A large number of choices are being provided by every web hosting provider so, it may be a terrifying task for people who are new to the game of hosting a website, to choose from these options. There are a lot of people who pay out much more than they actually use. If one doesn’t use database then there is no point paying for it.
Having knowledge of each and every option can save one from paying more than really what is required to be paid.
HTML: HTML is the language used to write websites, this is one of the basic functions that every web host offers. There is no website without HTML.
Code written in HTML guides the web server about how the website should look like, where the images are to be loaded and also provides hyperlinks (i.e. links to other pages).HTML is an easy language to learn. For having in depth knowledge in HTML one can go through the tutorials at site http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp. Tools like Front Page and Dream weaver can also be used to build web pages, but one should have basic knowledge of HTML also.
DISK SPACE: If one is going to host a large website with lots of pages then the size of the disk space is quite important. Disk is the place where the pages are stored and thus space is required for storing them. One should always start with small disk space which can be easily upgraded as requirements grow.
BANDWIDTH: Whenever one visits a website information is transferred from website to the visitor’s web browser. This transfer makes traffic and this traffic is evaluated as Bandwidth. This can also be upgraded as and when needed as the disk space. It is found that it is always better to go with a web host that charges extra, so that whenever one goes over the allocated amount it is usually assured that website remains up and running even though it may result in extra cost.
PHP/ASP/CGI: These are used to write scripts into the website, which provides some extra features that HTML alone cannot provide. It can provide extra features like anything from allowing people to provide comments on the website to creating full member areas. Some sort of scripting language is required if one wants an interactive website. A lot of scripts are available without any cost in which PHP is most popular. Before going for a webhost, one should know about all the scripts upon which his/her website will be running, as not all web hosts provide every kind of scripting solution out there.
DATABASES: A database is needed when one either wants to store huge amounts of data or run a content management system like Joomla. In addition to this one also needs to have the methods to read/write data to the database, so one needs PHP as well. But, most of the webs hosting companies provide both of the options bundled together.
CONTROL PANEL: There are several control panels that web hosting providers use, and they all perform the same role – allowing one to control his/her website. One can go for selecting any of the control panels as all of them almost do the same thing.
DOMAINS: Most Web host providers register a domain at an extra cost. One should make sure to check out registrars of domains, to see if he/she cannot buy it for cheaper. Registering a domain at something like Go-Daddy.com is quite cheap, and also much easy to do. Sometimes going through a hosting company is better as they manage the whole aspect of domain for a user, whereas with a service like Go-Daddy one has to himself/herself manage the whole domain. So, it’s sometime a cost saving option to go with the Web Host.
Many of these options can be added to one’s website as and when one needs them. It’s not always preferred to go for the most expensive package out there. One should first find out what is needed and then purchase only those options that are needed. This can really help one in saving money at the end of the day.
