2.0 Web Hosting
Seeing as the Internet is essentially a vast network of connected computers hosting websites, which are simply a collection of webpages, your web pages have to sit on a computer somewhere that is always connected to the Internet. This computer is called a Web Server and is usually owned by a web hosting company, although it is possible to host your own websites from your own personal server, something professional companies like Ebay, Google and Facebook do for example.
Once you have written your web pages and have acquired a suitable domain name (see the section on domain names), you will need somewhere to host your webpages from for the World to enjoy. Do an online search for web hosting and shop around as prices are pretty competitive these days. If your site is pretty simple, say under a few hundred pages of information, simply buy a starter package from a web hosting company online, and don't pay any more than three quid or so a month for this (unless your site is going to be massive). A basic package will include webmail, email forwarding and Control Panel (cPanel) access so that you can manage your hosting account online, view web statistics, upgrade at a later time to abetter package etc.
It is worth remembering, however, that as with many things in life the cheapest is not always the best value. I cannot understate how important good customer support is. If you have a problem regarding your hosting or find yourself stuck on a technical issue somewhere, you need a hosting company with a good FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section, a provision for posting questions and enquiries to them, and finally a cheap phone support number supposing all else fails. In addition to this, the hosting provider's website and Cpanel access must be clear, easy to navigate and simple to use. The last thing you want is to buy the cheapest hosting around but from a provider whose site is a confusing nightmare to use. To this end it is sometimes worth doing an online search for "web hosting reviews".
Some of the more well known hosting companies out there include: