Other than the domain name, the most important part of starting your website is who to host it with. I use two different services for this; Hostgator and Dreamhost.
Why Two?
It depends on the project and the client. If they are just starting out with no plans for expansion (multiple websites) I refer them to HostGator. They want to grow and dominate the Internet with multiple websites, affiliate sites, multiple domain names and forwarded URL’s, I send them to DreamHost.
In either case, you will get reliable hosting that can grow as they do with almost 99% uptime. You also get affordable rate plans starting at less than $10 a month and both offer great service with loads of features.
DreamHost
I found Dreamhost about 6 years ago. I woke up one morning to find my web host just decided to pull the plug the night before. No warning, no notice, no “you better move the domain.” Just “No website Found” This was just as I started to expand my empire with multiple websites, so I panicked.
I did what many people do, hit up their “daddy” for web hosting service. Immediately after signing up, I was turned off by their interface. Too many ads, too many clicks to get what I wanted. Once I got the service, I found that in order to do somethings on one website, I needed to be on another plan. If I wanted to do something else for another website, I needed yet another plan and, oh yea, “Can we upgrade you to…??” GRRRRrrrrrr….
In my frantic search, Dreamhost pops up. Straight forward with what you get for how much and what is free (a lot) and what is extra (very few things). Dreamhost is was what I wanted. Lots of room to grow. Unlimited domain hosting with unlimited email addresses, domain forwarding, mirroring and other services that other places charge extra, they give for free. Gigabytes of free storage and ample bandwidth. Ruby on Rails, One Click installs for WordPress and many other popular programs are already ready for you to use.
Set up and maintenance of your domains and websites is straight forward. Nothing to think about. If you do run into an issue, there are several resources to use. First up, they have online chat. These guys have always been there for me and never had an issue they can’t resolve. If not online, they offer super fast email support. Or else, hit up their Wikipedia for step by step instructions and ideas..
They do offer phone support for a fee, but in six years and multiple domains hosted, I have never seen a reason to use it. Online works better and faster with no sales push.
Their basic plans are like every other company, shared hosting. If you need a private server, they offer that at a low price as well. Just like regular hosting, PS is fast, friendly, easy to use and very stable. I love it.
Hostgator
A popular hosting service for bloggers. I like their friendly website and staff. The interface is laid out well. Easy to find what you need and where you need to go. Set up and maintenance is simple and straight forward as well.
Hostgator is great for first timers and those wanting to host only one or two websites. From sign-up to hosting to updating, nothing is complicated or in tech speak. Nor are you left in the dark, they offer excellent support. The interface gets a little complicated beyond the first website. It’s still easy to use and figure out, just not as user friendly after one website.
Like Dreamhost, Hostgator offers different levels of hosting at very affordable rates (starting at $5 a month) with excellent up time and gigabytes of free space and bandwidth. They are great for one click WordPress installs. With plenty of resources to help you build a better blog including phone support.
For WordPress, Blogging or almost any other website ideas, you can not go wrong with either of these services. I use them both and recommend them without reservation or hesitation.
About Mark Anthony
