web hosting recommendation...

[CarvedOn]

Hello,

We are looking to start our first website and are just not sure what web hosting service to choose. Does anybody have any advice or recommendations? The choices and options are mind boggling to a beginner. Thanks.

The Lovejoys

[terrahyd]

CHECK OUT (services) on the forums ...lot's of help

[JET4]

I started my website at the beginning of November with Intuit. It was super easy to set up and add everything I need. They have a 30 day free trial and even called me to see if everything was going ok after my trial expired. I haven't tried their support services because I haven't needed to. One thing I really like is tracking numbers of visitors and seeing which pages they are looking at. I pay $21 dollars a month, which is resonable to me.

My website is www.otisleather.com if you'dlike to check it out.

Edited December 29, 2009 by JET4

[Spence]

Let us not forget our very own Citizen Kate. Easy to get ahold of, not going anywhere, the price is very right, the customer service is to die for.

Oh, and yeah, I've got my website hosted through her and she's also bringing it up-to-date from a stagnant puddle of mush.

[Johanna]

LW charges $75 a year for a domain name and 12 months of hosting. Renting the extra space we have offsets some of the costs of this site. Kate & I both do hosting. Our hosting packages come with all of cPanel's bells and whistles, unlimited email accounts, real time stats, 3 mySQL databases available and tools to build sites. Web site building is extra, and you need to discuss that with Kate for a custom quote.

If I had only one site, and I wanted to host it somewhere other than here, I would use http://bluehost.com . I have helped quite a few people with Bluehost accounts, and was pleased at the available options, reasonable prices and the level of service and support.

If you want more specific info, you can call, email or PM me. If you want Kate to build you a site, get on her list ASAP because her calendar is filling quickly. She also does custom photography and graphics editing, if you need those services. Don't think "Oh, no, how can I choose between Kate & Johanna?" You don't. We work together, and we'll figure out who does what after you decide what you want us to do.

Johanna

[hivemind]

If you need yet another option, I go through 5 Dollar Hosting for all my PHP stuff; they're excellent, and for $5 a month the price can't be beat. If you need more full-featured hosting, including Sharepoint, hosted Exchange, Cold Fusion, ASP, and a real person behind the phone every time you call, I work for Total Solutions, a small hosting/managed services company in upstate NY. We have our own servers here onsite (I'm supposed to be cleaning log files on one of them right now), excellent uptime and small company personal service - give us a call at 315-724-9410.

[Studio Apocalypse]

  On 12/29/2009 at 6:06 PM, CarvedOn said:

Hello,

We are looking to start our first website and are just not sure what web hosting service to choose. Does anybody have any advice or recommendations? The choices and options are mind boggling to a beginner. Thanks.

The Lovejoys

First you need to decide what type of website you want. Is it going to be a showcase for your work, a contact page, a store, email, or everything and anything.

If you're making a store page you're going to want a host that is going to provide you with good: storage, bandwidth, security, databases compatibility and stability.

Storage:

Unlimited. Lets you use as many pictures, text, products, and video that you can dream up

Limited. Pay $ for x amount of space

Bandwidth:

Unlimited. Let's 1 person or 7 billion people visit your site as often as they like

Limited. Pay $ for x amount of data transfer. After you use up your available monthly bandwidth your site is shut off until the new month, or you're charged for the amount that you go over.

Security:

SSL = Secure Sockets Layer. You need SSL if you want to sell stuff on the web and keep customer information safe. Most of these will require that you get a Unique IP address for your web server.

Database:

Databases are essential for e-commerce sites, unless you sell via paypal or the like

Stable:

Picking a stable host insures that your website works when someone goes to it;)

I use www.dreamhost.com for all of my sites and for my clients. If you have a specific question about hosting or dealing with a webdesign person/firm feel free to PM me. Take your time and do some research. Hosting prices barely change year to year. If you see any kind of sale or "Buy before it's too late" type thing, chances are it's just a sales tactic and not a deal.

[Tyrel]

  On 12/29/2009 at 6:35 PM, JET4 said:

I started my website at the beginning of November with Intuit. It was super easy to set up and add everything I need. They have a 30 day free trial and even called me to see if everything was going ok after my trial expired. I haven't tried their support services because I haven't needed to. One thing I really like is tracking numbers of visitors and seeing which pages they are looking at. I pay $21 dollars a month, which is resonable to me.

My website is www.otisleather.com if you'dlike to check it out.

Hi, I also am using Intuit to build a site. Is it easy to publish then go back and fix any problems? I like Intuit and have been working on building the site, but wasn't sure how easy it is to go back and fix any mistakes.

Thanks and I like your site's set up nice and simple to follow.

-Amber (Ty's girlfriend)

[RMB Custom Leather]

  On 12/29/2009 at 6:06 PM, CarvedOn said:

Hello,

We are looking to start our first website and are just not sure what web hosting service to choose. Does anybody have any advice or recommendations? The choices and options are mind boggling to a beginner. Thanks.

The Lovejoys

I would recommed Lunar pages when I checked they were the best as far as prices and service. Click on quicksite at the top.

Here is the guy I spoke to : Michael Vigil

Account Sales

714-521-8150 xt 2324

[Daniel Tyack]

There is some good advise going on in this thread and I'm hesitant to add any more since you have been offered so much and are likely getting more confused. I build websites and market businesses for a living and have worked with MANY small businesses who don't know which end is up. For credentials sake here are a few websites I created.

www.urbansuntan.com This is my main client, I do all of their design and marketing. Hosted on Bluehost and built on a Wordpress CMS (Content Management System).

www.mystictansandiego.com This is a mini site hosted on www.tumblr.com, we use it SEO purposes.

www.danieltyack.com A personal site hosted on Blueshost and running on Wordpress.

www.tanopia.com E-Commerce site hosted and run on www.shopify.com

www.leathermob.com A fabulous social network for leather workers (note the shameless plug )

I show you these so you know I'm not just a talking head.

Before you read the rest of this please take a moment to read this post I wrote on marketing your business. Pay special attention to point #3!

You need two basic things for a site #1 a domain name #2 a host. A domain name can be registered through a zillion different services and should be no more than $10 a year for a .com. Think of a domain as an address to a house, it's not the house itself, it's just a number painted on the curb. A web host is where the files (html, css, php, etc.) for your website will be stored and where others can view them in the form of a website. A web host is like the property a house is built on (the files would be the house).

It's handy to keep your domain name(s) and hosting all under one roof though it is possible to register and host with any combination of different companies. I use www.bluehost.com for my sites and it costs $7 a month for near unlimited everything. I hear dreamhost is similar, however I can only speak for bluehost. The #1 thing I like about bluehost is their fabulous support! It's in the US, the wait is always minimal and they are very helpful especially to newbees.

I would also recommend creating a very simple site for your business. Too many small businesses try to pretend they are a huge company, create a gigantic confusing website, have unfinished pages and duplicate content and end up with a steaming pile of crap. Just keep it simple and your customers will like you a LOT better.

With simplicity in mind I would be inclined to recommend www.tumblr.com for a hosting solution to start. By default it's a blogging platform and it's intentionally simple. You can use the blog as a news feed and create a few pages for all your other information. It is also ridiculously easy to use and has fine themes to choose from. Also if you grow out of it you can simply build a site, transfer content and change your DNS info (I don't expect you to know what DNS is, just call tech or ask for help when the time comes.) and you are good to go.

My two official recommendations are...

#1 Simple website with basic info and pictures of projects.

1. Register a domain with www.godaddy.com $10 a year
2. Host on Tumblr
3. Do it yourself

#2 More complex site

1. Sign up for a Bluehost hosting account $7 a month + a free domain.
2. Hire a web designer (one of the peeps from this site might be a good option)
3. Go focus on what you are good at (making leather stuff).

Let me know if this info helps or just confused you more Also P.M. me if you need advise on any of the steps.

[BAD HIDE]

I use ipage.com. It's like 3.50 a month, unlimited everything, $10 domains. They have online tools, but I just use Dreamweaver to build my websites. I'm not a web pro, but a few hours a week and being able to do basic stuff myself is worth it. I'm still building up inventory and content before the whole thing goes 100% and I start promoting it. Cool thing is I piggybacked my tattoo and art site right on the same bandwidth with another domain.

[CitizenKate]

Here are a couple of additional tips for people shopping for a web host and other web services.

As it was mentioned earlier, you can register a domain name in a number of places that are perfectly fine, including through whatever web host you go with, and it shouldn't be more than around $10/year.

One thing to make sure of, is that the domain name is registered in your name. If you get your domain name through your web host, some web hosts register the domain names in their own name, and if for any reason you should want to move your site to another web host, good luck getting to keep your domain name. I've had a couple of clients in the past year who have run into problems migrating their sites to a different host, and the old host played hardball with their domain names.

Also, make sure they send you the account information to get into the control panel for your domain name, even if you don't know what to do with it, and keep it in a safe place.

How to find out who your domain name is really registered to? Go to Better Whois and type in your domain name. If the "Registrant Contact" for your domain name is anyone other than you, contact whoever you registered your domain name through and get them to update the record with your contact information.

If you are planning to hire someone to build your site, and you haven't already chosen a web host, check to see what hosting your web studio may offer. Many studios offer hosting in support of their web design/development services, and that makes it pretty convenient for people who don't want to have to mess with that aspect of it. However, if you have already chosen a web host, most web studios should be able to work with just about any host that offers the standard array of programming support that you typically get these days.

Kate