| The very first question you should ask yourself is this:
"What do I need Web space for?"
If you are looking for Web space for your personal home pages, then you may need just a
small web space that will not require much bandwidth: say 10 MB should be enough for your
needs. A domain name for yourself may not even be necessary at this point... since, you can
get a free Web space from a number of online providers.
Well-known providers of free space are Geocities - www.geocities.com , as well as
www.freeyellow.com.
However, you should bear in mind that, because it’s free, you may find out later that there are
many limitations to what you can do as well as who really own the content of your site.
Both these providers have been around for some time and there are many people who use their
services, so they must provide a viable option for individuals who are only interested in setting
up personal and basic brochure pages.
If your interest is in joining the thousands of Web site owners who are conducting business
online then...
Let’s Get Real... A free Web space provider just will not do!
You are better off renting space for your site from a good web hosting provider.
Choosing the right provider is very important in order to ensure that you do get
good value as well as the right host that will provde all the services you will need.
Not all hosting companies provide the same services, so shop around if you must,
but, by all means, read through the FREE information we are proving you here on this site.
For the serious entrepreneur, [see our gallery of web sites we have created and are presently
hosting], who is thinking of conducting real business online, [e-commerce], a free web space
just will not do. There are usually restrictions to the amount of space that can be used as well
as the use of scripts [cgi, perl, etc.] for dynamic and interactive features that are the norm on
many web sites.
If your plan is to sell your products or services online, then you may need much more than your
own, self-taught, Web design skills. Having just a personal home homepage will not do for an
e-commerce site. [See our Bikini story].
OK! You say, now, you are ready to go beyond the basics. Having a domain name that represents
your business, should be your number one priority. Having your own domain name puts you and your
business in the same category as any of the major players on the Web.
You may also want to run a CGI script for a Visitor Counter or an online Discussion or Bulletin
Board. Your needs may be fulfilled with 50 to 100 MB of disk space and 1 to 10 gigabyte of data
transfer per month. Please note that movie and sound files will eat up a lot of disk space and
bandwidth.
If your web site is text-based, [just written information - no photos or graphics], you shouldn't
worry about this stuff.
Select a hosting provider that supports CGI and other advanced features that you think you
might require in the future as you develop your site and are attracting more visitors..
For those people who are more interested in developing a more commercial web site for a small
business, they will require more web space and more features, such as e-commerce solutions.
E-commerce, refers to the ability to acept online payments from your customers..
If you are developing a Web site for a small business or organization, you should carefully evaluate
the possibilities for future expansion. It is going to be a problem if you discover later, that you need
a database for your web site, but your provider doesn’t offer support for your database.
If you are planning to sell products online, look for a provider who can provide you with professional
commercial web solutions - such as Shopping Cart software or a Secured Online Payment system.
Your online customers will be appreciative of this since, it makes doing business with you more
safe and trouble-free.
Choosing a large web space and high bandwidth [or unlimited bandwidth] allowance is a very good
idea. This will enable you to keep adding content to your site with no problems. NEXT: CHOOSING SERVER SPACE |
