Web Hosting Industry

The web hosting industry has grown tremendously over the past decade, and even over just the last few
years. When Netscape provided a simple browser for users to connect to the internet and conduct safe
online transactions, the E-commerce industry was transformed. In 1995, the major E-commerce
companies were launched - Amazon.com and eBay.com. Both have been tremendously successful. By
1999, retail spending on the internet had reached $20 billion. [1]
According to an SRI Business press release in 2000, 1999 was considered the year when big business
recognized how drastically the internet was beginning to change the retail industry.
"The Internet has changed all the rules for business," said Larry Gordon, vice president of Internet
Research Group. "1999 was the year that sizable numbers of companies across all industries began
realizing the huge potential of Internet solutions for increased sales, stronger customer relationships,
more focused marketing programs, streamlined internal systems, and better supply chain integration.
As these early adopters publicize their success, a much larger group of 'fast followers' will rush to ebusiness
adoption." [1]
This prediction is exactly what took place. By 2002, the NUA estimated the internet had 605 million
Internet users. Finally, in 2005, 36 years after the birth of the World Wide Web, according to a
Morgan Stanley estimate, the internet had reached its first billion users [2]. Estimates are that the
second billion would be reached by 2015, with a majority of the new users being based in Asia.
Today almost every business in existence, from the largest corporation, to the local small business, has
some form of Internet presence. This boom in businesses who demand an internet presence has led to
the tremendous growth of the Web Hosting Industry.

Today, there are a couple of leaders within the industry. Costs have dropped drastically in terms of
web server hardware and bandwidth - so anyone with the technical knowledge can now set up a server
and host websites. The companies who can identify a profitable niche within this industry are the ones
who will stand the potential to take the lead within the Web Hosting Industry. In this review, we've
identified several niche opportunities within the web hosting industry that are profitable and others that
aren't. Some of the most profitable include eCommerce solutions for businesses, multimedia hosting
(videos and photos), and content hosting (blogs and forums).
More comprehensive details about these specific niche markets are outlined in detail below. In this
report, we will also provide the following information about the Web Hosting industry:
%u2022 Niche Statistics
%u2022 Industry Growth and Spending Habits
%u2022 Purchasing Trends
%u2022 Demographics
%u2022 Target Audiences
%u2022 Seasonal Buying Habits
%u2022 Cross Promotion
%u2022 Media
%u2022 Tool sand Resources
%u2022 Industry News
%u2022 Products and Services
%u2022 Affiliate Programs

The total estimated internet user base world wide was estimated at 1,319,872,109 by the end of 2007. Asia
leads the world in Internet usage, making up 38.7% of total Internet use with 510 million users. Europe is
second at 26.4% with 348 million users, while North America is third at 18% with 238 million users.
While not currently the top three countries in terms of online usage, there are three other regions of the world
that are seeing exceptional growth rates in the number of online users. The Middle East is in first at a 920.2%
growth rate, Africa is second at 882.7%, and Latin America is third at 598.5 %. If these growth rates remain
consistent, these regions of the world could easily catch up in terms of online usage - Latin America alone only
needs to double its online usage and it will have caught up with North America.
World internet usage and population statistics are shown in image. [4]

The top fifteen leading hosting companies worldwide are listed below, along with their market share and the total
registered domains which they host. [3]

Web Host by registered domains:

While WildWestDomains.com holds the lions share of the market, other hosts are seeing higher growth rates.
As the chart below shows, five web hosts are experiencing faster growth than Wild West Domains, and Go
Daddy in particular is experiencing growth far surpassing the competition. [5]

2008, ad spending grows in U.S. despite economic crisis. eMarketer.com predicts ad spending growth of 23% in
2008 vs. total U.S. ad spending of 3.3%. Projected ad spending until 2012:

(courtesy of eMarketer.com)
Ad spending is predominantly within search engine advertising, representing 40% of total spending. Digital
media such as video ads are also gaining, while email, display ads, and classified ads are slowing. [6]
Online marketing remains a rapid growth niche. According to BtoB Magazine's recent study titled "2008
Marketing Priorities and Plans" indicates that an impressive 79 percent of marketers plan to increase their online
marketing budgets.
According to the study findings - the areas where marketers plan to increase funding include website
development (74%), email (70%), search engine marketing (64 percent), video (40 percent), web casting (39
percent), banners (36%), sponsorships (30 percent), and social media (26 percent). [7]
A 2008 study by Forrester Research Inc indicated that retailers plan to boost spending on online applications
that would improve their customer experience. Forrester reported, "Customer Experience Spending Intensifies
in 2008." Customer experience applications indicate Internet applications and "cross-channel interactions".
Some additional examples provided includes "web analytics and customer satisfaction surveys" according to
Forrester. [7]
For web hosting companies, this indicates that retailers will require additional hosting resources in terms of
space and bandwidth, and the market for technical consulting services to develop and distribute these products
should experience growth.

Reports by Web Host Industry Review in 2005 marked significant growth rates for domain registrars that
expanded their offerings into web hosting. Some examples of this rapid growth included:
%u2022 Go Daddy (godaddy.com) - 76.7% growth since entering the market in 2003.
%u2022 Network Solutions (networksolutions.com) - 148% growth since expanding its hosting line.
%u2022 Dotster (dotster.com) - 70.4% growth
%u2022 Enom (enom.com) - 42.2% growth
The rapid growth of the domain registrars in particular indicate the importance of domains - and the market
advantage for hosting services to provide domain services as well.

In March of 2008, Pingdom.com, an online monitoring service of websites and servers, conducted a case study
and analysis of the growth of five of the most popular web hosting companies over the last few years.
The study included web hosts: Dreamhost, Ipower, Bluehost, Hostgator, and Site5.
Their growth was indicated by the chart below which tracked each host based on the number of registered
domain names over time from April 2005 through December 2007 [8]:

The factors that Pingdom identified as helping to fuel growth included:
%u2022 Aggressive affiliate programs.
%u2022 Reseller programs.
%u2022 Blogging (social networking)
%u2022 Forum and blog interactive discussions.
%u2022 Overselling.
%u2022 Lowering hosting prices.
%u2022 Lowering domain name prices

The top three hosting companies vary from country to country:
United Kingdom: (1) Pipex.net (2) 1and1.co.uk (3) FastHosts.com
Australia: (1) Fabulous.com (2) Trellian.com (3) PlanetDomain.com
Belgium: (1) SkyNet.be (2) Register.be (3) Combell.net
Brazil: (1) Empresas.terra.com.br (2) Locaweb.com.br (3) Hostnet.com.br
Canada: (1) Mdnsservice.com (2) Netfirms.com (3) Generation.net
Denmark: (1) B-one.nu (2) Speednames.com (3) Surf-Town.net
France: (1) OVH.net (2) Gandi.net (3) Irysius.fr
The purchasing trends of online users are very much based on demographics. Here we will examine each
segment and detail their online purchasing behaviors:
Mothers often engage in search, entertainment and shopping activities on the Internet. In fact, mothers are most
often the family member to rely on the Internet to make purchasing decisions. According to emarketer.com's
research: "Upwards of two-thirds of online moms of young children research products online." [9]
Baby Boomers are now using the Internet more often to make purchases. According to The Media Audit, "twothirds
of these affluent boomers had made an online purchase within the past year." [10]

In order to capture a majority of the online shopping public, a large demographic needs to be targeted in addition
to the younger male consumer. Every demographic has a need for web hosting services - and there are clearly
buyers with expendable cash to purchase web hosting.
An additional purchasing trend beyond demographics involves the online shopping experience. According to
emarketer.com, while the chief frustration of shopping online was receiving a product that didn't look like it did
online, the survey conducted by the March 2008 Online Research Corporation indicated that "the second most
frustrating thing about shopping online, cited by 23% of respondents, was not being able to talk to someone
regarding any purchasing questions or concerns." [11]
The survey indicated that a failure to meet the expectations of the customer at any point in the process will have
a significant adverse impact on the customer's perception of the store and the brand.
Most of the research for products is now being conducted on the internet. U.S. retail shoppers are now
becoming educated on the products they want to buy, long before they buy them either offline or online, and the
majority of that research comes from Internet sources in the form of product information and user reviews.
In February of 2008, Krillion and the e-tailing group reported that two-thirds of buyers online spent more than
30% of total shopping time researching products over the internet. [12]

Interestingly, the specific items that these online researchers indicated affected their decision to buy from a
particular store or brand included:
%u2022 Current promotions
%u2022 In-store returns
%u2022 Detailed store information
%u2022 Product locators
%u2022 In-store pickup

These factors can also be used in the general web hosting market because online shoppers generally value the
same items when shopping for web hosting service.
%u2022 In-store returns - Money Back Guarantee if not satisfied with hosting service.
%u2022 Store promotions - Discounts and promotions on web hosting prices.
%u2022 Detailed store info - Provide as many details as possible about your hosting company.
%u2022 Delivery options - Setup process of the user's website should be extremely fast and simple.
While online sales have traditionally only been a fraction of retail sales - this is still changing drastically as more
and more people are starting to trust the security of online transactions. eMarketer.com predicts that the
influence web information has on the offline and online retail purchase decisions will be more than four times as
much as straight retail e-commerce sales by 2012. [12]
Based on these trends, it isn't simply enough to offer products or hosting services on a webpage. It is critical to
additionally get information out on the Internet that is interesting and compelling, and will drive customers to a
website to purchase a web hosting account.

To analyze the current marketplace trends and demand for the components of the web hosting industry we have
run keywords for each component through Google trends which provides search popularity for these terms - in
effect indicating overall demand and interest in that component within the general online community.
These trends can provide enormous insight into the value and market demand for each of these components -
as well as a trend to assist in predicting the movement within this industry in the coming months.
Keywords: Website Hosting

This trend indicates that general interest in the website hosting industry in terms of website hosting alone, has
gradually declined since 2004. While this trend appears to have leveled out between 2006 and 2008, the search
volume remains high enough to indicate that there are still substantial searches online for "website hosting."
The top five regions of the world that make up the majority of these searches include:
South Africa, India, Philippines, Malaysia, and New Zealand
We will now dig down into the sub-components of website hosting to determine what components make up the
majority of the current interest in website hosting services.
Keywords: Image Hosting

Image hosting has always been very high in demand, as can be seen from the chart between 2004 and 2007.
There has been a recent significant drop in search volume for "Image Hosting" in mid-2007. This may be related
to a number of free image hosting accounts, such as Flickr, which on December 29, 2006, increased upload
limits on the free accounts to 100MB a month. For many Ebay users, this was more than enough to use their
Flickr account with Ebay. A free service such as this would drastically reduce the demand that was formerly
coming from Ebay users who needed an image hosting account.
The top five regions of the world that make up the majority of these searches include:
United States, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and Italy
Keywords: Forum Hosting

As with general website hosting, search volume for forum hosting has dropped steadily since 2004. The search
volume, however, still remains high despite the gradual downward trend. Forums remain a very popular online
The regional distribution is interesting, and shows where forum popularity is most prevalent.
The top five regions of the world that make up the majority of these searches include:
Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines and Romania
Keywords: Blog Hosting

As reflected in the search trends, blogging has become extremely popular since 2005. The search volume
remains consistently high as bloggers search for hosts for their blog. While the United Kingdom made the top
ten lists for the Forum Hosting trend, and the U.S. didn't, with blogs it's the other way around. The United States
is #9 on the search distribution for Blog hosting, while the UK didn't make the top ten.
The top five regions of the world that make up the majority of these searches include:
Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and Italy
Keywords: Email Marketing

As the chart above depicts, Email Marketing has maintained strength in the search trends. While companies
have started to shy away from spamming customers, aspects of email marketing that are very much in demand
and very popular among businesses include email newsletters to existing customers or opt-in lists.
The top five regions of the world that make up the majority of these searches include:
South Africa, India, New Zeeland, United States and United Kingdom
Keywords: Search Engine Marketing

Search engine marketing became immensely popular around the same time in 2005, just after blogs took off in
popularity. Web users learned that SEO (Search Engine Optimization) of their blog entries would draw many
more users, thanks to Google's newest intelligent algorithms used for website rankings. Larger companies and
businesses who count on web hosts to publish their websites on the Internet are now also turning to the web
hosts for advise and input on how to optimize their websites and market them for higher rankings in the search
engines. Google Adsense is another aspect of this, and has actually been climbing in popularity.
The top five regions of the world that make up the majority of these searches include:
India, Australia, United States, United Kingdom and Thailand
Keywords: Article Marketing

Article marketing is one of the cutting edge marketing techniques that has taken shape since Google's latest
ranking changes in 2007. Google no longer focuses solely on "keywords," but now also looks for recent content
that has value and will keep readers on the site for a longer period of time. With these criteria, businesses and
corporations recognize that they need fresh, valuable, and compelling content on their websites on a continuing
basis. Because of this need, the article-marketing niche was born in mid 2007 and is growing in demand. This
remains a cutting-edge marketing niche that is untouched by most hosts and webmasters who have technical
skill but would need to hire writers to fill this particular demand.
The top five regions of the world that make up the majority of these searches include:
Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and Philippines.
The United States is #8 on this top ten list.

According to the 1999 National Survey of Information Technology in Higher Education, by that year
the "percentage of college courses using Web resources in the syllabus rose from 10.9 in 1995 and 33.1
percent in 1998 to 38.9 percent in 1999. More than one-fourth of all college courses (28.1 percent)
have a Web page, compared to 22.5 percent in 1998 and 9.2 percent in 1996. Concurrently, the 1999
Campus Computing Survey data reveal that about one-fifth of college faculty (19 percent) maintains a
personal Web page, one not linked to any specific class or course." [13]

Similarly in 2001, the Pew Internet & American Life Project reported that their survey findings found
that 41% of teens said that they used email and instant messaging to contact teachers or classmates
about schoolwork. 58% of online teens reported using Web sites "set up specifically for their school or
for a particular class."
The report also found that 17% of online teens "have created a Web page for a school project." [14]
Clearly the use of websites in education continues to rise, so it follows that educators and education
institutions will increase as purchases of web hosting services.

According to a 2007 Pew Internet Project survey, over half of all adult Americans have used a mobile
device to conduct non-voice data activities such as texting, emailing, taking a picture, looking for maps
or directions, or recording video. [15]
Of those who took part in the survey, 38% in 2002 stated it would be very difficult to give up their cell
phone. 47% said it would be very difficult to give up their television, versus 38% who said it would be
difficult to give up the Internet. Five years later, in 2007, the survey found that 51% would find it very
hard to give up their cell phone, and for the first time ever, the Internet (45%) surpassed television
(43%) in terms of which technology users find it harder to give up.
When we examine how mobile devices are being used the most, taking pictures is at the top of the list -
58% of users have taken a picture with their cell phone, and 15% do it almost every day, falling behind
only text messaging at 31%. [15]
What this means is that a large majority of mobile phone users have a need for image hosting services
to share these mobile phone pictures with family and friends.

A 2008 Pew Internet Research report indicates that the number of users of video sites has nearly
doubled from the end of 2006 to the end of 2007. An amazing 48% of internet users said they had
visited a video-sharing site such as YouTube. A year earlier, in 2006, only 33% of users had ever
visited such sites. On an average day, 8% of users visited such sites on a daily basis, but in 2007, only
a year later, 15% of users used these sites daily. [16]
This represents a very rapid growth potential in the online video hosting and sharing niche.

Another way web hosting is used is by teens; most who are taking advantage of interactive web
technologies to keep in touch and share information with each other. According to a 2008 Pew
Research report, "content creation by teenagers continues to grow, with 64% of online teenagers ages
12 to 17 engaging in at least one type of content creation, up from 57% of online teens in 2004."
According to this report 35% of all teen girls blog. [17]
This rapid growth of the niche market of social networking encompasses all avenues of hosting, from
video hosting, posted by twice as many teen boys as girls, to photos, where teen girls dominate by
54%. Image hosting is huge among teens - nearly half (47%) have posted photos to the internet.
As these teens mature and continue to take advantage of these social networking tools they've learned
to use as teens, this niche market is only going to grow and mature along with them.

Another important element of web content that is seeing a great deal of growth over the past few years
includes Information Hosting. Information hosting includes the services that store mountains of either
"free content" or articles at some cost. According to Pew Internet research - a 2007 report indicates
that more people than ever are turning to the internet for answers to common everyday problems. This
represents a niche that is seeing some tremendous growth.
According to the report, 58% of internet users who had recently experienced one of 10 possible
problems over the previous two years had used the internet to get help. This number actually surpasses
the number of people who turned to professionals such as doctors, lawyers and financial experts. It
surpasses television, radio and the public library by a margin of more than 30%. [18]

An unexpected, yet very popular use of the Internet is for faith-related reasons. According to a 2004
Pew Internet Research report, "nearly two-thirds of online Americans use the Internet for faith-related
reasons. The 64% of Internet users who perform spiritual and religious activities online represent
nearly 82 million Americans." [19]
This report indicates a very important and fast-growing niche market online, which is essentially going
unnoticed by most marketers. The survey shows that the majority of the faithful who use the Internet
are there for "personal spiritual reasons, including seeking outside their own traditions, and this Internet
activity supplements their ties to traditional institutions, rather than moving them away from church."
The survey found that an impressive two-thirds who attend religious services use the Internet to
supplement their religious activities. These are "more likely to be women, white, middle aged, college
educated, and relatively well-to-do."
Most significantly, this demographic is considered "more active as Internet users than the rest of the
Internet population."
Clearly this niche could intersect all others, including social networking and content hosting, however
only a few companies or marketers have taken advantage of this niche so far.
2005:

2006:

2007:

To make this visually easier to analyze, we need to place the three line graphs side-by-side: The
bottom line is 2005, middle is 2006, and top is 2007.

The following trends show up within the three yearly line charts of internet-search activity:
1. There is always a dip in web hosting interest between February and March.
2. There is always a rise, varying from great, to slight, at the start of May, followed by a dip
toward the end of the month.
3. July usually represents the steepest drop in web host interest of the entire year, with a steep
recovery in mid July.
4. Interest in web hosting drops entering September and slowly declines through peaks and valleys
inter a yearly low in December just before Christmas. There is a steep spike back up to almost a
yearly high in January.
5. There is an overall very slight increase in overall web hosting interest from 2005 through 2007.
Given these trends, some possibilities for seasonal factors that effect interest in web hosting include:
%u2022 February/March dip in web hosting interest coincides with the impending tax season.
%u2022 The rise at the start of May coincides with Tax refund checks being delivered to customers.
%u2022 The July drop in web hosting interest could be related to lack of time during midsummer for
most webmasters to be developing webpages - most summer vacations are in July. The web
hosting industry is heavily dependent on the work trends of the webmasters.
%u2022 The decline form September through December coincides with increased spending on the
Christmas Holiday and less spent on website hosting services, but recovering shortly after
Christmas into January.

The Web Hosting industry is very wide in scope and encompasses a number of surrounding niches,
some of which appear unrelated on the surface, but which in some cases are an integral part of the web
hosting industry.
For each niche listed below, we will outline the connection and relevance to the web hosting industry,
the tools and products that are used either directly or indirection by the web hosting industry, and
potential new markets forming within these niches, if applicable.

Most companies and professionals that offer web hosting services actually started out with expertise in
the Server Management and Network Administration industry. Most web hosting companies that have
been around for a very long time also provide Network Administration services. Some examples
include:

The web hosting service is very intensive in network administration, so these companies tend to attract
and train only the best in the industry. It is for this reason that the Network Administration industry
and the Web Hosting industry are so tightly intertwined with on one other.

In the early days of web hosting, all a web host offered Internet users was a place to keep all of the
html files, and a "cgi-bin" where any perl scripts or other basic scripting languages would run. It was
up to the customer who purchased the web hosting plan to develop their own script to do things like
interact with the database stored on their account, or to conduct e-commerce transactions.
The entire landscape of the market has changed, and most internet users who purchase web hosting are
not technically savvy. The responsibility for scripts and the abundance of scripts that perform common
tasks has lead to web hosting companies taking on the role of providing the scripts and applications that
enhance websites. Some web hosts develop their own proprietary scripts, while others purchase and
offer standard scripts and applications to their users as part of the hosting package.
A good example of this was in September 2007 when the Web Host Industry Review reported that
"Software developer and Web hosting provider Host the Best (hostthebest.com) announced on Friday it
has released HTB Monitoring Script version 1.7, enabling users to operate their own, private-labeled
Web site monitoring and server uptime service." [20]
The niche this represents for Web Hosts is that the hosts who can offer the most powerful and unique
services to their customers gain a competitive advantage. The only way to build a truly unique product
that is proprietary to the Web Host is for the Web Host to develop the software themselves.

Another aspect of web hosting companies that can give them a competitive advantage is in the area of
dedicated web hosting servers. This is when a company pays a monthly charge for the luxury of
having the processing power of an entire server all to themselves.
In marketing dedicated server plans, web hosts rely heavily on the size and power of the server, and
this is typically the first they will show on their ads for the Dedicated Server service. For this reason,
many people involved in web hosting also have an interest in the latest server and computer
technology. The more powerful the server is, the faster scripting and database queries on webpages
run, along with the financial transactions as well.
Some examples of Dedicated Servers offered by Web Hosts:
%u2022 Aplus.net offers a Celeron 430 1.8Ghz starting at $49/mo
%u2022 Hostdime provides a Celeron 1.7Ghz at $90/mo
%u2022 ThePlanet offers a Celeron 2.0Ghz at $89/mo
%u2022 ServerPronto offers an Intel Pentium 4 3.0 Ghz at $49.95/mo
Obviously the competition in the arena of dedicated web server hosting comes down to server size and
power, as well as the price of the package. Anyone who is interested in web hosting overall typically
has some interest in the efficiency of the servers used by the web hosts, whether it is a dedicated or
shared account. Because of this, most people interested in web hosting also have at least a casual
interest in computer hardware and the servers themselves.

Similar to the scripting and programming niche, web hosts originally didn't have much to do with Ecommerce.
However, as the industry became more competitive in the 1990's, Web Hosts needed to
seek out niche markets to stay ahead. The industry is in very much the same state today, except the
niche markets have changed.
Once E-Commerce was picked up and offered to customers as package deals by a few web hosts, all
web hosts began to do the same soon thereafter. While pricing has always varied, there are inexpensive
options and even free options from time to time, so it has become a marketing tool for Web Hosts to
bring in for customers who have a need for E-commerce solutions.
In a May 2005 article by Tracie Mauriello in the Business New Haven about the changes in the Web
Hosting industry over time, she wrote:
"Meanwhile, aggressive Web hosting companies will be looking at ways to incorporate new technology
to make Web marketing even better for their customers."
'Technology keeps evolving,' says Cocuzza. 'There's something new every 18 months. What's going to
happen in the next 18 months is flashier Web sites and more e-commerce. You're going to see
explosive growth in e-commerce. It's just going to keep getting bigger and bigger." [21]
In fact, most customers who are looking to purchase Web Hosting are typically also interested in
conducting e-commerce transactions online. This is clearly a niche very connected with web hosting.

Years ago, these two services were offered separately. You would go to the domain registrar, such as
GoDaddy.com, and register your domain, then you would need to locate a web hosting service who
could host your website for that domain. Today, domain registrars like GoDaddy.com have recognized
the value of pursuing the two niche markets, and so they started to offer web hosting in addition to
domain registration. Today this domain registrar turned web host is dominating the web hosting
market.

According to a 2005 report from Pew Research, a whopping 57% of online teens create internet
content. According to the report, the most popular activity was sharing self-authored content and
webpages, and 33% of these teens have shared artwork, photos, stories or videos. [22]
The sharing of such content online requires webspace and web hosting services. Since this aspect of
internet use is still on the rise - it seems conceivable that this is a niche connected to the web hosting
industry that could prove to be quite valuable.

Since ISPs are how everyone in the world accesses the internet, it's a given that interest in web hosting
will also intersect with interest in ISP's. On interesting fact is that most ISPs were the first to offer web
space to customers, and most still do today, however it is typically very small, ranging from 5Mb to
250Mb, and typically can't be used for any commercial purposes.
ISPs typically don't want heavy use from web hosting because of performance issues such activity
could cause that could interfere with the bandwidth and speed they are providing for their customers to
access the Internet. For this reason, typically most ISPs do not focus very much on web hosting
services, however they certainly field a number of calls from customers who are interested in web
hosting and want to know how to publish a webpage. This is ultimately a unique niche that could be
exploited to take advantage of access to a customer base before any of the competition.

A necessity to survive as a web host within the internet climate of today's world requires a depth of
knowledge regarding security. Web Hosts must have the capability to protect their customers from the
latest threats, including:
* PHP Exploits
* Faulty Perl configuration
* Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
* SQL Injection
While in some cases security relies quite a bit on the user writing scripts or SQL Queries that can not
be exploited - a large number of additional security threats to a website and data can come from an
improperly configured web server that doesn't prevent things like cross-site scripting or php exploits.
Because there is such a need for tight security and a constant evolution of data and change within the
internet security industry, these two niches are very tightly intertwined with one another.

Web hosting is portrayed in many ways throughout the TV media. In both television shows and on
infomercials, the web hosting industry has become an integral part of our culture. Whether it's hosting
blogs, images, videos, or hosting websites for business or personal use, this industry has been portrayed
many times within the past decade, and even more so as time progresses.

featured a plotline centered on an "Internetbased
slam book" that was hosted online and "all the rage" throughout the school.

involves a plot where Internet predators that are looking to
meet underage girls inappropriately are exposed.

has the character Mac enter into the realm of the
Internet-based (and hosted) virtual world Second Life in order to track down the killer.

the Internet in South Park
stops working - and without the Internet as a resource for the locals and the news media to figure out
why, no one knows what to do. As they travel to California for access to the Internet, the show plays a
humorous comparison with the Grapes of Wrath and the Great Depression.

This TV infomercial promised a one-fee get-rich-quick
scheme involving web hosting and marketing, but ended up tacking on requirements after initial signup
that cost the customers even more. The practice ended up getting the Federal Trade Commission
involved alleging that the companies claims are false. In July of 2003 a U.S. District Court judge
halted those claims. [23]
Several products were offered on late-night infomercials about Jeff Paul Shortcuts to Internet Millions
in the form of a CD ROM and a Book. In the infomercial for these products, "Jeff teaches his secrets
that have made him millions on the internet." [24]
It is also fascinating to note that in 2006, Internet companies, including the web host GoDaddy.com,
had placed around 20% of the ads that played during the Super Bowl. Another aspect of the
relationship between the TV media and the Internet is the close interaction between the two. Some
reality TV shows such as "Big Brother," for example, along with other broadcasts, invite viewers to
"log on live." For instance, viewers can "log on live" and view the houseguests inside the "Big Brother"
house real-time, or, after the super bowl is finished, people can review and forward around all of their
favorite super bowl ads.
Either way - the relationship between the general media, including TV and Movies is becoming fully
integrated into the medium known as the Internet - which for the most part is supported completely by
the web hosting industry.

Because web design inherently requires the use of pictures in order to generate more aesthetically
pleasing content, most web hosts are helping to meet that need by providing their customers with a
large collection of unique and quality photos and pictures within various categories. Some examples
include:
Yahoo Webhosting offers a collection of Royalty-free images
SWsoft and Fotolia partnered in 2004 to provide royalty-free images to hosting providers. [26]
Hostopia released 30,000 new images to their existing library of images for their users.
Ez1Host.com offers customers with an Online Image Library and a Photo Gallery Album.
RNC Services, a web design firm, even offers customers with an extensive Image Gallery.
Hostway provides its customers with a library of images to enhance their website.
Overall, the niche market of offering royalty-free photos to customers who sign up with them is an
underdeveloped market, and few hosts are taking advantage of this approach that would provide a
significant market advantage.
Based on a close review of latest Buzz content (highest ranked articles) which are currently in demand
online includes the following topics:
%u2022 Market successes and activity of the top Hosting IPO's
%u2022 How hosts are capturing the social-network market.
%u2022 The growth of major blogging software providers such as WordPress and b2evolution.
%u2022 The latest web hosting technologies (servers and software)
%u2022 The latest multimedia hosting technology challenges and successes.
%u2022 The advancement of mobile internet technology.
%u2022 Current offerings within the market of the mobile internet.
%u2022 Software and tools for website and blog development.
%u2022 Search engine optimization and website marketing tactics.
%u2022 The popularity of virtual worlds, such as "Second Life".
%u2022 In increasing integration of the internet with daily life.
%u2022 Teen use of web hosting services.
%u2022 Web host products that make web design simpler.
%u2022 The use of multimedia in blogging.
%u2022 The growth in popularity of online blogging.
%u2022 How article directories are used in online marketing campaigns.
%u2022 How the hosting industry is beginning to compete with the television industry.
%u2022 The relationship between advertising spending and internet content.
%u2022 The popularity of using social networking sites to find a date.
%u2022 Web hosting at colleges - educational uses and social communities.
%u2022 How web hosting has evolved over the past ten years.
%u2022 The most effective methods of earning money from Adsense.
%u2022 The most effective way to invest in Adsense advertising.
%u2022 How the public perception of having a website has changed in the last ten years.
%u2022 Integration of telephone and internet communications.

There are many e-books and guides offered throughout the internet that are filled with information
related to web hosting and internet technologies. The following are a list of free e-books and guides
that can be downloaded directly. Each of these e-books or guides are either directly related to Web
Hosting, or they are indirectly related in the form of related niche.
Secret Source & DIY Techniques
(http://www.16hosts.com/ebook.htm)
- This Ebook includes DIY techniques and tips on choosing the write web host. It is written for all
levels of expertise and it is completely free to be downloaded and distributed to others.
1000 free Ebooks and articles by Linking
(http://e-library.net/Download-Ebooks-for-FREE-__visit1083.html)
- If you have a blog or website, if you provide a link to eLibrary, you receive access to over a thousand
free Ebooks and articles called 'The eLibrary Package'
Free Ebook on Compiling Ebooks
(http://e-library.net/E-Book-Compiler-Software__visit1278.html)
- This free Ebook explains the process of creating Ebooks and using them for promoting your business
or any other form of online marketing with them.
Ebay Workshop Collection 2007
(http://e-library.net/One-Million-Items-Wholesale__visit91.html)
- This free Ebook describes how to compete in the crowded online marketplace of ebay, how to turn an
Ebay hobby into a Home Business, how to buy wholesale and surplus to sell online, and how to build
supplier relationships to sell items online.
How I Made my First $100 Online
(http://e-library.net/How-I-Made-My-First-100-Online__visit12488.html)
- This free Ebook describes how the author stumbled across a method of making money online and tells
the method he discovered to do so.
How to Pick a Shopping Cart System that makes you Money
(http://e-library.net/How-to-Pick-a-Shopping-Cart-System-__visit12074.html)
- This E-book provides an accurate and effective approach to establishing a shopping cart system that
does the best job in helping to generate more sales and making you more money in the process.
Top Secrets to Little Known Article Marketing Strategies
(http://e-library.net/Top-Secrets-to-Little-Known-Article-Marketing-Strategies__visit11710.html)
- This Ebook provides easy steps to double Affiliate Commissions instantly through using Article
Marketing - and creating residual income through the use of 5 easy steps that promise to describe how
in less than 60 minutes.
Software
Scripting and programming is a high-demand activity in the world of web hosting. Any chance to
obtain scripting or programming already written is always preferred by web hosts and related niche
businesses.

DSL Web Hosting 2.8 - This software will let you run your own web hosting service from home on a
broadband or DSL connection and a dynamic IP address.
Hosting Controller 6.0 - This software automates a hosting business and will also gather the list of
users from the operating system..
Web Hosting Server Secrets 1 - This software is sort of a wizard that helps you to choose the right
hosting provider..
Web Hosting Pro 1.1 - This software is like an Ebook and will train users on how to Web host and how
to avoid all of the early pitfalls.
Web Hosting Buyers Guide 1.5 - This software will help to automatically choose the right web hosting
provider for your website based on the website criteria.
Abyss Web Server X1 2.5 - This software is a very easy-to-use free web server, and allows users to
host a site on windows..
Epages Hosting Edition 4.5 ISMb 1264 - This software allows users to share server resources among
multiple e-commerce business owners..
Microsoft Getting Started on Windows Web Hosting 1 - This Reference provides information on how
to offer users Windows-based web hosting.
ASPFusion Basic Suite 1.1 - This software suite of ASP components allows shared Web hosting.
Instant Publisher w/Free Test Hosting 4.1 - This software allows users to test how websites will look on
the web by using this free temporary hosting account software.
Web Counter 5.0 - This program, when installed on a website, will track the number of visitors to the
web site.
No-IP DUC 2.2.1 - This software allows users to operate a web server thought they have a dynamic IP.
Xerver Free Web Server 4.31 - This software allows the user to host a web server that supports
CGI/Perl scripts on a home computer.
MySharedPhotos Uploader 2.6.4 - This software will create an online photo album and can even burn
DVD's of the photos..
Cassini Web Server for ASP.NET - This software allows the user to create and host ASP.Net
applications without IIS..

Web Hosting Talk
(http://www.webhostingtalk.com/)
Discussions on all aspects of web hosting, including past experiences.
Web Host Directory
(http://forums.webhostdir.com/)
Web Hosting Discussions powered by WebHostDir.com
Hosting Chit Chat
(http://www.hostingchitchat.com/)
Web hosting forum discussing community Hosting forums and webmaster resources.
Hostingforum.ca
(http://www.hostingforum.ca/)
Online discussion forum for web hosting, web development, and SEO
Reseller Board
(http://www.resellerboard.com/)
A bulletin board community covering all aspects of operating a reseller business as well as hosting
services.

100 Best Free web space Providers
(http://www.100best-free-web-space.com/)
A comprehensive informational website with blogs, lists of hosts, domain names, and articles.
Cheap Hosting Directory by CPU Review
(http://www.cheaphostingdirectory.com/)
Covers host lists such as top 10 or budget, as well as News, Content articles and Information
Web Hosting Information
(http://www.webhostinginformation.net/)
Detailed news-oriented website about Web Hosting set up like a blog with active updates.
Web Hosting Info
(http://www.webhosting.info/)
This site, filled with news and articles, is very much trying to run as a news organization centered on
the web hosting industry.
Web Hosting 411
(http://www.hosting411.info/)
This is an informational resource site created to be used for visitors to choose a good hosting solution
based on needs.

Infoteam Internet Solutions
(http://infoteam.com/nonprofit/)
This internet support company offers nonprofit organizations FREE storage space and discounted web
addresses.
Altrueistic
(http://www.altrue.com/templates/System/default.asp?id=39153)
Provides affordable web design for non-profit and volunteer web pages.
Non Profit Web Hosting
(http://www.nonprofitwebhosting.org/)
Traverse Global Web Hosting assists non-profits by providing them with a free professional web
presence.
eNonProfits.org
(http://www.enonprofits.org/)
Specializes in providing non-profits web/internet development and support.
NonprofitWebHosting.net
(http://www.nonprofitwebhosting.net/)
Non Profit Web Hosting was designed to offer low cost server and database capability to non-profit
organizations without the resources to afford a web presence.

DotNetNuke
(http://www.dotnetnuke.com/)
DotNetNuke is the "official community and development site for the DotNetNuke Open Soure Web
Application Framework. This site offers downloads, resources, information and a community for
discussion.
101WebHosts - The Hosting Portal
(http://www.101webhosts.com/)
101webhosts hosting portal covers web hosting, dedicated servers, free hosting, and much more.
FreeBSDPortal
(http://www.freebsdportal.com/)
The FreeBSD Portal is for "all things FreeBSD", offering links to sometimes difficult to find Free BSD
sites - making it easier to locate hard-to-find web hosting services providing a FreeBSD web hosting
solution.
Hot Web Engine
(http://www.hotwebengine.com/)
Web portal offering a tab for Web Masters offering web master tools, and a Web Hosting tab offering
connections to various web hosts.
DotNetNuke
(http://www.re-invent.com/dotnetnukehosting/dotnetnuke.aspx)
Offers visitors the ability to build a web site in minutes using the DotNetNuke Hosting portal solution -
software is free.

The following websites offer the latest web hosting industry news and buzz, and provide fresh content
to keep websites and blogs updated, as well as keeping newsletters relevant and current.
ReadWriteWeb
(www.readwriteweb.com)
ReadWriteWeb is a weblog that offers some of the most recent Web Technology "news, reviews and
analysis"
Venture Beat - Digital Media
(venturebeat.com/category/digitalmedia/)
VentureBeat is a popular blog with the digital media category that is updated with a great deal of the
latest technology and industry news related to computers an digital media.
NetworkWorld
(www.networkworld.com/community/node/27202)
NetworkWorld provides blogs of network experts, in this case CEO Mitchell Ashely of Converging
Network, LLC, who provides insight on networking, security, convergence, Internet and IT industries.
PCMag.com
(www.pcmag.com)
PC Magazine is one of the most popular technology publications in the world covering computer and
internet products to over 6.6 million tech buyers.
HostSearch
(www.hostsearch.com)
HostSearch.com provides a complete directory of hosting providers, and articles. Provides a host lab,
news, reviews, interviews, promotions, and much more.
WHIR - Web Host Industry Review
(www.thewhir.com)
- Provides web host news, blogs, information on web hosts, resellers, magazines and other media. All
stories are focused on the Web Host industry.
ReadWriteWeb
(www.readwriteweb.com)
- ReadWriteWeb is a very popular web blog providing Web Technology news, reviews and analysis.
This particular blog is the lead blog in the ReadWriteWeb network. It provides insight about web
technology and everything related to it.
informIT
(www.informit.com)
- InformIT is an online resource center for premium IT content, access to industry experts, training
courses, news and more.
Best Deals Online
(www.blogtheinternet.com)
- This blog features professional reviews on thousands of products, and often focuses on internet
technologies and products such as web hosting services.
ElectroGeek
(www.electrogeek.com)
- This blog discusses gadgets and internet technologies covering a wide range of industries, often
focusing on networks and internet services.
WebDesigners123
(www.webdesigners123.com)
- This website focuses on the many issues that webmasters are concerned about, heavily focused on
web design and coding and featuring a lot of information about hosting.
Google and Yahoo News Updates
Make sure to register with Google and Yahoo news to receive updates on the Web Hosting industry to
obtain fresh content for your website or blog.
Google News Alerts: http://www.google.com/alerts?hl=en
Yahoo News Alerts: http://alerts.yahoo.com/

The web hosting industry requires a number of products and services in order to keep the business
running smoothly. Some of these are obvious, and others a little more obscure.

Web Servers and supporting servers are critical to the web hosting industry. Some examples of some
current items in the marketplace:
%u2022 HP Web Hosting Server Appliance SA1120
%u2022 HP Web Hosting Server Appliance SA1100
%u2022 Encanto Networks Web Server Model 210
%u2022 Encanto Networks Web Server Model 410
%u2022 HP StorageWorks Modular Smart Array 20
%u2022 HP StorageWorks Modular San Array 500 G2
%u2022 Buffalo Technology TS Live 4.0TB NAS Network Storage Server
Networking Devices
%u2022 Nortel WEB PocketProbe FE1100 Network Monitoring Device
%u2022 Sun Cobalt RaQ 4i Hosting Edition Web Server
%u2022 Cisco Hosting Solution Engine 1105 Web Server
%u2022 Sun Cobalt RaQ 3 Web Server
%u2022 Sun Cobalt Qube 2700D Web Server
%u2022 Intel NetStructure Storefront Appliance 1320 Web Server
%u2022 Intel NetStructure Storefront Appliance 1301 Web Server
%u2022 Intel NetStructure Appliance 1010 Load Balancing Device
Software
%u2022 Broderbund Web.com Site Builder & Hosting Suite
%u2022 Encore Web.Com Site Builder & Hosting Suite Promo/ Demo License for PC
%u2022 Symantec PcANYWHERE Host 10.5 Upgrade Version Academic, Volume License for PC
%u2022 Site Builder by Web.CoEncore Site Builder JC Promo/ Demo License for PC
%u2022 Platform(s): PC; Promo/Demo License, CD-ROM, Download
%u2022 Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Web Edition Full Version OEM for PC
%u2022 Apple Mac OS X Server Jaguar 10.2 Full Version
%u2022 Microsoft Windows NT Server w/ Option Pack 4.0 Full Version for PC
%u2022 Microsoft Windows Server Web 2003 Full Version
%u2022 Namo Interactive Web Editor Pro for PC
%u2022 Microsoft OEM Windows Server 2003 Web Edition Inc. Service Pack 2 for PC
%u2022 V Communications Web Easy Professional 6 Full Version for PC
%u2022 Avanquest Web Easy 7.0 Professional for PC
%u2022 Microsoft Site Server Commerce Edition Upgrade Version Academic, Volume License for PC
%u2022 Symantec PCAnywhere 12.1 Full Version for PC
Books
%u2022 Albert Badre - Shaping Web Usability: Interaction Design in Context
%u2022 Thomas J. Shelford and Gregory A. Remillard - Real Web Project Management: Case Studies
and Best Practices from the Trenches
%u2022 Tony Steidler-dennison - Run Your Own Web Server Using Linux and Apache
%u2022 Aric Pedersen - Web Host Manager Administration Guide
%u2022 Don Denoncourt and Barry Kline - Understanding Linux Web Hosting
%u2022 Christopher Puetz - The Web Hosting Manager
%u2022 Christian Heilmann and Mark Norman Francis - Web Development Solutions: Ajax, Apis,
Libraries, and Hosted Services Made Easy
%u2022 Michael Utvich, Yana Beylinson, Ken Milhous - 1 Hour Web Site: 120 Professional Templates
And Skins
%u2022 Ewald Geschwinde and Hans-Jurgen Schonig - Php and Postgresql Advanced Web
Programming: Advanced Web Programming
%u2022 Bill James - Desktop Hosting: A Developer's Guide to Unattended Communications
%u2022 Doug Kaye - Strategies for Web Hosting and Managed Services

The web hosting industry, overall, is growing significantly with keyword trending that displays a
steady high demand for web hosting and with worldwide internet usage climbing. The fastest growing
company at the moment is Godaddy.com, which maintains a strong standing in both domain
registration and web hosting. This dual-niche involvement appears to be an important factor in the
success of a hosting company. Godaddy is growing at a significant 76.7% since 2003, and Dotster as
well which has grown at 70.4%.
Additionally, web hosting growth appears to be fueled by a combination of aggressive affiliate and
reseller programs, blogging and forum marketing campaigns, and lower pricing.
Purchasing trend analysis shows that hosting demand appears to drops during the major holiday
seasons, such as July and December, however the recovery of that demand is quick and usually within
less than a month demand returns to previous normal rates.
Based on popular keyword trends, customers are most often looking to obtain hosting for blogs.
Searches for email marketing campaigns are slowly rising recently, and search engine marketing also
holds strong in popularity. One of the newest niches that remains high in keyword search rates, and
one of the hottest trends is Article Marketing.
Ad spending continues to increase, and is projected to increase steadily through 2012 with most of that
increase focused on website development, email, and search engine marketing. Additionally, the use of
social media and content marketing is also on the rise and through 2008 is already up to 30% of total
marketing expenditures.
Web hosting is growing in popularity and demand. Currently the largest markets are Asia, Europe and
North America, but the fastest growing markets are actually Africa, the Middle East and Latin
America.
As a source of information and media, surveys now show that, as of 2007, households value the
internet above television and newspapers.
Our analysis shows that Web Hosting and the Internet is becoming a more common and oftenportrayed
topic in various television and movie plot lines, as the public becomes more aware of the
industry and its place in the world of internet usage and content.
References and Sources
[1] Baughman, Steve (January 17, 2000). 1999 U.S. E-Business Infrastructure Spending Estimate More
than $150 Billion, According to Joint Study by Internet Research Group and SRI Consulting
Retrieved April 20, 2008 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.sric-bi.com/press/2000-01-17.shtml
[2] Meeker, Mary (November 15, 2005). Global Technology/Internet Trends
Retrieved April 20, 2008 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.morganstanley.com/institutional/techresearch/pdfs/GSB112005.pdf
[3] Top Web Hosts Worldwide
Retrived April 20, 2008 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.webhosting.info/webhosts/tophosts/global/
[4] World Internet Useage Statistics News and Population Stats:
Retrived April 20, 2008 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
[5] Fastest Growing Domain Registrars
Retrieved April 20, 2008 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.webhosting.info/
[6] Online ad spending set to grow despite economic slowdown
Retrieved April 20, 2008 from the world wide web:
http://www.901am.com/2008/online-ad-spending-set-to-grow-despite-economic-slowdown.html
[7] Focusing more on engaging customers online
Retrieved April 20, 2008 from the World Wide web:
http://www.internetretailer.com/article.asp?id=25878
[8] 2008 B2B Marketing Forecast: Rise in Budgets, Online Spending
Retrieved April 20, 2008 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.mediabuyerplanner.com/2008/01/04/2008-b2b-marketing-forecast-rise-in-budgetsonline-
spending-updated/
Nearly 20 percent of B2B marketers say they are using social media as part of the marketing mix:
Among them, 40 percent use them for customer feedback, 31 percent for market research, 29 percent
for advertising, 27 percent as a sales channel. "
[9] Moms Online: Browsing, Researching, Buying
Retrieved April 20, 2008 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.emarketer.com/Reports/All/Emarketer_2000398.aspx?src=report_head_info_sitesearch
[10] Rich Baby Boomers are Buying Online
Retrieved April 20, 2008 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?id=1006165&src=article_head_sitesearch
[11] Online Shopping Needs Improvement
Retrieved April 20, 2008 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?id=1006197&src=article_head_sitesearch
[12] Cross-Channel Buyers Prize Product Info
Retrieved April 20, 2008 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?id=1006107&src=article_head_sitesearch
[13] The 1999 Campus Computing Survey
Retrieved April 21, 2008 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.campuscomputing.net/summaries/1999/index.html
[14] The Internet and Education: Findings of the Pew Internet & American Life Project
Retrieved April 21, 2008 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Schools_Report.pdf
[15] Mobile Access to Data and Information March 2008
Retrieved April 21, 2008 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Mobile.Data.Access.pdf
[16] Increased Use of Video-sharing Sites
Retrieved April 21, 2008 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/232/report_display.asp
[17] Teens and Social Media
Retrieved April 21, 2008 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/230/report_display.asp
[18] Information Searches that Solve Problems
Retrieved from the World Wide Web
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/231/report_display.asp
[19] Faith Online: 64% of wired Americans have used the Internet for spiritual or religious purposes.
Retrieved from the World Wide Web
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/126/report_display.asp
[20] "Web Host HTB Offers Monitoring Script\", Web Host Industry Review
http://www.thewhir.com/marketwatch/091407_Web_Host_HTB_Offers_Monitoring_Script.cfm
[21] "Hosts with Most" by Tracie Mauriello, Business New Haven
http://www.imagesites.com/imageworks_news12.cfm
[22] "Teen Content Creators and Consumers", Pew Internet Research, November 2005
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Teens_Content_Creation.pdf
[23] "Court Seizes Internet Treasure Chest", Consumeraffairs.com
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news03/treasure.html
[24] "As Seen on TV infomercials", Featured Products
http://www.asseenontvinfomercials.net/
[25] "Web Hosting Software, Resources and Tools
http://www.webhostingtoolbox.com/
[26] "SWsoft and Fotolia Partner to Provide Royalty free..", TopHosts.com
http://www.tophosts.com/articles-email.html?article=003145
[27] "Hostopia Releases 30,000 New Images", TopHosts News Brief
http://www.tophosts.com/articles/004320.html