MuckTech

You picked the perfect name for your website.  You purchased the domain, but something is still missing.  Your domain needs a place where it can store all its stuff.

Your domain needs a home.

Hosting is where you website resides.  It is the spot on a server where you direct your domain to find the files that create your site.  There are hundreds of hosting companies available, each offering different specifications.

What should you look for when choosing a web host?  Here are some basic guidelines and recommendations.

Shared hosting.  Shared hosting is the most popular and inexpensive option.  You share space on a physical server with other companies and individuals – similar to renting an apartment in a large complex.  The server is set up so you will only see your files.  This is the best option for personal sites and small businesses. Another option is a dedicated server, explained below.

How much space/bandwidth do I need? The minimum  you should look for in hosting is 4 GB of space and 1,000 GB transfer bandwidth per month.  If you are creating a blog, you will likely only use a small percentage.  With the cost of storage in decline, many hosting companies now offer unlimited space and bandwidth.  The advantage is you need not worry about going over any set limit.

Cost. Shared web hosting will usually cost under $10/month.  Most hosts will give the best discount if you pay for multiple years up front.

Don’t let Linux hosting scare you. Hosts will charge a premium for Windows hosting.  You do not need it.  Most hosting companies will offer a simple interface like cPanel that make it easy to set up an email addresses, create a database and install WordPress.

WordPress installs. Hosts offer 1-click services like Simple Scripts or Fatastico that allow you to install WordPress in under a minute. They will usually advertise this on their site.  Highly recommend.

Uptime. Uptime is usually in the high 90 percent range.  Try and find one with 99.9 percent uptime.  This does not mean your site won’t go down (possibly right after you have updated).  Even the best hosts experience occasional downtime. When your site is down, just hit up their customer support and make sure they know.

Domain name. Many hosts will provide a free domain name.  However, if you decide to change hosts, it may mean they still control your domain.  Having had this happen before, I use GoDaddy.com to purchase my domains rather than having them controlled by a host. Also, if you plan to host multiple domains or websites, make sure your host allows more than one.

Dedicated server. Rather than rent a room, some domains prefer their own house.  A dedicated server is costly and not required for most sites.  Still, I asked Dane101.com Technical Director Shane Wealti when a dedicated server is advisable.  His response:

A dedicated server should be considered for a website that requires complete control over the software environment, or for a website that may experience periods of high resource usage caused by heavy traffic. What constitutes heavy traffic depends on the kinds of content being served, how much RAM is required by the content management system, and how much data is pulled from a database.

A dedicated server provides more power and flexibility, but is much more work to maintain. Most hosting companies offer managed and unmanaged dedicated servers. With a managed server, the hosting company is generally responsible for OS updates, routine server maintenance such as backups and up-time monitoring. With an unmanaged server you are basically renting server hardware, bandwidth, and a space in a server rack. Just about everything else, including fixing the OS or server configuration if something goes wrong, is up to the owner. Because of this, managed servers are normally more expensive than unmanaged servers. Managed servers may also have restrictions on what kind of software can be installed.

Many growing sites opt to move from shared hosting to a virtual private server (VPS) hosting plan. This type of plan provides some of the benefits of a dedicated server including more flexibility on what kind of software can be installed, and some kind of minimum performance guarantee, but at a cheaper price..

Recommended hosting services. These are hosts I have used or had recommended by people I trust.

GoDaddy.  The safe choice.  They cost a bit more than others, but are one of the best in the business.  I usually recommend them when consulting for personal sites. Easy setup and can be bundled with your domain (the only company I trust to do this).

HostMonster.  Current host of choice for MuckTech.  Inexpensive and unlimited everything.  Great if you plan to experiment with other CMS’s, host multiple blogs/sites,  or need additional databases for  projects.

midPhase.  Used them for other projects.  Great customer service and everything you need to get started quickly.

1&1. Use for some projects.

Other reputable hosts:

Yahoo
bluehost
Host Gator
Made2Own

Any hosting tips?  Do you have a host you either love or hate?  Please post in the comments

Image via DeclanTM’s flickr licensed under creative commons.