Webspace Storage Storage here does not refer to the Self-Storage unit you have down the block. Storage simply means how much webspace you have under your control. Again, consider an apartment rental. This storage would be equivalent to the square footage of that apartment and the webspace units are measured in megabytes (MB) or now, gigabytes (GB). Web hosting packages, normally far exceed the amount of storage most small businesses would need for an online presence. As a rough estimate, consider 25 mb as able to handle approximately 500 static web site pages just like the one you are reading right now. If you have a massive web site or with the advent of the new web 2.0, you plan to host video, beware. Video occupies huge amounts of space, for example 10 seconds of video may take up 1-2 MB of storage. Due to varying compression rates this should be used only as a very approximate figure. Storage however is not your most important consideration . That distinction goes to bandwidth. Bandwidth What is bandwidth anyway? For a broadband connection at home, the bandwidth defines the maximum speed the link is capable of. This is measured in megabits/sec (Mbps). When applied to a server however, it has a very different meaning. Speed is not what the ISP is thinking, rather the term refers here to how much data your account permits your server to consume each month. | That includes every page your visitors accesses, every image on each page, and every file that is downloaded from your website. Imagine having a hugely popular podcast (A fancy term for an audio broadcast over the internet). Your bandwidth will no doubt skyrocket, placing you in the realm of 'additional server fees" for extra bandwidth charges. Look at this carefully according to what you have planned for your website. One good and effective way to keep bandwidth usage in check would be to have an efficient website. This means using coding standards such as CSS, optimizing all your images and being extra careful with your podcasts settings. Save audio MP3's at 64Kbps rather than 128Kbps to halve the file size without hindering the sound quality. The hosting company usually provide bandwidth monitoring tools to help you keep tabs of your usage. Use them. The worst this will do is to let you know how much you went over your allotted amount and how much in the hole you'll be at the end of the month. At least you won't be surprised! Let's proceed to Golden Rule #4, Server Technology and Stability. Is your Web Host Provider playing with a full deck? |