An Introduction to Web Hosting Services

Is it time for your business to have a Web site?

For a small or medium-sized business, a Web site can be a useful complement. It can help spread your brand. It can make it easy for potential

customers to find you, thus bringing in new business. It can even give you the chance to experiment with new products and service offerings without disrupting your main business. At a minimum, a business Web site is like a virtual Yellow Pages advertisement for yourself.

Designing your Web site is important, and we cover that in Foolproof Web Design. We explain how to decide what goes into your site in Plan a Web Site That Works. But another crucial decision is often overlooked: finding a reliable hosting service.

Just as your business documents reside on your office computers, the files that comprise your site need a place to call home. The specialized computers that hold these files and send them to people's Web browsers are called Web servers. While you could operate your own Web server, it's easier and more reliable to pay a hosting service.