As you begin the planning of your new online business, there will be lots of terms that seem to mean the same thing. Don’t confuse these two terms: Web host and ISP. You’re going to need both, and they are quite different.
Your Web host is where your Website is going to live. Although it seems like so much more, your Website really is just a bunch of files. When your site goes ‘live’ these files are copied to a server at your Web host’s offices, and becomes accessible to the masses, as your website. In order to view your site (and use email and online services) you’re going to need internet access. This is where your ISP (internet service provider) comes in. You will connect to the internet via a cable modem, or a wireless signal. Either way, this connection is provided by an ISP.
Your Web host can literally be located anywhere in the world, thanks to the beauty of the internet, although most companies prefer hosts that speak the same language as they do. Your ISP, on the other hand, must be a company that provides service in your geographic region. It can be access at an internet café, via a wireless modem connection or a cabled internet. Some business people (the 'travel the world' type) don't ever pay for an ISP as such. They make use of free internet access points in airports, shopping malls, hotels and libraries. As long as you can access high enough speeds to do your business, the provider itself isn't of much importance.
Your choice of an ISP isn’t that important (as long as you have enough speed) because the connection simply opens the doors to the internet. Your Web host choice is much more crucial.
