Once you have your domain name, you then need a web host. It’s really crucial you choose a good web host. Good isn’t necessarily expensive. Good simply means you can rely on them with great support.

Some people try and save money by going with a free web host. They figure out fairly fast what a big mistake they’ve made. I like free whenever possible, but free web hosting will end up costing more than you save

What is a Web Host?

A web host is actually a company that has loads of computers connected to the Internet. If you put your web pages on their computers, anyone in the world can connect to them and see them.

How to Choose a Good Web Host

HostGator Plans Click on the image to visit Hostgator

HostNine Plans Click on the image to visit HostNine

It seems difficult because they all look pretty much the same and they seem like they know what they are doing. Well, fortunately, you can check on them before you sign up and it is actually one of the most important things.

When you choose a web host, ensure they have brilliant support. If you have a problem with your web site you want help straight away, not in a few days.

Personally, I won’t choose a web host that I can’t get on the phone in an emergency. The best way to find out if you can contact them in an emergency is by testing them. They should have a phone number, so call them late in the evening or at the weekend to see if they are really there.

You can also send an e-mail to their support e-mail address. If you ask them a basic question such as ‘How many e-mail addresses am I allowed? Then see how long it takes for them to respond. For a non-urgent email like that I think up to 12 hours is OK. If they take more than 12 hours and either don’t have phone support or aren’t answering, choose another web host.

Once you choose a web host, you then have to decide what plan you want. Most web hosts offer you a number of different plans and obviously they want you to buy the more expensive one. You don’t generally need the most expensive one, you can usually opt for the least expensive plan. Most people opt for the larger plans because they’re not sure how much space they need and the space in the smaller plans doesn’t really sound like much. 10 mb is fine for most first web sites.

My recommended web hosts offer way more than that, so you’re hardly ever likely to run out of space - not unless you’re running NASA!

Don’t get caught up in what the various hosts offer like PHP, MySQL and loads of other stuff like that. Good webhosts include all that stuff and until you need it you can just forget about it, knowing it will be there when you’re ready for it.

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