that limit?

2. What services do they offer? Do they offer Perl, php, CGI and if they do, does it cost extra to add these features?

3. What operating system do their servers offer? Linux based servers may be able to offer more free tools.

4. What technical support do they offer? Do you get a toll free telephone number, email address or live chat that you can use to contact your web host?

5. How reliable are they?  will give you an idea of the uptime of the web host that you are considering. As with any online business, check the better business bureau to see if there are any complaints against your web host and how they handle those complaints.

Try them out with a few questions before you sign up. Ask questions, for example, such as how many websites they run per server. You want that number to be low.