To have a Website on the Internet you first need to have a Web
Server. A Web Server is a powerful computer stored in a secure,
climate-controlled environment and permanently linked to the Internet
(via high-speed data lines). These computers store the web pages
that make up websites. As soon as your pages are installed on the
server they become available to visitors and customers on the Internet
- providing they have the correct address (www.yourbusiness.com).
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The Internet initially began
as a means for the US Military to communicate in the event
of war. What the military needed was a network that was so
versatile that if orthodox links were broken, information
could be re-routed in order for delivery to still occur.
For the initial 10 years, the Internet was only used by scientists
and the military. It was only in the 1980's that corporations
got involved. In the 1990's ordinary people began to use the
Internet for everything from information purposes to buying
a new boat. By the year 2000 almost everyone in US and Canada
had access to it and so did most other countries. This labyrinth
of interconnected computers brings us to what Web Hosting
is today.
Unfortunately, owning a Web Server can be very costly and
requires technical expertise that most businesses don't have.
This is where Web Hosts come in. Web Hosting companies provide
the equipment and other technical resources that you need
without the potential headaches. It's a lot cheaper
than buying you own server, and you don't have to hire the
technical staff to take care of it. Shared servers offer the
ability to host a Website on a powerful, professionally managed
server, at a low monthly cost. No technical skills are required
to use a shared server. Shared Server Hosting provides a cost-effective
way for entry-level Webmasters to maintain a reliable Web
presence without extensive technical knowledge or resources.
To sum it all up. A Web Host provides the place on the Internet
where your website "lives" with out you having to
think about the technical side of things.