When you create a website or a blog, you will have many different files in forms of articles, pictures, videos, audios, web pages, custom scripts, etc. The place where you store these files is called a "Host". A host also allows you to publish your blog/website. This way, your content is arranged in an orderly fashion and is easy to browse.
There are literally thousands of hosting companies that will offer you space to store your files. The cost of hosting ranges anywhere from FREE to $500 / month.
Your job as a blogger is to find a reliable host that:
- Is easy to use
- Is up almost 100% of the time. (If the host is down, your blog/website becomes unavailable)
- Uses the latest in technology
- Offers ample amount of data storage.
- Allows unlimited traffic
- Has great customer support and solves problems quickly.
- Is Affordable.
I've been designing websites since 1999. The first hosting company I worked with was called Shore.Net. My high-school computer teacher recommened me to them. They charged me $20/month (well, $19.95 to be specific). They were okay until I found out I could get better, cheaper hosting.
Pros and Cons for Shore.net using the list above
Pros: 1, 2, 3, 6
Cons: 4, 5, 7
Next hosting company I worked with was 1and1.com. This is a very famous company when it comes to Hosting. One of the things they offer is 1200 email accounts. I remember thinking, I will never use them all. Their price was only $3.99/month. But, the package I was in wouldn't allow me to create a blog. I had to get a $9.99/month package if I wanted to build blogs or do any of the other cool stuff with my website.
Pros and Cons for 1and1.com using the list above
Pros: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7
Cons: 3 (If you are never going to blog, 1and1 is a good option for you)
I thought that was too high a price, so I started searching again. You'd think I would have learned my lesson after two failed attempts. Read ahead.
I was already purchasing domains with GoDaddy so I figured, why not use their hosting services as well? Get everything under one account. I signed up a 3-year agreement with them. Soon after I signed-up, I realized I should have done my due diligence. What I found out was that despite their popularity for low-cost domains, their hosting service is very complicated to use. After reading a lot, I was able to figure out how to do a few things and I hosted a couple of sites. I still have to figure out two things I really want to do.
- How to setup more blogs on more than 1 domain.
- How to setup email addresses. I use my Gmail address for contact info on the sites I have setup with them.
Pros and Cons for GoDaddy.com using the list above.
Pros: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Cons: 1 (Now you know how "Easy to Use" ended up as #1 on my list).
I was back to square one. But, this time with a lot of information on what to look for and what not to look for. And, I believe I hit a jackpot.
My recommendation for your Hosting problems - BlueHost.com
Unlike other hosts, they don't have multiple plans. 1 Plan offers Everything. Before you sign-up, you can even play around with their demo control panel. Best of all, they are very easy to use. I searched for their reviews online and found all good reviews. There was this one person who claimed that he was able to setup his blog using BlueHost in under 4 minutes. Here's a short video about BlueHost.
If you are just starting to blog and think blogging is good idea, I would recommend you get a free account with Blogger or WordPress. Because, 99% of the people who start blogs start them with good intentions and that's where most stop at (good intentions). Their intentions never turn into pages of blog post after blog post. After 3-6 months of blogging, if you feel that this is something you want to continue, I'd recommend you start paying for it. It's pretty inexpensive and highly worth it.
I hope my experience helps you not make the same mistakes. Remember, not Shore.net, not 1And1, not even GoDaddy. Just BlueHost.
Thank you,
Mayur