---

---

How Much Disk Space?

A small or medium web site will need between 10 and 100MB of disk space.
If you look at the size of HTML pages, you will see that the average size is very small. But if you look at the size of the images used inside these pages, you will often find the images larger than the page.
Expect each HTML page to take up between 5 and 50KB of disk space on your web server, depending on the use of images or other space-consuming elements.
If you use a lot of images or graphic elements (or sound files or movies), you might need much more disk space.
Make sure you know your needs, before choosing a web host.

---

Monthly Traffic

A small or medium web site will consume between 1GB and 5GB of data transfer per month.
Calculate the following: average page size * expected page views per month
Example: If your average page size is 30KB and you expect 50,000 page views per month, you will need 0.03MB * 50,000 = 1.5GB.
Larger, commercial sites often consume more than 100GB of monthly traffic.
Before you sign up with a host provider, make sure to check this:

• What are the restrictions on monthly transfer?
• Will the web site be closed if it exceeds the volume?
• Will you be billed a fortune if the web site exceeds the volume?
• Is upgrading a simple task?

---

Connection Speed

In the early days of the Internet a T1 connection was considered a fast connection. Today connection speeds are much faster.
1 byte equals to 8 bits (and that's the number of bits used to transport one character). Low-speed modems can transport from about 14 000 to 56 000 bits per second (14 to 56 kilobits per second). That is somewhere between 2000 and 7000 characters per second, or about 1 to 5 pages of written text.
One kilobit (Kb) is 1024 bits. One megabit (Mb) is 1024 kilobits. One gigabit (Gb) is 1024 megabits.
These are connection speeds used on the Internet today:

Name	Connection	Speed per second
Modem	Analog	14.4-56Kb
D0	Digital (ISDN)	64Kb
T1	Digital	1.55Mb
T3	Digital	43Mb
OC-1	Optical Carrier	52Mb
OC-3	Optical Carrier	156Mb
OC-12	Optical Carrier	622Mb
OC-24	Optical Carrier	1.244Gb
OC-48	Optical Carrier	2.488Gb

Before you sign up with a host provider, surf some other web sites on their servers, and try to get a good feeling about their network speed. Also compare the other sites against yours, to see if it looks like you have the same needs. Contacting some of the other customers is also a valuable option.

A domain name is a unique name for your web site. Choosing a hosting solution should include domain name registration. Your domain name should be easy to remember and easy to type. What is a Domain Name? A domain name is a unique name for a web site, like w3schools.com. Domain names must be registered. When domain names are registered, they are added to a large domain name register. In addition, information about the web site, including the IP address, is stored on a DNS server. DNS stands for Domain Name System. A DNS server is responsible for informing all other computers on the Internet about the domain name and the web site address. Registering a Domain Domains can be registered from domain name registration companies. These companies provide interfaces to search for available domain names, and they offer a variety of domain name extensions that can be registered at the same time. Choosing a Domain Name Choosing a domain name is a major step for any individual or organization. New domain name extensions and creative thinking still offer thousands of excellent domain names! When choosing a name, it is important to consider the purpose of a domain name, which is to provide an easy way to reach your web site. The best domains have the following characteristics: Short - People don't like to type! A short domain name is easier to type, read, and remember. Meaningful - A short domain is nothing without meaning, 34i4nh.com is not easy to enter or to remember. Select a domain that relates to your site in a way that people will understand. Clear - Clarity is important when selecting a domain name. Avoid a name that is difficult to spell or pronounce. Exposure - Names that are short and easy to remember are an asset. In addition to visitors, also consider search engines. Search engines index your site and rank it for relevance against terms people search for. In order to maximize your sites exposure, consider including a relevant search term in your domain. Of course, only consider this if it still maintains a short, clear and meaningful domain name. Sub Domains Most people are unaware that they use sub domains daily. The famous "www" of the World Wide Web is an example of a sub domain. Sub domains can be created on a DNS server, and they don't need to be registered with a domain name registrar, of course, the original domain name needs to be registered before a sub domain could be created. Examples of sub domains used on the internet are http://store.apple.com and http://support.microsoft.com. Sub domains can be requested from your web hosting provider. False Domain Names - Directory Listings Some providers will offer you a name under their own name, like:  www.theircompany.com/yourcompany/ This is not a real domain name, it is a directory - and you should try to avoid it. Directory domains are not desirable, especially for companies. Typically, directory domains are used for personal web sites and free web sites provided by an ISP, you may have seen www.theircompany.com/~username as an address. Competition in domain name registration has resulted in a dramatic decrease in pricing, so domain sharing is not common, since it is possible to register a domain name for only $15 per year. Expired Domains Another source for domain registrations is expired domains. When you register a domain, think of it as a rental, assuming there are no legal or trademark issues with the domain name, you are free to use it as long as you continue to pay the yearly fee (you can now register in advance as many as 10 years). Some people register domains as speculators, hoping that they can later sell them, while others may have planned to use a domain and never had the time. The result is that domains that were previously registered, become available again. Use Your Domain Name After you have chosen and registered your own domain name, make sure you use it on all your web pages, and on all your correspondence, like e-mail and traditional mail. It is important to let other people be aware of your domain name, and to inform your partners and customers about your web site.

Web Hosting Providers

---

---

Hosting your own Web site

Hosting your web site on your own server is always an option. Here are some points to consider:

Hardware Expenses

To run a "real" web site, you will have to buy some powerful server hardware. Don't expect that a low cost PC will do the job. You will also need a permanent (24 hours a day ) high-speed connection.

Software Expenses

Remember that server-licenses often are higher than client-licenses. Also note that server-licenses might have limits on number of users.

Labor Expenses

Don't expect low labor expenses. You have to install your own hardware and software. You also have to deal with bugs and viruses, and keep your server constantly running in an environment where "everything could happen".

---

Using an Internet Service Provider

Renting a server from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) is a common option.
Most small companies store their web site on a server provided by an ISP. Here are some advantages:

Connection Speed

Most ISPs have very fast connections to the Internet.

Powerful Hardware

ISPs often have powerful web servers that can be shared by several companies. You can also expect them to have an effective load balancing, and necessary backup servers.

Security and Stability

ISPs are specialists on web hosting. Expect their servers to have more than 99% up time, the latest software patches, and the best virus protection.

---

Things to Consider with an ISP

24-hour support

Make sure your ISP offers 24-hours support. Don't put yourself in a situation where you cannot fix critical problems without having to wait until the next working day. Toll-free phone could be vital if you don't want to pay for long distance calls.

Daily Backup

Make sure your ISP runs a daily backup routine, otherwise you may lose some valuable data.

Traffic Volume

Study the ISP's traffic volume restrictions. Make sure that you don't have to pay a fortune for unexpected high traffic if your web site becomes popular.

Bandwidth or Content Restrictions

Study the ISP's bandwidth and content restrictions. If you plan to publish pictures or broadcast video or sound, make sure that you can.

E-mail Capabilities

Make sure your ISP supports the e-mail capabilities you need.

Front Page Extensions

If you use FrontPage to develop your web site, make sure your ISP supports FrontPage server extensions.

Database Access

If you plan to use data from databases on your web site, make sure your ISP supports the database access you need.

---

---

What is the World Wide Web?

• The Web is a network of computers all over the world.
• All the computers in the Web can communicate with each other.
• All the computers use a communication protocol called HTTP.

---

How does the  WWW work?

• Web information is stored in documents called web pages. 
• Web pages are files stored on computers called web servers.
• Computers reading the web pages are called web clients.
• Web clients view the pages with a program called a web browser.
• Popular browsers are Internet Explorer and Firefox.

---

How does a Browser Fetch a Web Page?

• A browser fetches a page from a web server by a request.
• A request is a standard HTTP request containing a page address.
• An address may look like this: http://www.example.com/default.htm.

---

How does a Browser Display a Web Page?

• All web pages contain instructions for display.
• The browser displays the page by reading these instructions.
• The most common display instructions are called HTML tags.
• HTML tags look like this <p>This is a paragraph.</p>.

---

What is a Web Server?

• The collection of all your web pages is called your web site.
• To let others view your web pages, you must publish your web site.
• To publish your work, you must copy your site to a web server.
• Your own PC can act as a web server if it is connected to a network.
• Most common is to use an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

---

What is an Internet Service Provider?

• ISP stands for Internet Service Provider.
• An ISP provides Internet Services.
• A common Internet service is web hosting.
• Web hosting means storing your web site on a public server.
• Web hosting normally includes email services.
• Web hosting often includes domain name registration.

---

Summary

If you want other people to view your web site, you must copy your site to a public server.
Even if you can use your own PC as a web server, it is more common to let an Internet Service Provider (ISP) host your site.
Included in a Web hosting solution you can expect to find domain name registration and standard email services.
You can read more about domain name registration, email and other services in the next chapters of this tutorial.

Hosting (also known as Web site hosting or Web hosting) is the business of housing, serving and maintaining files for one or more Web sites, and providing Internet access (bandwidth). Hosting provides individuals or organizations with the systems to store information, images, video, or other content accessible to users of the Web. In a sense, you rent space on a computer to hold your Web site. Your host, the computer where your Web site files are stored, assigns an address (DNS) for your files to your domain name so that anyone can find your Web site on the Internet by typing your domain name.

GoDaddy.com is rated the World's largest Hosting Provider according to Netcraft. Whether you choose Windows Hosting or Linux Hosting, our world-class Web Hosting services also include email, databases, FREE applications, FREE access to the exclusive Go Daddy Hosting Connection community and much more.

Unlike many competing Web Hosting Companies, we own, operate and support our hosting services and pass the savings on to you. Our Affordable Web Hosting is fine for most personal and small business sites. We also offer Business Hosting packages that offer discounted bundles with all the products you need to build, optimize and promote your Web site.

While our hosting plans are ideal for most individuals and small businesses, our Dedicated Servers and Virtual Dedicated Servers are perfect for hosting multiple traffic-intensive Web sites on one server, running enterprise or gaming applications, or operating development environments. You always have the option of purchasing a preconfigured dedicated or virtual dedicated server plan or the flexibility to build your own server.

And if conventional hosting plans can't keep up with your demands, Grid Hosting from Go Daddy puts the power of multiple servers to work for you. With elastic scalability, 99.9% uptime and no need for site migration during growth spurts, Grid Hosting is always at the ready.

The Getting Started tutorial is dedicated to all users, who are just starting their websites. Here you will find useful information about how to build a website, how to access the user and admin areas, how to manage email and FTP accounts, etc
Here you will find great ideas about how to create your website - you can start a forum site or a personal blog. You can create a web album for your photos or start a community or hobby site with a CMS tool. You can start making money with an online shop application and find new friends, customers, and business partners. You can do all that and much more through your website!
The Website Promotion tutorial will show you how to increase the number of your visitors through the most powerful free and paid website promotion venues. SiteGround prepared this tutorial based on its own experience and years of hard work. We hope to save you time, hassle, and money when fighting for better rankings and lowering your advertising costs
Learn how to add and use reseller credits; how to activate an account; how to renew an account; how to manage an account; how to manage a domain name; how to add extra features; how to get technical support; how to change my details; how to use My Billing section
Here you will learn what is web hosting and how to make use of it, how to choose between free and paid hosting and how to differentiate shared from dedicated hosting. Also, you will find useful tips about choosing the right hosting company and read between the lines about hosting features, prices, technical support, and server technology
The cPanel tutorial will show you how to manage your web hosting account with the help of the cPanel management tools. You will learn how to use email, File, FTP, and MySQL managers; how to set parked and addon domains; how to use cron jobs, hotlink protection and IP deny manager; how to install applications through Fantastico autoinstaller.
The FTP tutorial will show you how to use FTP clients and account to upload files on your website. You might use any FTP hosting services that provide unlimited FTP access.
The Email tutorial will show you how to use your web based email accounts @ your domain name. You might use email hosting services or regular hosting services which allow web access to emails. Here you will learn how to configure email clients, how to secure your email, how to set email forwarding and autoresponders, how to change MX record, and more.
The PHP/MySQL tutorial will help you learn more about PHP and MySQL and how to use them. Here you will find out how to create MySQL database and user, how to manage MySQL database with phpMyAdmin, how to backup and restore MySQL databases, how to connect MySQL with PHP, how to execute PHP commands on the server and more