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Significant conversation goes into the creation and maintenance of a website, but perhaps not enough time is spent discussing the central question of “what is web hosting?” This question may be often asked, but it is seldom given a proper answer.

In this article, we answer the question to what is web hosting. We discuss why not all web hosting services are created equal – thus helping you discern the good from the bad in web hosting. There is a lot of misinformation published online, some put there intentionally and some unintentionally, regarding web hosting services. This is the guide that will help you discern what web hosting is best for you.

What is Web Hosting vs. Free Hosting?

The first type of web hosting available is free hosting, and it has done more than its fair share of business on the web. These types of hosts have been around just as long as the internet itself, going back to the early days when it seemed that everywhere you turned there was a geocities site or a tripod site. These sites are typically ugly when it comes to aesthetics, simply because they’re cluttered with a big ad from the host provider themselves. Still, free is free.

What is Web Hosting for Images?

This is a different kind of hosting than most traditional web hosting we talk about here. Web hosting images is in the realm of a site like Photobucket, for example. The service is usually free, and it allows the user to upload photographs to their site, where they will host them. The user then has their own little album on the web they can share, or perhaps link to certain images to easily post on MySpace or message boards.

What is Web Hosting on Shared Servers?

This is the most common form of general web hosting. Shared server web hosting costs somewhere between $5 and $20 per month, and with that package, you enjoy many amenities and features (with more of them with the higher priced packages). You will then share a server with other websites, which is usually not an issue as long as one website does not hog the server’s resources. This is the right choice for many, many webmasters.

What is Web Hosting on Dedicated Servers?

This is where the big dogs come to play. When your website is inundated with too much traffic and using too much disk space and bandwidth to carry on with a shared server, a dedicated server is the next logical step. With a dedicated server, you get a server all to yourself, as well as its full resources. This is the answer for those websites who are really successful. It is also the most expensive type of web hosting available.

Hopefully, your answer to “what is web hosting” has been answered with this guide to the most prevalent types. Choosing the right web host for you requires an analysis of your website, and finding the service that can best meet your needs.

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