Hosting

Choosing a good host is a hit or miss proposition for many webmasters. Whether you're looking for free hosting, cheap hosting, business class hosting, or dedicated server hosting you'll find practical advice and recommendations that will help you choose the right host for you.

Being in the web design business, I naturally have many friends in the business. Between my favorite hosts and theirs, I've put together a pretty good list of recommended website hosts. Who better would know the best hosting values than those of us whose livelihood depends on it?

Best Hosting

Best Shared Hosting: Our list of the best general purpose website hosts. These hosts offer great features at reasonable prices.
Best Business Hosting: A short list of recommended business class website hosts.
Best Dedicated Server Hosting: A recommended list of hosts for managed dedicated servers, unmanaged dedicated servers, virtual private servers (VPS), and co-located hosting.

Cheap Hosting

Cheap Hosting: Looking for cheap hosting? If low cost, affordable hosting is your thing, this list of cheap web hosting providers is for you.
The Cheapest Web Host!: Which host offers the cheapest hosting? Take a peek to see...

Unlimited Hosting Space

Unlimited Hosting Space: The list of hosts on this page offer an unlimited amount of hosting space.

Lists of Web Hosts

Host List: This host list is just a list of good hosts to surf with no commentary. Sometimes a person just wants to make up their own mind without the opinion of others—if that's you, this host list is just for you!
The Big List of Web Hosts: Another list of hosts, this is just a miscellaneous list of hosting companies.
Find a Host: This list of hosts includes recommended hosts by professional web design and by amateur designers. It's more a "street cred" list than the other lists.

Free Hosting

Free Reseller Hosting: This is great—if you're looking for a reseller hosting account you can get a FREE reseller account at the reseller featured on this page. Check it out!
Free Hosting: A short list of web hosts where you can host your site for free. Be sure to read my article, The Drawbacks of Free Hosting before choosing a free host.

Hosting Articles

What is shared hosting?: Learn what a domain name is and how they work.
Cheap Hosting: Is Cheap Hosting Good or Bad?: Can cheap hosting be good? Does cheap hosting mean poor service? Does cheap hosting mean poor technical support? The answers may surprise you.
How to Choose a Good Website Host: This page details what you'll find in my free ebook, How to Choose a Good Website Host . . . and Make Money From Them to Boot!
Hosting Selection Criteria: This article explains the criteria used to choose the hosting companies I recommend in the above hosting lists.
Hosting 101: Website hosting basics are explained here. Essential reading for beginners.
Hosting Terms: The hosting industry has a terminology of its own. This page explains many common hosting terms.
Hosting Cautions: Website hosting has improved significantly in the last ten years, but there are a few things to be aware of to avoid disappointment.
Unlimited domains: A lot of hosts offer unlimited domains under one hosting account these days. Do you believe that? Discover the truth about unlimited features.
The Drawbacks of Free Hosting: This article discusses the many drawbacks to using a free website host.

Domain Articles

Find a Domain Name: Having trouble finding a good domain name? Read this article and you'll have plenty of fresh ideas—there are still LOTS of good domain names left.
What is a domain name?: Learn what a domain name is and how they work.
How to Register a Domain Name: Want your own domain name? Here's how to register a domain.
Free Domain Registration: Is it possible to get a free domain name? You bet it is, check it out!
Business Domain Names: What makes a good business domain name?

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Free PDF ebook...

How to Choose a Good Website Host

Current Version: 1.9

Download: Right-click Here and choose Save Link As (Firefox) or Save Target As (IE), or similar wording if you use another browser.

Description: This FREE guide to choosing a good host explains the criteria I use to choose a hosting services provider. It includes giveaway rights if you want to share with your own website visitors or friends.

» Details of How to Choose a Good Host

Helpful Definitions

Shared hosting (also called virtual hosting) means that your site is sharing a server with many other sites. This is the least expensive option and all most people need.

Co-located hosting means you buy the server and supply it to a hosting company, who plugs it into their network. You are responsible for the support and maintenance of your server.

Unmanaged dedicated hosting is similar to co-location except that, rather than buying a server, you lease a server from a host.

Managed dedicated hosting means leasing a server from the host, but the host provides full support and maintenance.

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