When dealing with any kind of technology there is always going to be a learning curve. In web hosting, the learning curve can be a bit intimidating. Based on our experience and feedback from various sources, we put together the ten most common myths surrounding web hosting and how it works to help you make an informed web hosting decision.

Myth #10 Getting a hosting account means I will have a web server all to myself

Unless stated otherwise, web hosting provided to consumers is done on shared servers. The definition of a shared server is exactly as it sounds. Shared servers are web servers that hold many hosting accounts sharing the resources and usage of that server. This is more economical for the customer as they don’t need to pay for an entire server which can cost hundreds of dollars a month to maintain.

Myth #9 A newly registered domain name is available online right away

When a brand new domain name is first registered, it must be recognized by all the web servers on the Internet. This process is called propagation and can take anywhere from an hour to 24 hours. But once the process is completed then anyone who types in your domain name will be able to get straight to your website.

Myth #8 The monthly advertised price means you will be paying month to month

Many web hosting companies will advertise a monthly price to demonstrate the incredible savings for web hosting. But the plans themselves need to be paid in advance generally in 1, 2, or 3 year terms. Generally, by signing up for a longer term, the hosting company offers a better price point.

Myth #7 Having Windows on your desktop PC means you need to have windows hosting

This is simply not true. Web hosting servers are independent of your local PC. So you don’t have to have Windows hosting to have a website. As a matter of fact, approximately 90% of all websites on the Internet don’t use Windows hosting. The vast majority use Linux/Unix hosting. Linux/Unix hosting is more popular because it is so stable and easy to use. Not to mention cheaper.

Myth #6 Unlimited disk space and bandwidth means no limits

These days there are many hosting companies that offer unlimited disk space and bandwidth. But what does that really mean? How is possible to have unlimited resources? Technically it isn’t possible to have unlimited disk space or bandwidth. It’s not like you can buy a hard drive with unlimited gigabytes. There is finite space. But how hosting companies do it is by providing space and bandwidth as your needs grow. So they might start you out with a fixed amount and then upgrade you as the limits are reached.

Myth #5 “Free domain name for life” means “Free domain name for LIFE”

Registering a domain name with a hosting company “for life” is not forever. What they mean by “for life” is that the hosting company will continue to renew your domain at no charge as long as you continue to have hosting with them. So if you ever decide to terminate your hosting account then you will either need to pay for the domain or let it expire.

Myth #4 Moving your website to a new host, means it will automatically transfer

Just like if you move to a new apartment, it’s not up to the new apartment owner to move your stuff. That needsto be done by you. The hosting company only provides the hosting space so if you move web hosts then you have to make sure to move your web files over to the new host.

Myth #3 Web hosting can be used for backups and storage

Because hosting companies are offering tons of disk space and bandwidth at really low costs, more people are turning to hosting companies to use their accounts for PC backups and storage. They will try and store music, videos, games, and all sorts of files that have nothing to do with their websites. Web hosting is not intended to be used for online backups and storage. It is meant to be used for files related to web sites.

Myth #2 Creating a website doesn’t mean immediate inclusion in search engines

I hear this a lot from many different people who put up a brand new website. The common question is “I just put up my website so why don’t I see it when I search for it in Google?”. Just because you created a website the search engines will not immediately add it the way you want or as quickly as you want. Just like taking time to build the site, it takes time to get a website indexed in search engines. There are billions of websites out there and more websites are being added everyday. It just takes time to get included.

Myth #1 I built a website but why am I not getting any hits

The phrase “if you build it, they will come” doesn’t apply to websites on the Internet. It takes hard work and time to get website visitors. Sure there are shortcuts like PPC advertising but that costs money. Nope, the only sure fire way to get hits is to work at it. Just like in the real world you have to advertise your site. Announce your site on newsgroups, forums, social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Basically it’s up to you to get people to find you on the Web.

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