Choosing a Web Host / Hosting Service
Here is some simple, honest advice for choosing a web host (hosting service) for your website. What should you look for in a web host?
First, your web hosting service needs to have a friendly user interface to allow updates and changes to your site. Look for a host that has one-click application installation. For example, a hosting service which offers cPanel makes installing blogs and forums a breeze.
Second, consider your hosting needs. How much traffic are you expecting? How much bandwidth will you need? Do you need a secure server (SSL) to process sales and personal data? Will you be hosting multiple domain names? Is there an extra charge for additional domains to be hosted? How many subdomains can you set up? How many email accounts can you have?
The third thing to consider is pricing. The cheapest web hosting service isn’t always the best web hosting service. You can expect to pay anywhere from $5.99 to $19.99 per month for basic shared hosting. You can usually get a price break if you sign up for an extended time , instead of month-to-month billing. You’ll get into a higher price range if you require a dedicated server, but almost everyone is fine with a shared server until they’re hitting major amounts of traffic.
I’ll be honest… when I registered my first domain I never thought about any of those questions, so I setup my hosting with GoDaddy.com. I found out later that there were some features that I needed which GoDaddy didn’t offer, or they wanted to charge for, while other hosting sites were offering those services for free. GoDaddy is great for purchasing domain names, but I don’t recommend their hosting services (sorry GoDaddy).
After doing a ton of research, I’ve settled on a hosting service that I’ve found to be reliable, easy-to-use, and inexpensive - HostGator.com. I currently use HostGator.com for all of my websites. I’ve received excellent customer service (phone and online chat). My websites have never gone down.
The other hosting service that I will recommend is 1and1.com. I’ve had conversations with several internet marketers lately, and they’ve convinced me to give them a try. As of today, they’re less expensive than HostGator, and they’re offering 3 free domains if you purchase hosting and 3 months free. That’s a great deal! I’ve looked at their web interface, and it looks very nice.
The bottom line… compare HostGator.com and 1and1.com, then decide for yourself. There’s no need to look anywhere else. Just choose one of those 2 and get your website up and running ASAP.
My next article will focus on choosing the best website format. Should you use a blog? A standard HTML site? If you’re looking to make money from your website, I’ll show you the easiest way. Stay tuned (or subscribe to my site for updates).