I’ve had my share of web hosts, some good and some not so good. Before leaping into the world of self-hosting your own websites, you really need to evaluate your needs (which might grow over time). Most bloggers choose shared hosting, which is your website hosted on a server along with a number of other people’s websites on the same server. Then there is dedicated hosting, which is your own dedicated server, or partition on a server; or a middle-ground kind of hosting called vps hosting. Dedicated hosting is usually much, much more stable and reliable, but it is also extremely expensive. VPS hosting is more affordable and offers many of the perks that dedicated hosting offers; shared hosting is the least expensive and the least reliable.
It’s this kind of stuff that you need to know before taking the leap. I didn’t know a lot of stuff, so I wandered around, wasting a lot of time, energy, and effort. I did learn a lot in the process, but I would have rather avoided some of the snarls of ignorance.
Here’s a good site to get your feet wet with web hosting: WebHostingGeeks.com. This site has been up and running since 2004, providing the Internet with excellent and readable articles, tips, and reviews of web hosting terms, concepts, and providers. The Web Hosting 101 series is excellent; I go there sometimes to keep up with latest developments and news, and read reviews of some newer hosting companies. WebHostingGeeks also has tips on SEO and SEM strategies, informative articles on domain names (and ICANN has recently internationalized the Internet, so the structure of domain names will soon be changing), and more. It’s a good site to check from time to time, looking at news and reviews. I like the consumer reviews of the various web hosts, too. WebHostingGeeks breaks them down into “Best Dedicated Hosting,” “Best UNIX Hosting,” Best Email Hosting,” “Best Budget Hosting,” and more.
Before taking the plunge to have your websites hosted, be sure to learn a little of the trade. You will avoid a lot of headaches, and you’ll also get the most for your money. Be sure to take a look at WebHostingGeeks.com. It’s totally free to peruse, and you will learn a lot!
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Tags: reviews, web hosting, web hosts
Finding a web host can be confusing. There seem to be more and more of them, and who knows how they rate in quality and price?! I have tried my hand with quite a few number of web hosts before I finally landed with the best so far, Hostgator. Back when I was just starting out hosting my own websites, I had no idea about ratings and if there were any websites with simple charts, revies, and breakdowns of costs and services. Now, there’s WebHostingRating.com. It’s a greta site to visit for information on various website hosting. The main page has a table of the top ten web hosting providers for 2009, independently rated. The chart includes prices, space, traffic, and a review of the company– it’s a great read if you’re looking into your own web hosting, or are looking for something better (or less expensive). It’s a terrific breakdown of stats at a glance.
Also, you’ll find some good articles on various web hosting topics, including b2evolution and Joomla web hosting (stuff I’ve been very interested in tinkering with) reviews. I like that WebHostingRating.com also features “hosting awards” with special acclaim going to particular companies that score high. Cool site! Check it out: WebHostingRating.com.
Tags: reviews, web hosts
I’ve switched web hosts twice in a year, and I have intentions on doing it agan in the near future. It’s not that I LIKE to switch hosts– I hate it– but I’ve become dissatisfied with certain aspects of my web hosts. And I feel it is in my interest to branch out a little; I don’t like having all my blogs on one host, because when one blog goes down, they all do. :-p
So I’m slowly gathering information on how to do this seamlessly. I thought I’d share some links to some excellent posts on how to do this. I’d write my own, but I don’t think it would be any better than what’s been written already.
How To Switch Hosting Providers Without Downtime This is a nice and concise list of what you’ll need to do.
How to Switch Web Hosting Companies without any Downtime This is an extremely detailed tutorial. It’s good for the blogger who wants to know everything about everything. Like me who, you know, is curious about the mysteries behind tape drives data versus digital data and everything in between, lol.
How to Change Web Hosts with NO Downtime This is written from a first-person account. It has tidbits of information that are helpful, that you may not find in a more technical tutorial.
Overall, the secret to providing a seamless transfer without any downtime is that you must retain your service at the old web host for a while after purchasing a new account at a new web host. The two services will overlap for a while (2-4 weeks is the recommended time).
Tags: blogging, web hosts
