If you have a full-time Internet connection, you can run a practical Web server, even if that connection is at dialup modem speeds. The biggest problem with doing this is that your slow connection makes it painful to retrieve images and large files for visitors to your site.
You could just put all your home pages on your provider's machines. Many Internet providers let you put up home pages on their machines, but you do not get the flexibility of running your own server.
Most Internet providers will not allow you to run CGI scripts on their machines. You may not have access to the httpd log files, so you cannot see who has been looking at your pages.
You may not be able to use forms, or create interactive web pages, if you rely completely on your provider's machines.
Put your images and large files on your provider's machines, and put interactive pages on your own server.
If your internet provider lets you put up a home page on their Web server, put your images and large files there. Their Web server is connected to a much faster network than your machine.
If you only put index pages and text on your server, and put all large items on the well-connected server, you have a much more workable arrangement. People who do have fast connections to the net will be able to retrieve your pages more quickly, and your connection will not be as stressed.
Since you are running your own server, you can use forms and CGI scripts to provide an interactive Web service.
Your provider might not like this practice, especially if you are using your web server for commercial purposes. If your provider sells Web services commercially, they might see your pages as a threat.
Many large public web space providers, such as Geocities, have gotten wise to this practice, and have put filters in place to block this conduct.