If you take away internet, today’s world would become a lame one. Millions of websites thronging the internet, from the most personal ones to the fully business related ones. In such a scenario, "web site hosting" has become a common word. Now what exactly is website hosting?

Web site hosting is all about "publishing" a website on the internet. In other words, website hosting is a service in which a web hosting provider renders space to their clients on a server they own, which allows the client, individual or organization, to make their own websites accessible via the World Wide Web. But web site hosting does not come to an end with this. The need for technical support forces the web hosting providers to work round the clock making the websites accessible anytime, anywhere.

The last three-four years of the web hosting industry have been attributed with so much competition that website hosting companies are forced, in a way, to curb their prices into an all time low. Whatever be the consequences, the best thing that came out as an aftermath of all this is that of an easy access to the world of internet, placing yourself and your company in the world’s biggest encyclopedia, the internet.

The upside of the competition is the easy accessibility, but the downside is the ever-increasing number web site hosting providers in the market, which lead to a hundred questions regarding how to choose, whom to choose, and lots more. Proper research could be the only help in this respect.

You may also feel that with so many free website hosting companies available, why pay for it? It may be advisable to start with a free web site hosting company, but it is never the best option, all the more for business purposes. They can’t let you do your business out of charity! They too have to earn their part. And that they do by the numerous advertisements that they put up in your site. One more characteristic of the free website hosting companies would include their limited services. Most of them restrict the selling of certain products and contents, and also are unable to provide proper support when need arises. Whatever be the disadvantages, these free website hosting companies could prove to be helpful for those venturing into this arena for the first time.

If you are somehow able to zero down between the free and the paid web site hosting providers, the next jigsaw is to choose between the astronomical numbers of paid hosts.

You can make a long checklist before opting for the perfect web-hosting provider . The checklist would include bandwidth and disk space at the first place which are to be decided as per the type of website that you are to launch. In addition, it would also include server speed and uptime for proper functioning of your website. Other than the checklist, it is insistent to perform a thorough research before you finalize your website hosting company so that their reliability and support proves indisputable.