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How does a web page make its way to the internet? Well, it has to be designed first. A person who wishes to do so would use various codes and tools to develop a web page.

It isn't necessarily a 'web page' just yet. The only people who could view the webpage at this point are those who have access to the computer where it is saved. It can be uploaded for computers in a local network to view. However, if it is the designer's goal to expose it to the world, or to the millions who view the internet on a daily basis, he or she would have to employ the service of a web host to accommodate his or her web page.

To further understand what a web host is, think of the internet as one huge building, with units available for rent. You would need to literally rent one of these spaces for your web page to stay in. Think of web hosting services as those land lords (and ladies) who you contact to appropriate a space for you in the Internet 'building'.

After a web hosting service accepts your request to have your web page viewable over the internet, you would then go through the process of sending the details of your designed web page to them. Apart from the details regarding the design of your web page, you would also have to provide them with a desired domain name.

Think of the domain name as a title for your establishment. It's what your potential visitors would type in their web browser's address bars to access your web page. Once you notify the chosen web hosting service of your domain name, it would then be subject for approval. What happens during this time is actually evaluation, where they check if the domain name you choose is still available for use, among other things. When that is finished, and if the domain name is found to be available, the web page is then saved and stored on the service's host computer in their location. Called a server, this special type of computer has the ability of enabling people all over the world to associate the domain name you chose to the web site that you designed.

People and establishments usually choose to have a web hosting service maintain and hold their web pages, simply because it is quite expensive to operate a server computer. The costs which accompany some higher-end web hosting services usually pay off in the end. You are generally given more freedom to customize and personalize your web page, so you can attract a significantly greater number of surfers.

Speaking of costs, there are actually some companies which offer free web hosting services. However, the downside to these free services is that your options in customizing your domain name are quite limited. You may expect the actual name of the company integrated into the whole domain name to standardize things.