There are a few things you should know before you decide to create  a website for the world to view.

1. What is a web host?
2. What is a domain name?
3. What is a web page made of?
4. How do I get my website to my web hosting account?

What is a web host?

A web host is a company that owns and and maintains network, server, and security hardware  that is connected to the world wide web.  Shared, Reseller, VPS, and Dedicated hosting are four basic kinds of web hosting offered by web hosts.

Shared hosting is when a servers resources are divided between a couple of hundred web hosting clients that all share a common IP address. This type of service is the least expensive of the four because the cost of the server is split between so many users. The only negatives for this kind of hosting is that all of the clients share the same IP address and it sometimes becomes slow and unresponsive because so many people use it at the same time.  Shared web hosting is the easiest type of hosting to use because it will come with a  control panel where you can manage your website, install scripts like joomla or wordpress, create email accounts, and view traffic statistics.

Reseller hosting is similar to shared hosting because it is basically a shared account that can create other shared accounts.  Reseller accounts are usually hosted on lower density servers so they may be a little faster during peak usage.

VPS or a virtual private server is a hosting account on a server shared between a few virtual servers, where your hosting environment is in separate virtual partition on a server.  This allows your hosting to be independent of other VPS servers on the hardware.  You are able to install your own operating system and programs.  VPS servers require more administration, but it is extremely customizable. You get all of the benefits of a dedicated server without the cost. VPS servers operate on dedicated IP addresses.

Dedicated server hosting is when you own or rent hardware and you are the only one to use it.  Dedicated servers can be customized to run just about any applications and have the best speed of all the other hosting.  This kind of freedom is the most expensive of the four hosting types.

What is a domain name?

A domain name is the name you type into your web browser to go to websites.  It usually ends with a “.com”, “.net” or a few others.  Domain names need to be purchased through a registrar.  Some examples of registrars are Godaddy and Namecheap.  Don’t  be fooled by registrars that try to charge you $25 or $30 dollars a year for a domain.  All domains are equal and there is no reason to pay that much,  A reasonable price is under $10 dollars per year unless you try to purchase a name at auction that someone is privately trying to sell.

What is a web page made of?

All websites are a collection of html text documents stored on a remote server that are reachable by everyone with an internet connection.  Web pages can be as simple as a text document and some images or can be a database driven content management system.  Either way you go there are already many free templates on the internet you can download and modify to your liking.  A good place to start learning to create web pages is at the w3schools.  This site will guide you through step by step on how to create and edit just about anything on the web.  If you are looking for a head start and want to start with an existing template I would suggest Open Designs, oswd.org, or free-css.com.

How do I get my website to my web hosting account.

Now you know how web hosting works and how to create a website, the next question is how do I get the site to the server so that everyone can see it.  Uploading your website will require an program called an FTP (file transfer protocol) client.  FTP clients are programs that links your computer with other computers so that you can transfer files between them.  I would recommend filezilla for windows and Cyberduck for mac.  To use the FTP client you must first install it on your computer and second connect with your hosting account using the credentials you web host provided.  Next all you have to do is select the files you want to upload and where you want to upload them.  When the file transfer has completed you can navigate to your domain through your web browser and view your site.

This is only a brief overview of web hosting and and what you need to get started.  It is always advised to discuss your requirements with a web hosting provider.  A reputed web hosting company would always guide you to choose the right plan for your business.