Today's topic is website hosting. When clients call us for a web design quote, they often are unaware that once a website has been designed, it needs to be hosted. So let's take a look at how it works.

When a web site has been designed, it needs to be kept on a computer which is connected to the Internet 24 hours and that too via a super fast connectivity. Such computers are called Web Servers which are strongly built up and connected to speeds like 100 Mbps to the back bone of a country. I will discuss a backbone at some other time, but let's just say that it is super speed Internet ring road that connects cities electronically.

In order for a website to be available to the world 24/7, we need to upload it to a web server and then make it's relevant domain name point to it's own folder. Once uploaded to the server it can then freely be browser by users all over the world.

Website hosting plans are generally monthly and annual and you need to pay a hosting company in order for a website to be hosted. Let's be honest, they are giving you the setup of 24/7 Internet connectivity and high configuration server and all the service, they should get paid for their services.

But of course, they are loads of free web hosting companies as well. But then, you will expect them to advertise their companies services on your website. Unfortunately, I cannot provide any names here, but if you google up free website hosting, you are bound to find many companies.