by Mitch Keeler at 12:11PM (CST) on November 14, 2004  |  Permanent Link  |  Cosmos

When shopping for a Web hosting plan, more often than not you are going to run into a few phrases that confuse and bewilder you. I ran across just about every question a person could be asked during my days in the Web hosting world. The two most often asked Web hosting questions were, "What is bandwidth?" and "What is disk space?".

These are both things Web hosting geeks take for granted that people know about. Not everybody does though.

What is Web Hosting Disk Space?

Disk space refers to the amount of server disk storage your Web hosting account is given. The amount of room you have on the Web hosting server. This account space is used to store your html files, graphics, audio clips, POP mail messages, databases, movies, and all other files that make up your Online Web site.

Everything that sits on your Web hosting account is taking up disk space. This is why you want to compress your file sizes down as far as you can without compromising quality. This way, you can make better use of the space you have.

What is Web Hosting Bandwidth?

The dictionary definition of bandwidth can be kind of confusing:

"The range of frequencies, expressed in Kilobits per second, that can pass over a given data transmission channel within a frame relay network. The bandwidth determines the rate at which information can be sent through a channel - the greater the bandwidth, the more information that can be sent in a given amount of time."

Now let me un-geek that for you.

Bandwidth is how much stuff, with stuff being defined as html files, graphics, audio clips, and so on, can be uploaded to your Web hosting account or downloaded by viewers of your Web site. Every time somebody views your Web page, they are using a chunk of your bandwidth. Every time you upload something to your Web hosting account you are using a chunk of your bandwidth.

Bandwidth can be though of as traffic on a road. As long as you have enough bandwidth, traffic can flow down the street as much as possible. Then if you run out of bandwidth, the road is cut off at both ends with nobody being able to get into or off of your road.

Now That You Know...

When shopping for Web hosting, you should always pay attention to how much bandwidth and disk space they are offering you in a plan or package. If you don't plan for your Web site to be very large or in demand then you can afford to go with a smaller sized Web hosting plan. If you plan on having a large Web site with many visitors you might want to go with a larger sized Web hosting plan.

Also, it is very important to always buy a little extra when shopping for Web hosting. If you think one plan looks like it would fit your Web site, then go with the next one above it. This way you give yourself a little room just in case, down the road, you decide to expand on your Web site or get a new plethora of visitors you hadn't planned on coming.