Determine what you need
Before you jump in and sign up for your first Web host is a good idea to take stock of what you really need.
Some of the questions you should ask yourself are:
- How many domains am I looking to host? For most people the answer will be 1.
- What am I going to use my website for? Many people want to start a blog on their website and this requires a couple things like PHP and MySQL.
- How much traffic do I anticipate getting? If you anticipate getting a lot of traffic the price for your web host may be higher.
Price is not everything
I learned the hard way that price is not everything.
A few years ago I went with the discount web host and their service was terrible. My websites would be down and unavailable for days at a time and the web host would not respond to my numerous phone calls or e-mails.
This was definitely not worth saving a few dollars per month.
Ask your friends
One of the best ways to find a good web host is to ask your friends who they use.
If your friends have had good experience with a certain company then you most likely have a good experience with them also.
Use an affiliate link
One way to save money on a web post is to become an affiliate for that host.
Once you’re an affiliate you can make anywhere from $30-$100 simply by referring someone to that web host. So what you do is you refer yourself!
The Web hosts that I recommend
Over the past 12 years I have used numerous Web hosts for my site beginning with GeoCities back in 1997. Web hosts of come along way since then.
If you’re just starting out and need a place to put a website or two then I recommend BlueHost.
They make it very easy to host multiple domains and you can have pretty much as many blogs as you want.
It’s also great if you’re looking to start your first blog or website.
And they’re quite affordable.
If you need something beyond a simple hosting account, like a virtual Private server or a dedicated server and I recommend you use GoDaddy.
I’ve used both of these services for some time and have been very pleased with them.
And in case you’re wondering I am gaining nothing by recommending these two companies to you. I’m just a happy customer.
What do you think?
I would love to hear your thoughts so please leave a comment below.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Enjoyed the tips! Pretty good list. Thanks.
In regarding to "4 Tips For Finding Reliable Web Hosting", most hosts are pretty reliable today, the ones are not won't stay very long. Thanks for tip #3, never thought about referring myself.