When hosting a website there are really on 3 options. You can go with a shared hosting plan, a virtual private server (VPS), or a dedicated server. In a shared plan you're sharing the server resources with other websites. With VPS plans there are other websites on the server but you are allocated a certain part of the resources for your use only. In a dedicated server you are the only one on the server and you're free to do what you want with it.
Most people start out with shared hosting because they're so affordable and good enough to get you going. As your business grows then you can move onto a VPS or a dedicated machine.
Most hosts tend to give you a domain name with their packages however I suggest having GoDaddy register your name. This gives you the flexibility to move to a different host without having to transfer your name to another registrar.
There are 3 things I look for in a host.
- They've been around longer than 5 years with a proven track record.
- They offer live phone support. There's nothing worse than having your website go down and having to send an email to find out what's going on.
- They offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
One other thing. When signing up with a host be sure to pick Linux or Unix as the hosting platform. Unless you need Windows because of specific programs running on your website, Linux offers a ton more flexibility and easily supports php which is a commonly used programming language for the web.
HostGator
A very good host with live support and generous bandwidth and space. Their plans are priced well but note that the advertised prices are for longer term contracts. Month to month plans are usually a little higher than advertised.
Lunar Pages
They also offer live support and very generous bandwidth and space. Another thing I like about Lunar is that they offer a lot of specials and incentives for signing up with them.
1and1
1and1 offers affordable plans on a lower budget with good uptime. They also offer a lot of specials which make them an attractive option. Keep in mind that they limit the size of their databases to 100MB. This can be problematic for sites with stores because store programs tend to store their information in a database. 100MB can add up pretty quickly.
GoDaddy
Similar to 1and1, GoDaddy offers affordable plans with good uptime. When signing up be sure to select the Linux operating system.
Fast Servers
I recommend this company because they're one of the best companies around and specialize only in dedicated machines. They also offer 100% fully managed solutions so you don't have to worry about have to be a server admin to keep it running. These are great machines at a great price.
Rackspace
100% guaranteed uptime plus "Fanatical" support. Call them at 3 am with a server issue and it's resolved. But they're not cheap. When you simply CAN'T afford downtime, even for a few minutes, this is where you host. |
