Where do you start, especially when the world of the Internet and web functions are still a mystery? Do you call your brother-in-law, who is a web junkie, for advice? Can you trust advice from competitors? These are difficult questions, even for Internet-savvy business owners.

One of the most critical sets of questions you will need to ask once you have determined that you need a presence on the World Wide Web revolves around web hosting. What services can you offer on the web? Who will host your website? And how much will this all cost you?

How are Web Pages Hosted?

First, you can use your dial-up access provider, also known as an ISP (internet service provider). Whichever service you use to access the Web (such as America Online, Earthlink, JunoWeb or others) usually offers a certain amount of web space with your monthly contract. Often this space has a confusing address that may or may not reflect well on your business. However, this can be overcome with website redirection, which is discussed later in this article. Be aware that for most ISP's, this is a sideline. Their bread-and-butter business is dial-up access, and they typically do not invest heavily in their customers' web presence.

Another option is to contract with your web page developer . When you hire a web developer to create your web page, they will often provide hosting services for an additional fee. Because they want to keep your business, they will generally provide good service that is focused on your needs. However, this is often a pricey option given that the hosting business is costly and a smaller developer has a relatively small customer base over which to spread its costs. In addition, the web developers often have a relatively small "pipeline" to the Internet, which may limit the number of concurrent website visitors.

An increasingly popular option is web hosting companies. These firms do nothing but host commercial web sites. They don't design; they don't offer ISP services. Their focus is web page hosting. There are often good bargains to be found at these sites, so pay attention to ads in some of the small business magazines or web developer magazines.

A variation on this theme is the "free" web hosts on the Internet. These include organizations such as Bizland.com and LiveUniverse.com. Usually, these sites require the use of their banner ads or pop-up windows to offset costs, but they also frequently include standard web site templates and services that can save you on development costs. Increasingly, these companies are offering banner-free options for a fixed monthly fee (usually around $15 per month). There can be good bargains here for the first time web site.

Finally, if you expect a high traffic site, you will need to look for the larger industrial website hosts which offer services unique to the high end user. These are not inexpensive, but their reliability, speed and redundancy are impressive.

When evaluating web hosting options, you need to ask the following questions.

1. How would my page be connected to the Internet? Your provider should at least offer T1 line connection to the Internet, which can carry up to 1.5 megabits per second (mbs). Other options such as T3 lines, ISDN, and DSL are faster but usually more expensive.

2. How many concurrent users to my site could be accommodated? This would normally be dependent on the size of the connection, but also may relate to the speed of the computer on which your site is housed.

3. How much space would I have and how would it be accessed? At a minimum for an operational website, you should have access to 5 MB. However, you need to know whether or not mail, log files and system programs count against the space limitation. If so, you should probably have at least three times the 5 MB standard.

4. Can I have my own domain name? Virtual hosting involves having your own "dot com" address rather than having a subdirectory at your hosts' site. This is becoming essential in the web industry. Generally, your host will require you to register your own domain name and then tie it to their IP address. Another option may be redirection, in which you register the name through a redirection site, and then specify your specific site as the point of redirection.

5. Do you offer e-mail aliasing? This service allows email to alias accounts such as sales@yoursite.com, and then permits redirecting to a specified existing e-mail account. This is essential to creating the right image for your business.

6. What statistics are available? Information about visitors to your web site is very important in your marketing strategy. A good web host will offer a broad range of website statistics including page views, domains of visitors, peak hours and days, etc. If these are not offered by your web host, explore other web sites that can offer comprehensive site statistics by placing a link on your pages.

As a professional keynote speaker, workshop/seminar facilitator and organizational consultant, Wayne Parker has worked with hundreds of individuals and organizations to grow, change and succeed. Wayne's background includes 20 years of experience in training, administration and management. He has trained hundreds of people in the areas of sexual harassment prevention, time management, life/work balance issues and customer service. He is also recognized for his experience and skills in the areas of leading change, vision development, leadership development, strategic planning and goal setting, human resource development and team building.