Profitable Blogging

Posts Tagged ‘Hosting’

So what are the best blog hosting sites?  Once you’ve decided to take the plunge and create your Wordpress blog, it needs a place to live.  And that place is called a blog host.

There are tons of web hosting sites out there, and not all are great for blogs.  So what should you look for in a good hosting site?

How Many Blogs Can You Have?

I know, you’re just getting your feet wet now, but once you’ve gotten a taste of how to make money blogging, you’ll want a second site.  Or third.  Possibly more.

In any case, I highly recommend that you look for a hosting service that allows you more than 10 blogs. 

How to tell?  In the service, look for the number of MySQL databases you can have.  Since each Wordpress blog uses a MySQL database, that will give you a good idea on the limitations.

(Not to worry; a good blog hosting service will also set up the MySQL database for you as part of the Wordpress installation.)

Which brings me to the next question.

Does the Host Have 1-Click Installs for Wordpress?

This (in my opinion) is crucial.  Unless you are totally into installing software on servers, you will need a 1-click install option for your Wordpress blog.

It used to be that Fantastico was the 1-click installation program of choice, but some of the leading blog hosting sites have created their own installs.  And the ones I’ve tried so far are very nice indeed (and very easy).

How Many Domains Are Allowed?

Some hosting plans only allow for 1 domain per account.  Some allow for unlimited domains per account.  My preference is for unlimited, but if I had to have a lower limit, it would be at least 25.

How Reliable is the Host?

Wow, this is a big one.  I have used many, many web hosts and I can tell you — reliability is absolutely, positively necessary.

Your blog cannot make you money if the host server has crashed!  Trust me on this one.

What’s the Cost?

Obviously, none of us want to pay more than necessary.  But you also want to make sure that the blog hosting site you’re considering is reliable.  So based on that, expect around $10 a month for a host that will allow you at least 25 blogs.

I know, you just want to set up just one right now.  And that’s cool.  But it’s a real pain to have to move a blog, so make sure ahead of time that you can have more domains and blogs on one account.  (Once you get bitten by the bug of writing blogs that make money, you’ll want more.)

Best Blog Hosting Sites

OK, down to the nitty-gritty — what are some good, reliable blog hosting sites that are easy to use and don’t cost an arm and a leg?

My first choice is BlueHost, which I really, really like.  They’ve just moved to a 1-click installation program called “Simple Scripts” that makes setting up your Wordpress blog extremely easy — much more streamlined than Fantastico was.
Right now they have blog hosting for $6.95 a month.

I use them, so I can vouch for their reliability and their customer service.

My second choice is HostGator.  I know several people who use HostGator who are very satisfied with it.  And if you really think you’ll want to get into blogging big-time, they have a great reseller program starting at $24.95!
They also have some .

What about GoDaddy?  I use GoDaddy a lot for domain names, but I’ve been less than thrilled with the blog hosting itself.  It seems there are some quirks with their servers.  But for registering domain names — they are great.
So check them out for domain registrations.

So there you have it — my candidates for the best blog hosting sites.  Take a look, choose the one best for you, sign up and get blogging!

You have researched lots of website ideas and have chosen your niche. Now you are ready to launch your web site and begin building a dependable online business.

To begin with, you need a web server to put your web site on the world wide web. Owning and maintaining a web server can cost a lot of money and it requires someone who knows what they are doing in order to take care of the server and the web-site. A web host can do this for you. They supply the equipment and other technical programs that are required to build and maintain a web-site on the Internet. These hosting companies charge for the service of storing your web site data and allowing your web site to be seen on the Internet.

With thousands of web hosting companies in the marketplace, it can be tricky to discern which web site hosting companies genuinely provide an excellent hosting solution at an affordable charge. With this in mind, here are a few guidelines to aid you in the midst of this especially critical decision.

Your web host will charge you a fee for monthly service that ranges from $10 or $20 to the more pricey $50.00 per month. Plan to pay between $300 and $500 per year to your web host. Always steer clear of free or incredibly inexpensive web hosting services, because you may well suffer bouts of server downtimes and you are likely to have sizeable limitations in storage space, quantity of email addresses, FTP uploads etc.

Be certain your web host can accommodate e-commerce, blogs, forums, chats, online interactive help and anything else you might plan to add onto your site. You might not want every one of the services at the start, but you probably will in the near future. Calculate approximately what your growth needs are and make certain that this web host can accommodate you as your online business grows. The last thing you want to do is change your host, unless you definitely have to do so.

Confirm your bandwidth and server space capability to be sure that, if your website traffic grows quickly, you can upload all of your required files and your customers will not have to wait long for downloads. It is important to obtain as much server space and bandwidth as you can. Be wary when someone claims they supply limitless bandwidth. There is no such thing as unlimited bandwidth. Don’t fall for the limitless bandwidth deception that some companies pitch at you.

Your hosting provider should be there for you 24/7 and give you immediate access to the technicians you require to resolve any of your problems. Ask them how long it takes for them to predictably reply to your problem. A good test is to call them in the middle of the night to check if you get live support.

Check whether they offer a network powered by several bandwidth providers to guarantee redundancy. Some offer a 100% guarantee on its network availability or network uptime. Multiple bandwidth providers is important because if one goes down, the others pick up the slack.

Verify the hosting providers financial stability. If you’re running very essential operations, you can’t afford to be with a hosting company that may not be in business in a few months. A clear indication is how long they have been in business, as nearly all that have already been in business for a few years have a sound business foundation.

Hosting companies require that you obtain your URL or domain name first before you obtain hosting services. Most hosting companies have a package that will allow you to buy the domain name and hosting at the same time. To get your own distinctive domain name, you have to first check the availability of the name with a domain name search, offered by dependable domain registrars such as DomainIt and Dotster. A lot of domain registrar services have adept online tools to help you get your domain name and hosting site up and running.

Choosing a decent domain name is extremely crucial. First and foremost, when it comes to domain names, make an effort to stay away from the impractical, unintelligent, outlandish or clever. Keep your domain name unpretentious and make it something your customers can recollect if they lose the link to your business website. Using one of your keywords in your domain name can raise your score on various search engines.

A professional domain name that uses your primary company name or associated terminology is apt to get more attention and be considered as a stable business by your prospective customers and the search engines. Remember, your domain name is an extension of your business and your brand of product or service.

Take note that, whilst your domain name on free web hosting services may seem like the least expensive way to go, it might also get you dropped from certain search engines. Some search engines take no notice of domain addresses that reside on these free or incredibly cheap servers.

In summation, you require a web server to place your web site on the internet. There are countless types of web hosting services and it all depends on what you desire to accomplish in building your web-site for your business. Free web hosting is for novices who require an uncomplicated hosting alternative devoid of lots of bells and whistles. Dependable web hosting providers have a monthly service charge that ranges from $10 or $20. Hosting companies require that you buy your URL or domain name first before you buy hosting services. Most hosting companies have a package that will allow you to procure the domain name and hosting at the same time. There are many service providers to choose from. If you do your homework, you’ll find a number of excellent deals that will accommodate your budget.