Cheapest way to register a site and get hosting?

GoodCallYouWin · #1 04-02-2007, 11:13 AM

What is the cheapest and most reliable method of domain name registration and where should I be looking for web hosting? Is it worth it to have my own webserver?

JoshK · #2 04-02-2007, 11:32 AM

This is like asking, "should I raise or fold preflop?".

Answer: It depends

I don't know much about domain companies I generally just use 1and1 but i've heard some people have had issues with them.

For hosting it really depends on your own needs. The first requirement for any host I use or suggest to friends is that they have cpanel. After that it's up to you.

- How many domains do you want to host
- How much traffic do you get
- How much storage will you need
- Various other options like database useage, php stuff etc..

Personally I use hostgator and refer friends to hostgator. PM me if you would be willing to use my affiliate code or just head to hostgator.com Either way I recommend it.

Cheers,

Josh

Sniper · #3 04-02-2007, 11:56 AM

Josh, why hostgator over any of the alternatives, including simply using 1and1 for hosting as well as domain?

JoshK · #4 04-02-2007, 12:54 PM

Honestly... I've used hostgator the most so probably a slight bias there.

Also I'm a big fan of having your domain and hosting in different places. There's been quite a bit of discussion on various forums about that. The common census seems it's better to be safe than sorry.

cheers,

josh

Sniper · #5 04-02-2007, 01:30 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Honestly... I've used hostgator the most so probably a slight bias there.

Also I'm a big fan of having your domain and hosting in different places. There's been quite a bit of discussion on various forums about that. The common census seems it's better to be safe than sorry.

cheers,

josh

[/ QUOTE ]

hehe.. ok, you didn't really list the advantages of hostgator?

2nd question... What is the advantage to using seperate host vs domain providers? and on the flipside, What is the risk of using a single provider for both? (that they might go out of business?)

BradleyT · #6 04-02-2007, 01:33 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Josh, why hostgator over any of the alternatives, including simply using 1and1 for hosting as well as domain?

[/ QUOTE ]

Go to WebHostingTalk and do a search on HostGator. Most of it is highly positive. And when someone starts a new thread about hosting, hostgator often gets mentioned. Their main site is PR8 so obviously they get a lot of links to their site from happy customers.

BradleyT · #7 04-02-2007, 01:43 PM

BTW hostgator just buys servers from http://www.theplanet.com/ and does all the work required to get things installed (c-panel, etc.) and management/support. When I had a hostgator account there were posts on the HG forums on how to determine which server you were on and mine showed me as being on a theplanet.com server.

scotty M · #8 04-02-2007, 03:49 PM

I use hostgator, it's the only host I've ever used. Here's why I like it.

Cpanel, install wordpress, joomla, drupal, whatever with one click of the mouse. I've heard people have had problems with automated installs, but personally they've worked fine for me.

Unlimited domains, you can set up unlimited domains under one account. This is great for those who like to build multiple websites.

Free tools and scripts, along with cpanel, there's a ton of cool stuff, stats counters, web accounts, scripts, lots of neat things.

Customer support. When I first got started, I was clueless. They made the process simple, and I've never had to wait more than 2 minutes to chat with a tech support guy. I also managed to delete my own blog, because I'm an idiot, and they fixed it for me within 2 hours.

99% uptime guarantee. No point in having a website if it goes down all the time.

Pricing. They offer all of this starting at $6.95.

Like I said, they're the only company I've ever used, so for all I know there are better alternatives. For my needs I really couldn't be happier with them.

Hope that helps,

-Scott

avfletch · #9 04-02-2007, 04:37 PM

The main reason I recommend Hostgator is the great affiliate payouts ... no wait.

Joking aside they offer an absolutely great service. From a geek's point of view they really have this business down. They are running all the right stuff and give you access to stuff that most people don't. There are so many half-ass hosting operators out there that don't have a lot of stuff setup but Hostgator have *everything* you could ever want to play about with turned on (with the security stuff up to date).

The only downside to their setup is the install is pretty bloated so I wouldn't want to run an operation with serious traffic through there.