HTML and CSS Reference
In-Depth Information
Finding a Web Hosting Site
The next step in the Web development process is to publish your Web pages so that
visitors can see them. In order to publish your Web site, you need hosting services. There
are many options available for Web hosting. You will need access to a Web server onto
which you can upload all of the Web pages in your Web site.
One option is to use the ISP that you use to connect to the Internet. ISPs
sometimes provide space for their clients to host a Web site. If you registered your own
domain name, you can have your ISP set up a virtual domain, or shared Web hosting,
on their server with your new domain name. Your ISP's server may be set up to allocate
hosting services and bandwidth to more than one Web site by using a virtual domain. In
other words, although you register the domain name oceansidehotel.com, your ISP would
host it on its own Web server. Virtual Web hosting is a less expensive option because you
do not have to pay for a dedicated server to host just your Web site. You can check with
your ISP for details. A second option is to use a company that charges for Web site host-
ing. There are thousands of companies that provide Web hosting services. Most charge a
monthly fee, but some offer free Web hosting in exchange for advertising on your Web
site. A final option is for you to set up your own Web server. You would have to know
enough about the technology to set it up and keep it running.
Whether you choose to utilize your ISP to host your Web site, to use a Web hosting
service, or to set up your own Web server, you need to consider the following:
Web Site Hosting
There are a variety of
Web site hosting options
available today. To search
for Web hosting services,
use different search
engines to find different
alternatives. Make sure to
use the checklist shown
on this page to assess the
hosting services and fees.
•
What is the total cost? Compare monthly or annual costs; the highest cost may not
always provide the best service.
How much space is available to you? You need to assess your current needs (i.e., file
•
sizes, sizes of graphics) and also your future needs (i.e., how much more information
you will create).
How fast is the connection speed? The speed of the connection to the Internet is
•
important to efficiently serve your visitors.
How much total bandwidth transfer is available? The number and size of Web pages
•
in your Web site together with the number and size of graphical images is important
to consider.
Is technical support provided? You may occasionally need help, especially in the
•
beginning.
Are tracking services provided? Many hosting companies allow you to see how
•
visitors utilize your Web site by viewing a tracking log.
After you have selected a Web hosting service, you need to transfer your files to that server.
Publishing Your Web Site
Once you have determined a Web hosting strategy, the next step is to publish your Web
pages so that visitors can see them.
Publishing
your Web site means transferring your
files to the Web server. There are many options available for file transfers. You could use
a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) program such as WS_FTP for Windows (Figure 7 on the
next page) or Fetch for Mac (for more information about FTP programs, see Appendix E).
In addition, many Web page editors also provide publishing functionality. Once your Web
pages are published, the last step is to market their location to attract visitors.
