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What does a web site need?

© Dianne Reuby

Websites are made up of files - web pages, pictures, databases, executables are a few of the filetypes that may be used on a web site. Those files take up space on a server, just as they would on a PC, and letting people visit the sites uses bandwidth to transfer them to the visitor's browser. So when choosing a host, space and bandwidth are two of the variables that you need to consider.

How much space will you need? This will depend entirely on the number of pages, the number and size of any graphics, and the number and size of any downloadable files that your site contains. Just as on your PC, the more files you have, and the larger they are, the more disk space they'll take up on your hosts' server. So you need to plan your site, estimate the number of pages, choose your pictures, and get an idea of the amount of space you'll need.

What's bandwidth and how much will I need? Bandwidth for webmasters is how much your download allowance is. Every time someone views one of your pages, it uses part of your bandwidth allowance. For example, if you have a web page with a 12k file size, which includes two images at 20k each, the total bandwidth for one view of that page would be 12k+20k+20k, or 52k. Another good reason to optimise your graphics!

You'll need to decide if you want people to download files from your site - for example, you may have a catalogue or brochure for visitors to download. Many free hosts don't allow file downloads.

Have you ever seen those notices that say "Please don't link to this picture - copy it to your server and link to it there"? That's because by linking directly to a file, you're using bandwidth which the webmaster is paying for. Check your site logs (your host should have some help files on this) to make sure no-one is doing this on your site. If they are, before you fire off an irate email, remember they may just be new to the web and not realise the problem it can cause you. Ask them to remove the link, and explain the situation first.

Some examples One of my smaller sites is using 2Mb of a 50Mb allowance, and has 8 pages with quite a lot of graphics, including a small photo gallery. My bandwidth is about 200Mb a month.