Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

2. Hosting Requirements

If you want your ISP to host your website, there are a number of other factors you will need to take into account.

2.1 The size of your website will determine the amount of space you need.

• More information and graphics will take up more space.
• ISPs often offer some free storage space.

2.2 The amount of traffic through your website will affect your choice.

• You need an ISP that can handle the expected level of site traffic effectively.
• Make sure your ISP will be flexible if your downloads exceed a set level. A good ISP will give you extra capacity (bandwidth) to cater for any peaks in demand. It will only charge you more if you remain over your allocated bandwidth for a set period (usually a month). Others may charge you more straight away and then increase your bandwidth. In the interim, people may not be able to access your site and you could lose business.

2.3 The speed with which your ISP serves up pages of your website is important.

• If your site is slow, visitors will lose interest and go elsewhere. Generally, visitors should receive your home page within 20 seconds.
• There are other factors that will affect the speed of your site. For example, the speed of a visitor's connection and the amount of graphics on your site.
• If your website is complicated, does your ISP offer co-location? Co-location is where an ISP has a dedicated computer housed at its premises, meaning that your connection speed is guaranteed. The computer itself can be your own or rented from the ISP. In the UK, a facility exists to check ISP performance (see for more information).