Once you have a domain name for your site, you need to decide where to host it – and that ain’t easy. The host, or server, is the physical computer where the site’s located. Host the site on your own computer is usually a bad idea – when your power goes out or your Internet connection goes down, your website will disappear. Instead, you want to hire a web host that’s dedicated to hosting and completely focused on keeping your site up around the clock.
Most domain registrars will try to up-sell a hosting add-on for about $6-10 a month. I recommend against using the same company for both, because you’re giving them total control. It’s like leaving your keys with the valet – a bad valet can take your car for a joyride. If you park your car yourself, lock it, and take your keys, nobody can just walk up to your car, get in, and drive away (as long as you have a good alarm system). This may seem like a crazy analogy (which I’m prone to), but certain registrars are actually notorious for shenanigans like this.
Instead, find a host seperate from your domain registrar. You want to find somebody that:
- Is super reliable
- Has great support and is available when you need them (24/7/365)
- Does regular backups
- Is within your budget
- Has the right technology to fit your needs
Choose wisely, because using the wrong host can make your life a total nightmare! Imagine if one day your website or all your email went poof, or worse yet, went up for ransom! It can happen, and it has happened to me personally. You need to be sure your host won’t leave you out to dry in that situation – and that doesn’t mean you have to overpay, either.
The host I use is Media Temple. A lot of big name, serious companies like MTV and Nike use them as well – they have very reliable service and fantastic support. I can’t recommend them enough. I’m sure there are other great web hosts out there, but there are also plenty of crappy ones, so make sure you get a personal recommendation and don’t simply believe the company’s own marketing literature. Also, relying on your web designer to choose your host is usually a bad idea – you should tell them what host to use, not vice-versa. Media Temple is great, but they don’t offer automatic backups, so you need to remember to schedule your own periodic backups.
Some other things you probably need:
- At least 200MB-1GB storage space
- At least 1 database
- Phone support, not just email
- Automatic backups
Typically, all the other tech specs will be fine. If you’re doing something very technical, like installing a specific type of software, you want to make sure the host meets those additional minimum requirements.
One of the main distinctions between different plans is the amount of resources you’re guaranteed. Hard drive space, bandwidth, processor and memory (RAM) are the main variables. Most hosts offer shared hosting – many people’s sites, sometimes hundreds or thousands, are hosted on one server computer. The main benefit of shared hosting is that it’s cheap: you can get shared hosting for $5-10-20 a month. The downside is that other people’s sites can interfere with your own; for instance, if someone else gets hacked, sends spam email, or gets a huge volume of traffic, it can cause you major problems. These things are totally beyond your control. To combat this type of headache, you can get a dedicated server. A dedicated server is your own personal machine, that only your website lives on. This gives you much more reliable service, but comes with a corresponding price increase: from $50-100-1000 per month. I use what’s called a dedicated virtual server, which is kind of in-between shared and dedicated plans. It costs about $50 a month, and I’m guaranteed a quarter of a full machine, with the ability to upgrade as needed. It’s a good compromise, since I host a number of sites, some of which are mission critical. For most people, it would be overkill. Most people will be fine with a $10-20 per month shared hosting plan, until they get very succesfull and have to upgrade. The question to ask yourself is “If my site went down for 6 hours, would that be a major problem, or a mere inconvenience?” Your answer will determine if it’s worth paying an extra $400 or more per year to get better service.
The last question you may be faced with when choosing a server is the operating system. Just like how your own PC runs either Windows or Mac, servers can run different flavors of operating systems. The typical choices are Windows and Linux. In general, Linux hosting is both cheaper and more secure. I would only recommend using Windows Server hosting if you absolutely have to – in other words, if your site relies on Windows-only technology, such as ASP, MS-SQL or .NET. Otherwise, choose Linux hosting. If you’re not sure, choose Linux hosting. Some Linux hosts can run the Windows stuff also, but not most of them, and not perfectly. It’s also important to make sure your web designer also develops for a Linux-compatible OS.
If you’ve made it this far, I have to say I’m impressed. There are obviously a lot of factors that go into choosing the right web host and plan for you. I know it’s not fun or glamorous (at least not to most people), but researching it and educating yourself up front will save you money and heartburn in the long run.