How Shared Hosting Works
If you have decided to launch your own site, but are not quite sure about what a web site is and are not familiar with the phrase "shared hosting", this article is dedicated to explaining these concepts in simple English.
What exactly is a web site?
A website is a combination of web pages assembled systematically. It has a special web address, also called a URL (Uniform Resource Locator). A website may be comprised of only one single web page and sometimes may even have as many as 1000 web pages.
What is a web hosting server?
A hosting server enables you to upload your web site onto it. In some instances, there might be even thousands of websites on one single web hosting server. The web hosting server basically is a computer with specific hardware, which is housed in a datacenter facility with special cooling systems, whose mission is to safeguard the seamless performance of the machine and all the websites accommodated on it.
In brief, a hosting server will be truly a launching pad when the time arrives for you to launch your site. It could be any sort of website - a corporate site containing a lot of web pages, or a site, which consists of just a couple of pages and which you have developed just for your acquaintances and family members.
You've made a decision about what your site will be, now what?
As soon as you have decided what sort of website you want to build, the next move is to find out what sort of web hosting service you must select for your online project. Essentially, there are two kinds of web hosting services - free-of-cost web hosting services and paid web hosting services. The cost-free website hosting solution is ordinarily utilized by individuals that do not have a business website.
Positive and negative sides of the free website hosting solution
You will not obtain many options with a free hosting plan. Features such as web traffic, memory and web content space are limited and insufficient for an elaborate e-commerce website or a business-related website, or even for a web site with lots of graphics. Also, there are lots of ads incorporated in your site by the web hosting packages provider. These advertisements take up a lot of space on your website and are rather irritating.
Shared website hosting
The paid shared website hosting services are more stable and offer plenty of powerful features in addition to the high-end web hosting server that will accommodate your website and its data. Nonetheless, it is essential to find out which features your web site demands prior to purchasing your web hosting plan. You should not rush and wind up paying for something that your web site does not need.
Select your hosting supplier
It is not tough to find a hosting plans provider. You have to just carry out an online survey in order to find a web hosting provider that meets your web site's needs. Before you take your actual choice, take a peek at the parameters of the packages offered by the web hosting providers that have caught your eye. We, for example, are among the top-notch website hosting providers on the market now. The large array of hosting services and our prices are what renders us an attractive option. In spite of that, you must establish what kind of web hosting solution you require and if the price suits your budget. Also, you must not forget to go through the hosting service provider's TOS before opening an account to verify that your website is not violating them.
Opening a website hosting account
Once you have found out what features are best for your site, the next move is to open an account with the web hosting distributor of your choice. You will be given all the necessary tools for handling your website files and databases. With us, for example, you will get a web hosting Control Panel, which has domain, web site, database and e-mail administration areas. You log into the Control Panel using a unique username and password, which gives you secure access to the part of the server where your website will be hosted.
Uploading your web site
You can either upload your files through FTP or, as is with most hosting companies, through a web-based tool that is included within the Control Panel. With us, the File Manager is very easy to use and offers features similar to those observed in Windows Explorer, which makes file manipulation extremely easy. We offer additionally a website builder and a PHP-based script installer, which you can utilize to develop your website if you have no programming knowledge and are taking your first steps in web design. The online website builder, called SiteStudio, will also spare you the time and effort of making a web site on your computer and then uploading it using FTP client software or the File Manager interface.
| Starter | Business | Corporate | Enterprise | CT Hosting Budget Special |
| Unlimited storage | Unlimited storage | Unlimited storage | Unlimited storage | 50 MB storage |
| Unlimited bandwidth | Unlimited bandwidth | Unlimited bandwidth | Unlimited bandwidth | 1000 MB bandwidth |
| 1 website hosted | 5 websites hosted | Unlimited websites hosted | Unlimited websites hosted | 1 website hosted |
| 30-Day Free Trial | 30-Day Free Trial | 30-Day Free Trial | 30-Day Free Trial | 30-Day Free Trial |
| £2.58 / month | £3.37 / month | £7.46 / month | £10.75 / month | £3.68 / month |