Hosting is where all of the files that make up a website – such as code, photos and text files – live for visitors to access them. Every website on the Internet needs hosting; shared, VPS, dedicated and reseller hosting providers all offer various forms of web hosting solutions for these purposes.

Host computers communicate with other computers over networks, and can include any type of personal, work, server or even phone computer. Within web hosting server environments, hosts serve as data managers that store the website data for visitors to access it.

Uptime, bandwidth capacity and storage space should all be key considerations when searching for an excellent web host. Uptime ensures your site remains available to the public without experiencing significant interruptions to service; bandwidth refers to how much data transfers between host and audience – if your traffic forecast indicates higher numbers then make sure your plan has enough capacity to accommodate this increase in data transfer between host and audience.

No matter if it’s your first website or you have been online for an extended period, choosing an excellent host is crucial to the success of any business online. Look for one with 24/7 customer service via chat, phone and/or email as well as offering basic features such as nightly backups and unlimited email accounts (a feature standard among most budget web hosts).

One feature to keep in mind when selecting your host is whether they offer enough room for expansion. New websites typically start off on shared hosting which is relatively powerful these days; as your site grows over time it might need something more robust such as virtual private or dedicated server hosting solutions – make sure your potential host offers plans to upgrade you seamlessly to more robust servers (virtual private or dedicated for example).

Finally, when searching for hosting, make sure that they provide ample storage and unmetered bandwidth quota. This will allow you to store and distribute media materials like podcasts, videos and images without running up against their storage limit or going beyond. If your media materials exceed this amount, consider signing up with at least 10GB bandwidth limit plan for maximum storage efficiency.

HostGator of Seattle provides affordable web hosting solutions with plenty of business-oriented extras bundled into each plan; such as free domain, nightly backups and unlimited email accounts.