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 provides
these consumers with the option to outsource their Internet requirements
inexpensively.
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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 customer 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 among 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 decent 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 access so
you can provide public access to your files via file transfer protocol format; and full CGI-BIN access so that as you upload scripts that will add functionality to your Web site.
Most shared or virtual hosting services now also offer hosting automation
software such as control panels. The control panel allows a consumer to
control most aspects of their hosting service through an online graphical
interface. The graphical interface allows users to control all the
characteristics of a shared hosting service described above.
