What
is Virtual (Shared) Web Hosting?
Virtual or shared Web hosting is the business of housing and serving
files for a Web site. Typically, an individual or small to mid-sized
business cannot afford to independently obtain an extremely robust connection
to the Internet for their Web presence. Virtual or shared Web hosting
thus provides these consumers with the option to outsource their Internet
requirements inexpensively.
Using
a shared hosting service allows these companies to share the cost of a
fast Internet connection for serving files. It is the most basic entry-level,
fee-based hosting service a consumer can select.
Shared
hosting offers clients the ability to host their Web site on a powerful,
professionally managed server at a low monthly cost. Shared servers provide
individual Web sites with redundant connectivity and guaranteed uptime.
These services provide an excellent solution for entry-level hosting needs
because they are designed to host small-scale, e-commerce sites and static
Web pages.
Shared
hosting is also popular amongst first-time webmasters because it can provide
a reliable Web presence without advanced technical skills. Such a service
is also advantageous to the smaller consumer because it assures them that
they will obtain transparent services and that their Web site will have
its own domain name and set of e-mail addresses.
Virtual
hosting services are thus extremely popular because they offer the smaller
consumer fast deployment, strong resources and most importantly, low cost.
By paying an affordable and predictable monthly fee to a shared Web hosting
service, consumers obtain reliability, expertise and faster connections
than their dial-up service can provide.
Such
a service is also advantageous to the smaller consumer because it allows
them outsource a high-traffic, content-rich Web site for a small percentage
of what it would cost to hire a single employee to develop it and run
it in-house. For this reason, most individuals and small businesses opt
to select a virtual hosting service because it is inexpensive and usually
provides the basic services that they require.
Convenience
is another factor that drives popular interest in shared Web hosting due
to the service's fast setup time and bundled features. Typically, site
activation can take minutes after you have purchased services with a credit
card.
The
most characteristic feature of virtual Web hosting is that services are
usually bundled. For an inclusive monthly fee, consumers can obtain a
variety of high-quality, multi-platform Web site solutions.
Usually
the bundle of services includes a minimum amount of disk storage space
for your Web pages. The bundle will normally also include a minimum amount
of data transfer, or a capped amount of data that your can send to individuals
that access your Web site. Most virtual accounts will also include e-mail
forwarding services along with hardwired, physical e-mail boxes. Mail
forwarding services allows you to create e-mail aliases at your domain
name that will forward to an external e-mail address.
A
descent shared hosting firm will also include free 24x7 technical support
in all of its service bundles. It should also include unlimited file transfer
protocol (FTP) services so that you can update your Web site at anytime.
For
your own reference, a shared Web hosting service should also provide you
access to Web statistics, so that you can gage how many Internet clients
are visiting your site. For the sake of accuracy, a reliable Web host
should also provide its customers with access to raw statistical logs,
so that consumers can use their own statistical Web packages for site
analysis.
Other
services that are typically characteristic of a shared Web host include:
daily tape backup of your Web site; anonymous FTP server so that you can
provide distribute your file for public access via file transfer protocol
format; and full CGI-BIN access so that as you upload scripts that will
add functionality to your Web site.
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