There are hundreds of companies out there offering web hosting services, and trying to figure out which one is right for you can be a daunting task. Website hosting involves a lot of concepts and words you may not be familiar with.

So you’re ready to set up shop on the web, are you? Terrific! The Internet is the fastest growing form of media in existence, boasting some 700 million users and almost 50 million websites. You should be there, taking your place on the side of the information superhighway.

However, website hosting can be a complicated affair but don’t be scared!

When you are ready to enter the world of website hosting, be sure to take a look at this glossary of terms. It can help you figure out what’s what with web hosting.

Alias

Aliases can be used to identify different e-mail accounts and can redirect mail to other POP3 accounts or to another folder within the same address. A catch-all alias can be used to process e-mail from unknown senders, and is often known as a “junk-mail” sorter.

Auto responder

Auto responders are not true email accounts, but they do have an e-mail address and reply to anyone who sends them an e-mail. This is a handy tool if you want to send out the same information to anyone who asks for it. The pre-formatted e-mail is automatically sent as a reply, guaranteeing that every response is identical.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth is a term used to describe the amount of data that can pass through a communications channel (such as an Internet connection) in a given period of time. Bandwidth is often measured monthly.

Browser

A browser is a program that allows access to the web visually by allowing requests from special files known as HyperText Markup Language, The language of websites. There are many web browsers out there to choose from. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer program is one of the most popular.