Well, you can buy your own server, which costs a fortune and requires expert technical knowledge to run ... but I guess you probably don't need to do that.  The other option is to rent space on another company's server.  Companies like us (hosting companies) specialize in offering web space on their servers for rent.  They also offer support and help to ensure everything goes smoothly.  Some hosts are better than others, and we at WHJapan really focus on the customer.  We offer as much help as we can, especially to the novice or inexperienced web hosting client.

The next step is to set up a hosting account with a host company.  Most hosts offer a variety of plans to suit different customers' needs.  Here at WHJapan we have Bronze, Silver and Gold plans.

The most important features of these plans is web space and bandwidth.

Web space is the amount of space on the server that you can rent.  If you have just a small site with a few pages then you will probably only need a low web space plan, such as our Bronze Plan - 100 MB is plenty of space for a small site with a few email addresses.  If your site is large and has complex databases and other scripts running, then you will probably want a more expensive plan.

Bandwidth is the amount of data transfer your website can use in a month's time.  Basically, every time someone visits your site they are downloading each page they visit into their browser, which causes traffic from your files moving from our server to their pc.  So, the more popular your site is, the more traffic it will generate and the more bandwidth it will use up.  For small sites, our Bronze Plan offers plenty of bandwidth (7 GB limit a month).

So, how to choose the right plan for you?  The good news is you are not stuck with the first plan you buy.  You can at any time upgrade to another plan, or add extra resources for your expanding needs.  A good way forward is to start small (with our Bronze Plan) and then upgrade when you need to.

Then simply go to the order page and buy your plan.

The next step is to actually get your site on a server so people can see it.  Well, you'll need a domain name (see point 2) and a program to help you upload your website to the server.

There are a number of ways to get your website on the server.  If you are using website editing software, like Microsoft Frontpage or Dreamweaver, they already have a built in program that uploads your site to the server.  Just input our server information (basically, the website domain name, server user name and password) and the program will do the rest (you receive this server information when you sign up for a plan).

Another popular choice s to use an FTP client.  This is basically a program that connects your pc to the host server and allows you to upload your website files.  There are hundreds of these programs on the net, for example CuteFTP, FreeFTP and FTP Voyager.  Often using this software is as easy as dragging and dropping the files from your pc to the server!  All you need to do is enter your domain name, user name and password to connect to the server (you receive this server information when you sign up for a plan).  Then, open the public_html folder in your server, and upload all your website files there.

Finally, our cpanel (control panel) has a file uploading program - for free!  When you sign up, we'll provide you with a link to your cpanel and then just choose 'File Manager'.  Then simply upload your files to the public_html folder with File Manager.

Which is best?  Well, if your website editing software has an uploading function, this is probably the easiest way to go.  If not, our cpanel is fine for simple uploads, but if you have a lot of files to upload and need to upload on a regular basis, you'll probably find an FTP client is the best way to go.

A domain name is how people (and search engines) find your site - it is your site's address.  For example, the domain name for this site is www.whjapan.com.  You'll need one for your website.

You can have a .com, .org, .net, .jp or .co.jp domain name (and there are loads of others as well).  Which one?  This is often just the preference of the website owner.  If you want your site to appeal to Japanese users, then a .jp or .co.jp may be a nice domain extension.  It doesn't effect your site, it is really just a name.

You'll need to find a domain name registrar, register with that registrar, search for your domain name, purchase your domain name, change the dns settings, make sure the renewal settings are correct and then you are finally good to go.

Or, let us do all the work for you...

If you purchase your name through us we will set everything up for you and manage all your domain name settings.  You won't need to do anything.  You can order a domain name through us here.

Once you have set up your domain name and uploaded your website to the server anyone can access your site by typing the domain name into their browser's address bar.

This is very easy.  Just go to your cPanel, choose 'Email Accounts', and then type in the email address that you would like to set up.  Also add a password and set your mailbox quota (10MB is good to start with).  Then click 'Create'.

If you like, we can set it all up for you.  Just contact our support.

You will then be asked if you would like your like your mail client configured.  This is a great feature.  Basically it sets up an account in your email program (such as Outlook Express) so you can download your email onto your pc.  It very easy - just choose your email program and POP3 and everything will automatically be set up for you.

This is a cool feature that allows you to view your email in your browser.  Basically, you  view the email that is on the server and you haven't downloaded to your pc yet.  The great thing is that you can view, receive and send email using any computer that is connected to the Internet.  So, if you are away from your office and need to check your email, you can do so on another computer (in the same way as Hotmail or Gmail).

To access Webmail, type your website address into your browser's address bar and then add /webmail (e.g. type: www.yourwebsitename.com/webmail).  You will be asked your your user name (your email address) and password (the password you set up for your email account) and then you will be taken to the webmail screen.  Choose the 'RoundMail' program, and the rest is easy - just like using a simple email program!