FAQs about building a site
Advanced hosting FAQs
Calculating pricing and turn-around time
FAQs about hosting
What is web hosting?
Web hosting refers to the process of publishing a web site so that it is available to the world on the Web. Paid web hosting also involves getting a domain name and not having forced ads displayed on your site.
What is a domain name?
A domain name is a sequence of letters and numbers that determine the address of your site. This site's domain name is "yourcompany.com." You need to register a domain name before your web site becomes accessible at this address.
What are HTML, CFM, ASP, SQL, JavaScript, IP, etc.?
Those acronyms refer to various features such as programming languages, databases, etc. that might be available with a hosting plan.
What is shared (virtual) web hosting?
Shared (or virtual) web hosting is the most fitting way of hosting for 99% of web sites. It means that a web hosting company will have one or more servers (computers constantly connected to the Internet that run a web server software such as IIS) that will be running multiple web sites (it will be shared). Unless a web site is exceptionally busy or requires a lot of bandwidth, this is the least expensive way to get a real web site. You can still have your own IP address with virtual hosting and the site won't look any different to users. Other options are dedicated, co-location, or do-it-yourself web hosting. In those options you have the whole computer to yourself and you can do things like install your own software.
Can I keep my domain name when I change a host?
Yes. We recommend that you register your domain name with a separate registrar before getting hosting. Then, when you need to move to another host, you just need to point your domain's name servers to this new host. If you registered your domain name with a host and now you want to move, you should find your registration records or contact this host and ask them how to control your domain name. If you have a problem, you can usually see the name of the registrar by performing a "Whois" query on your domain name and contact them.
Does it make a difference what type of desktop computer I use?
No. This will only make a difference if you develop scripts that you want to use without changes on your web site.
Will I have forced advertising on my site like I do on Geocities, etc.?
Absolutely not. None of the web hosts listed in our database force any kinds of ads on your site. In fact you can put your own ads in if you'd like.
What is domain parking?
Domain parking lets you cheaply reserve a domain name for future use and display an "under construction" default page on it. You can register a domain and not park it anywhere but then your site will simply be inaccessible until you get a web host. Some registrars let you park your domain for free.
What is full-service web hosting?
"Full-service" can refer to a variety of services offered in addition to providing web space, transfer, and emails for a web site. For example, it could be 24/7 toll-free phone support, web design services, or web site content maintenance services.
What are the numbers listed under "space" and "transfer"?
Space is the amount of "stuff" you can put on your web site. Available space is usually listed in megabytes (MB, millions of bytes). Single letter takes up one byte. HTML files are usually rather small but pictures and programs can get quite big. Your scripts, emails and stats will also take up space on your host.
Transfer is the amount of "stuff" that visitors to your site can download before you reach your monthly limit. Transfer is usually listed in gigabytes (billions of bytes). After the transfer limit is reached for the month, you will need to pay extra for additional transfer at higher rates. For example, if an average visitor to your site views 3 HTML pages of 20 KB (thousands of bytes) each and 8 small embedded pictures of 10 KB each, and you get 500 visitors per day, you will require at least (3 * 20 + 8 * 10) * 500 * 30 = 2,100,000 KB = 2.1 GB of transfer per month.
How do I pay for web hosting?
Typically we bill in one-year increments. That is, hosting is paid in full each year as it begins.
What is uptime?
Uptime is the percentage of time that a web site is working. For example, if some host has an uptime average of 99.86%, this means that your site will be down for a total about 1 hour each month. We monitor uptime of customer websites to insure availability of your content.
Can I use Java applets, JavaScript, and Flash pages on my site?
Absolutely. Those are client-side technologies, so the host doesn't have to do anything to support or enable them. Any browser (such as Internet Explorer or Netscape) that supports them is enough, so any host will do. It doesn't matter whether Java or Flash are listed among the plan's features, they are supported by default.
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