Let’s set the scene: You’ve been toying with free blog sites, lenses, hubs, and your own space for some time now, but lately you’ve been entertaining the idea of taking your online presence in a different direction. expand it and maybe even monetize it.
Those free sites have you over a barrel with their strict terms of service, severe monetization restrictions, and someone else’s idea of what makes good design. They can also suspend or terminate your account without notice and there goes all your hard work. Maybe you know someone to whom it has happened.
Time for professional web hosting
Buying web hosting doesn’t have to be difficult, but it’s important to compare the various offerings from a good cross-section of hosting providers and then choose a suitable plan at a decent price. We will talk about shared hosting running Linux, the most affordable type of web hosting. We’ll go through the fluff and get down to the “must have” basics. For the most part, everything else is just icing on the cake.
Easy to use
Web hosting is a complex thing, but luckily, skilled technicians take care of all the geek stuff in the background. That should leave you with an easy-to-use interface, also called a control panel, for managing your web hosting account.
– My number 1 recommendation is cPanel, the leader in web hosting control panels. Everything is neatly organized into logical categories and it has a great software installer called Fantastico.
– My number 2 recommendation is vDeck only because its recently updated interface is easier to use. Their software installer is called InstallCentral.
free domain name
Should you take advantage of free domain name deals? Buyer beware. Some are free for the life of your hosting account and some are only free for the first year. In any case, if you cancel your account or the name comes up for renewal, you will have to pay a fee that is 2-3 times the current fee. If you accept the free domain offer, you will not be the owner of the name, but the web host. You will also have to pay extra for privacy protection. My best advice is to not let a free domain name offer become a deal breaker when selecting a plan. Instead, register your names with a registrar where you have full control of all settings, including protecting the privacy of your personal information.
Multiple Domains
Most major web hosting companies allow you to host unlimited domains on a single account. These additional domains are called complementary domains. If they only allow a single domain or even a handful of domains, look for a different host. You may only need one domain right now, but if you catch the bug and want to explore affiliate markup or have other projects you’d like to pursue, you’ll need the multi-domain capability so you don’t have to pay for more hosting.
broadband
More appropriately called data transfer, it is the amount of data that travels to and from your general hosting account and is usually measured per month. So how much do you need? Think of it in terms of the file sizes that are uploaded to and retrieved from the server. It includes web pages, images, PDF files, videos, emails, music, database requests and more. As large as they are, that is the amount of data that is transferred. Play it safe and use unlimited (unmetered) bandwidth (data transfer) so your visitors don’t get the dreaded “Bandwidth Exceeded” page instead of your site.
site builders
I have yet to see a hosting provider that doesn’t have some sort of site builder in the control panel, but be warned, you may be locking yourself into something you can’t easily escape if you choose to build your site. with one. If you change your mind, there will be no way to migrate it to something else except copy and paste the text from your pages. If you ever switch hosting companies, the new host may not have the same site building software, so a backup will be useless in a transfer. Also, the template selection usually consists of square layouts in bold colors in hopes that you’ll upgrade to a professional design. My advice is don’t be romanticized by “free site builders”. However, all is not lost…
Site Builders Part Two
WordPress is a free blogging platform and has become the easiest way to set up and maintain a site. It’s not just for blogging anymore. You can run an entire business on it. WordPress is free and easily installed through your control panel, but make no mistake, it’s not the stripped-down version found on WordPress.com. This is the “big” version, which is known as the self-hosted version of WordPress.
Two of the most powerful features of WordPress are themes and plugins. There are literally tens of thousands of free and paid themes to be found online that can be uploaded to your site and changing themes is a breeze. Plugins extend and expand the power of WordPress to perform custom tasks not found in a standard installation, and most of them are free. It’s like Clark Kent putting on the Superman suit.
I recommend building your sites with WordPress. Also, search engines love WordPress. Most major web hosting companies have WordPress available in the control panel with 1-click install, but if you find a company that doesn’t, skip it and continue. Yes, you can install it yourself, but no web host is worth doing yourself.
MySQL databases
Every WordPress installation requires a database installation. So if you’re going to have 20 websites, all powered by WordPress, you’ll need 20 MySQL databases. If the plan you’re looking at has an unreasonably low limit on databases, skip it.
Jobs at CRON
CRON (short for Chronograph) is often overlooked, and just when you need it, you may not see it in your dashboard because it’s not available on some shared hosting accounts. It’s a time-based job scheduler to set up scripts to run in the background at a certain time. As an example, this could be some kind of nightly process that you want to run during off-peak hours, or a month-end process that expires accounts. Most people will never use it, but I don’t want you to overlook it.
E-mail accounts
Most plans come with unlimited email accounts. You’ll want at least one account per domain, but more so if you have customer service, an order process, tech support, payments, personal emails for staff, or just want to keep some correspondence separate from others. It’s also a good time to move away from your ISP’s email or free email services and have a more professional email address that will follow you everywhere, even when you change ISPs. Unlimited is good.
money back guarantee
Most providers offer a 30- or 45-day money-back guarantee, but you won’t receive any setup fees or domain name purchases. That’s just standard, so expect it. The money you get will be for hosting fees only. Some companies now offer an anytime guarantee. It is by far the best way to do it. They will prorate unused hosting fees regardless of how long you have left on your plan. Definitely look it up.
green web hosting
Eco hosting is not mandatory, but I will mention it. Web hosting companies keep their servers in data centers and these centers use huge amounts of electricity, 25% of which is used for air conditioning to cool computer equipment. So how do they turn green? By using energy efficient equipment and powering its operations with renewable energy, such as wind or solar, in the form of purchased carbon offsets. Most companies buy 100% of their energy usage in offsets, but I’ve seen as much as 300%. Some also participate in global tree-planting programs, have rigorous office recycling programs, and encourage telecommuting for remote employees. I urge you to buy accommodation from a green provider, especially since it usually doesn’t cost more.
Price
You shouldn’t have a problem finding the perfect annual plan for around $5-6/month, even cheaper if you buy a longer term. It all depends on how much you want to spend up front. If you choose a long-term contract, make sure they have an anytime money-back guarantee so you can at least get some of your money back if you decide to walk away.
Renewal Fees
Check how much it will cost to renew when your term ends. Some hosting companies will offer special deals with a discount up front, but will charge you full price at the time of renewal. However, there are some that keep your plan renewal at the same price you initially paid. When in doubt, submit a pre-sale question and ask them. Or you can go to the order form and see the plan selection for yourself. It should say something like “$4.95/month billed every 24 months.” And always be on the lookout for the * on the order form. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see what they mean.
Better Business Bureau Rating
The BBB rates businesses much like school grades from A+ to F. Businesses don’t need to be a member of the BBB to get a rating, but if they’re not a member and have a rating, you can pretty much bet the farm it will be. a D or F grade because people complain about them, not applaud them. Look for the BBB logo on the host’s site.
In summary
Look for these features:
– cPanel control panel
– 1-click WordPress installation
– Unlimited domains (add-ons)
– Unlimited bandwidth (data transfer)
– Unlimited email accounts
– Unlimited MySQL databases
– Money back guarantee at any time
– BBB rating of B or higher
– Stable and non-increasing renewal rate
– Green web hosting (optional)
– CRON jobs (optional)
Ignore these features:
– Free domain name offers
– Free site builders