While this is a simple question, the answer can sometimes be pretty complex, as there are many different types and levels of service available.

In order to explain, I'll begin by saying there are four expenses to consider with Web site development ˜ domain name, design, hosting and promotion.

This month, we'll take a look at hosting.

Web hosting refers to the computer server where your Web site files are saved and available to viewers browsing the Internet. A server is a special kind of computer loaded with software designed specifically for displaying Web sites.

The basic idea of how all this works is, when a person connects to the Internet and types in a Web address to view, what really happens is all the files for that Web page are downloaded to their machine and displayed in their browser window. In other words, there is a computer out there that "serves" the viewer the requested files.

Now, from the standpoint of the business owner considering Web site development, there are many different types of servers to choose from, with costs ranging from free to thousands of dollars per month.

Plus, it is very important that the server maintains a fast and reliable connection to the Internet 24 hours a day. This is important because if the server loses a connection, your Web site will no longer be available. Since it's is common to have tens, hundreds, thousands or even more people requesting to view a Web page at the same time, a slow or unreliable connection will result in lost revenue for your company.

Once most small businesses understand the importance of the power and reliability required from the server and the high-end level of Internet connection that should be implemented when hosting a commercial Web site, they start to look for alternatives to doing all this themselves.

After all, setting up and maintaining a Web server can be fairly complex and expensive. The cost of a high-end Internet connection starts in the $1000/month range and goes up from there.

Fortunately, there are other, more affordable options out there that still provide a professional level of reliability and service.

Knowing that most small businesses aren't going to have a constant stream of heavy traffic going to their Web sites, companies have come up with a concept of shared hosting where the costs and resources of a high-end server and Internet connection are shared by several Web sites.

Doing this brings your monthly costs down to a range of fifty to a few hundreds dollars a month while keeping almost all the advantages of having your own dedicated full-featured Web server.

If this is still out of your budget, there are certainly low-end hosting solutions that can range from no costs to less than fifty dollars per month. However, you are likely to give up many of the features usually needed for commercial Web sites, as well as reliability and customer service.

So, as you start to consider different options for Web site hosting, discuss your specific needs with your Web site developer and keep in mind that there are solutions for any budget. Just remember, as with most things, you get what you pay for.