We understand that this may be your first website or perhaps you already have one but do not fully understand how it all works. In this web hosting guide we will try to explain what web hosting is and where to start.

Webhosting Terms
Where to start?
Additional resources

Web hosting terms

Domain name
Domain names is how your web site is recognized on the world wide wide. For example our domain name is easdesign.com Domain names can have many different endings to include but not limited to .com .net .biz .us .info .gov .edu to just a name a few

Web Hosting Provider
The web hosting provider is the company that is storing your site and displaying it to the world wide web. Your information is stored in one of their computers usually at a data center.

Web Space or Disk Space
This is the amount data that can be stored for your web site. Pictures, Audio, Video etc. We recommend that you start with a smaller package if you are just starting out, as you can always upgrade later.

Transfer
Transfer or sometimes referred to as bandwidth (which really isn't the same thing) is the amount of data that can be seen by browsers. So for example say you have 100 megs of space and 1,000 megs of transfer. Lets say that you had 1 picture on your site that was 10 megs in size. That picture could be viewed 100 times before you would exceed your transfer amount. Transfer amounts reset at the beginning of each month.

Sub Domain
A sub domain is simply a sub category of a domain name. We have several sub domains setup on our domain name. An example of a sub domain is http://hosting.easdesign.com

SQL Database
An SQL Database is used for storing data and has many applications such as a web forum, guest books, Ecommerce, image galleries and much more.

Where to Start?

Lets first decide on what hosting package you will need. We offer several different packages to accommodate all users. If you are running a personal web site to share a light amount of pictures or perhaps a small website you should sign-up with the one of our Linux Web Hosting Packages. It doesn't matter what operating system you use at home, (Windows or Mac) typically the Linux web hosting packages are going to be right for you. Now that you know that the Linux web hosting is right how do you know what plan to get from there? The presence and statement package will work for about 95% of personal sites, if you site is going to be mostly text then go with the presence plan if you are going to have more images, video and audio then go with the statement package.

Interested in Reselling Web Space to your friend, family or starting your own business? We have several packages that will suit your needs, you can choose any of our Reseller Hosting Plans, Virtual Private Servers or Dedicated Servers. We will assist you in getting your business up and running with our Reseller Resource Center.

A Small Business should consider two different types of web hosting. The first option to consider is a Virtual Private Server, this will give your business the security, control and space that is required by most businesses, you will also have full access to web site with root privileges, your email will be stored securely in your own file structure. The other option for small business is the Linux Web hosting defiance package. This option is more for the business that is just putting information up about their company, security and data integrity isn't as important to this business.

E-Commerce website also have two options to choose between. Virtual Private Servers are the obvious choice all E-Commerce sites, security, reliability, speed and root access are all key components to for this choice. What is you need more though? We also provide an option for a fully managed dedicated server, giving you complete control.

Now that you know which package if for you, it is time to decide on how you want to pay, (Monthly, Quarterly, Semi-Annual or Annual) Some plans are not offered monthly because we would have to charge you too much of a setup fee to cover our initial cost. The benefit of paying Monthly or Quarterly is that you don't need as much to start hosting your site. The advantage of hosting yearly is there is no setup and a slightly discounted rate.

So now that you decided what terms you want we move on to picking a domain name if you don't already have one. This can take a short while as there are many domain names already registered. You can use alpha numeric digits as well as a dash (-)

Once you have found a domain name it will be time to enter process your personal information. Do not worry as this information will not be sold nor is it shared unless you specify that you would like to sign up with one of our partners. This information is also transfer with 128 bit encryption, we take privacy very seriously.

The final part of the process is to review the order and then check out.

Additional Resources

Web Hosting Guide

Web Hosting Myths

How to switch hosts without causing your site to appear down.

4-Easy Steps to find the web host you deserve, avoid the scams.