Shopping For A Host

Finding a home for your site will be the hardest part of your journey. This is not because of the technical aspect (that's the easy part), but because there are so many hosting companies available and a great deal of choices and options out there. We'll wade through all the options here and hopefully help you make a good decision.

Once you've read through the list, check out our Web Host and Registrar page.

Free Hosting
If you decide to go with a free host, your options can be limiting, but getting set up is much easier. Most free hosts are generous with space, and also give you some options on how to FTP your files. However, most free hosts come with a lot of "no option" things, such as mandatory pop ups, ad banners and other annoying things they need to pay the bills so they can continue to give you free service. Also, most hosts won't allow direct linking, cgi, custom scripts and what not. Not having these things are fine for first timers. If you want to experiment, by all means go for a free host. Once you become more adept, you can move on to a paid host and really have some fun.

Paid Hosting
This is the best way to go if you want the most flexibility with your web site. When looking for a web host, do it as if you are buying a car. Shop around, compare prices and plans, and find something that meets your needs. A wide variety of prices and plans are available...ranging from $4.95 / month and beyond, depending on what features and how much space you are looking for.

PIRC has put together a sort of shopping list you should consider when looking for a host. Keep these in mind when you begin to shop.

1. Monthly Payments: Find a host that allows you to pay by the month. With so many hosting companies coming and going, it's good to be able to "bail out" if you don't like the service or the service goes under.

2. Customer Service and Support: As with any business, this is a big one to consider. Find a host that has many support options. These include help desks, email support, help forums and most of all a phone number. If you happen to find a host you may go with, send them an email with a question just to see how long it takes to respond. Better yet, give them a call and test their customer service.

3. No Set Up Fees: Some hosts charge very little but hit you with big set up fees. There are a multitude of good, inexpensive hosts that do not require a fee.

4. FTP Access: Most quality sites have this but it's good to be sure that you can FTP your files on your own, with your own program.

5. Multiple/Sub Domains: If the host you are considering will host multiple domains on your account, this is a big plus. This feature let's you use more than one domain name so you can have two or more separate sites on one account. A sub domain will let you add another domain underneath your main domain. This feature does not require a separate domain name. The Web Shop is actually a sub domain of vasilis-designs.

6. Image Linking: This allows you to link an image from your site to another site. A great example is posting your latest PI creation on the PIRC board. Your image stays on your server, but it shows up on the board. This is usually not a problem with most pay hosts as you are paying for the bandwidth (amount of traffic) your site generates.

7. Multiple Email Boxes: The more the merrier as this allows you to use as many email addresses that is allotted in your plan. Again, usually not a problem.

8. Web Users: The ability to give someone else some of your web space to use. A web user can access their own files and have their own email, but do not have control over the amount of space allowed and other site maintenance issues.

9. Web Mail: This gives you the ability to access your email where ever you are. A good example of web mail is Yahoo or Hotmail. Although this one is yours.

10. Pre installed Scripts: These are various scripts that allow you to set up message boards, chat rooms, guest books and mail forms. Not a requirement, but good to have if you need them.

Things To Watch Out For
Here are some things you should watch out for and be wary of when shopping around.

1.Unlimited Space: A host promising unlimited space is a red flag. A server is set up to hold only so many accounts and when the space runs out....you'll get billed for the extras. Always make sure your plan has a set space allowance.

2. Unlimited Bandwidth: In simple terms, bandwidth is how much traffic your site generates. Too much traffic on a server and the server slows down to a crawl. When you see "unlimited bandwidth", know that the host bases what is unlimited by measuring the "average" use by it's clients. If you go over that "average", you'll get billed for extra bandwidth. As with space above, make sure there is a set amount of bandwidth for your account.

3. Banner Ads: Any host that demands a banner be placed on your site isn't worth using. You are paying the host for the space and that is what is generating the hosts income. It's your space and you should be able to use it any way you see fit.

4. Domain Registry: Some hosts will offer to register your domain along with setting up your account. This is a bad practice to fall into as some hosts will register your domain under them and that makes for a lot of hassle on your part if you decide to leave that host. Always register your domain separately, with a legitimate registrar. See our list for registrars.

Every web host will have it's problems. Some are unavoidable. Down time, server upgrades and the like can interrupt your service and these things are fixed rather quickly. Always read the host's Terms of Use before committing yourself...and read it carefully.

Creation and Design: Organizing Your Files