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Jargon free info about web hosting

Do you want a website or email at your own domain name, but don't know where to start? If you are new to the world of web hosting then the information below will get you pointed in the right direction.

What is web hosting?

Web hosting is the business of housing, serving, and maintaining files for a website. It is where all the files that make up your website and e-mail can be found. Hosting removes the need of you having to provide and maintain expensive and complicated Servers.

Typically, an individual business hosting its own site would require a high speed connection, the Server hardware and the expertise to set-up and configure a web Server. Using a hosting service allows companies and individuals to get on to the Internet without the expense or effort of maintaining their own Servers.

Having your website hosted also offers many benefits:

  • You can use your domain name as your web address
  • You can use your domain to send and receive e-mail
  • Support for more advanced features such as CGI, PERL, ASP, PHP etc.
  • No server/hardware expertise needed

Why do I need web hosting?

If you have a domain name and want a web site, blog or online shop under it, you will need web hosting. Simply put, web hosting provides a way for people to access your web site via the Internet.

When you register a domain name what you are paying for is the right to exclusively use that unique character string for a fixed period of time. Many registration companies provide additional free features with the registration such as forwarding services, so you can point your domain at an existing web site and email address. If you don't have an existing web site or you want to do more than just point your domain elsewhere then you need to start thinking about web hosting.

How do I create a website?

How you create your own website will vary depending on how complex you want it to be. There are a number of options:

Instant Website Builder

If you don't have any prior web design knowledge and want to create an attractive website quickly and easily, then Instant Website Builder might be what you're looking for.

Our website builder package lets you create your web site through a simple point and click web based interface. It has an easy to use five-step wizard to guide you through the creation process and 100's of professionally designed templates. It also includes a powerful WYSIWYG editor which acts in a similar way to a word processor (ie. Microsoft Word), allowing you to easily format the content of your web site.

Web design software

If you want to have a go at designing a web site yourself but want a balance between point and click simplicity and access to the raw HTML code, you should try some web authoring software.

There are many software packages available to help you build your web site, choosing one will come down to personal preference and cost. Below are three different pieces of software to consider:

Write your own

For those of you who want to get their hands dirty with the raw HTML code all you need is a simple text editor (e.g. notepad (windows), TextEdit (mac)), a good book or online resource on HTML and some time.

Listed below are some resources to get you started.

Professional design service

Finally, if you don't like the idea of building a web site yourself, you can use a professional design service. You provide written content, imagery, structure (site map, page flow) and plenty of feedback. Then sit back and let the designers do their job.