If you've chosen your domain name, you'll also need a place to store your information. This server space is what a web host is.
What you'll want to do is find a cheap web hosting package. When I say "cheap," I don't mean low quality.
There are so many places to get web hosting, that searching for an affordable one could be tough.
Most of the big named companies offer tons of web hosting packages, but unfortunately are pretty expensive. I'm pretty surprised that Yahoo is still offering their starter package close to $12/mo, with a $25 startup fee. I guess it's the name that sells.
Over the last decade, I've tried out several hosting companies. For over the past 2 years, I've chosen a service where I have 10 websites set up on. If you want to set up one website, you pay $1/mo. If you want to have 10 websites, it's $2.95/mo. They have a startup fee, but it's pretty small compared to the monthly savings.
Before selecting the package for your business, make sure you look at how much server space and bandwidth (transfer limit) you need. For most websites, the $1 or the $2.95 packages are OK. Content (in text format) takes very little space and bandwidth. If you're going to be serving audio, video, or other huge downloads, consider looking at advanced hosting. You can alway start with a basic package and upgrade as your needs grow.
Some people think that since the service is so cheap, there has to be some catch or some other issues. Since I've been using their services, there has been some minor annoyances. All I could say is if you're expecting somebody to walk you through step-by-step, this might not be the right service for you. I wasn't expecting them to do that...just a warning.
When I asked tech support questions, they replied quickly. Most of the time, the responses were good. However, there have been some times where I couldn't get the right answers until several emails later (email-based customer service does have disadvantages). I thought that my questions where common enough that they should include it in their FAQ (ie. SMTP or Sendmail configuration parameters-needed for setting up forums). I ended up finding my answers faster through online support forums and USENET.
Other than these issues, I think they have the best bang for the buck for a Windows based server.
For more information, check out the Onedollarhost site.
Are you looking for a UNIX based web host?
One of the best UNIX based web hosting I've reviewed is Dreamhost.
If you want a wide range of compatibility, flexibility, and stability, a UNIX based server might be the choice for you. If you're strictly an ASP programmer or you're using ASP scripts, you'll need to use the Windows IIS host that I previously mentioned.
Now this is a big steal if you're okay paying close to $7.99/mo or more. Their beginning package starts you off with unlimited domains and 1 TB of transfer. If you're an aggressive internet marketer, having as many domains as you could host is a big plus. This is in addition to unlimited subdomains.
There's too much that this host offers. Click here for more info.
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A note about free hosting
There's a lot of sites offering free hosting. I've used many of them in the past for hobby sites. Most of these include advertisements using pop-ups or banners. The disadvantage of some of these sites are annoyances and reliability.
Since these sites are free, you never know how reliable your data storage is, how often your site will be down, or how long it will be free. Since your not paying anybody, what incentive do they have?
Another aspect to consider is credibility. Although your site may be informative, business sites with free hosting addresses don't give a professional image.
So if you have a long term site, you should consider hosting that you pay for.
What you'll want to do is find a cheap web hosting package. When I say "cheap," I don't mean low quality.
There are so many places to get web hosting, that searching for an affordable one could be tough.
Most of the big named companies offer tons of web hosting packages, but unfortunately are pretty expensive. I'm pretty surprised that Yahoo is still offering their starter package close to $12/mo, with a $25 startup fee. I guess it's the name that sells.
Over the last decade, I've tried out several hosting companies. For over the past 2 years, I've chosen a service where I have 10 websites set up on. If you want to set up one website, you pay $1/mo. If you want to have 10 websites, it's $2.95/mo. They have a startup fee, but it's pretty small compared to the monthly savings.
Before selecting the package for your business, make sure you look at how much server space and bandwidth (transfer limit) you need. For most websites, the $1 or the $2.95 packages are OK. Content (in text format) takes very little space and bandwidth. If you're going to be serving audio, video, or other huge downloads, consider looking at advanced hosting. You can alway start with a basic package and upgrade as your needs grow.
Some people think that since the service is so cheap, there has to be some catch or some other issues. Since I've been using their services, there has been some minor annoyances. All I could say is if you're expecting somebody to walk you through step-by-step, this might not be the right service for you. I wasn't expecting them to do that...just a warning.
When I asked tech support questions, they replied quickly. Most of the time, the responses were good. However, there have been some times where I couldn't get the right answers until several emails later (email-based customer service does have disadvantages). I thought that my questions where common enough that they should include it in their FAQ (ie. SMTP or Sendmail configuration parameters-needed for setting up forums). I ended up finding my answers faster through online support forums and USENET.
Other than these issues, I think they have the best bang for the buck for a Windows based server.
For more information, check out the Onedollarhost site.
Are you looking for a UNIX based web host?
One of the best UNIX based web hosting I've reviewed is Dreamhost.
If you want a wide range of compatibility, flexibility, and stability, a UNIX based server might be the choice for you. If you're strictly an ASP programmer or you're using ASP scripts, you'll need to use the Windows IIS host that I previously mentioned.
Now this is a big steal if you're okay paying close to $7.99/mo or more. Their beginning package starts you off with unlimited domains and 1 TB of transfer. If you're an aggressive internet marketer, having as many domains as you could host is a big plus. This is in addition to unlimited subdomains.
There's too much that this host offers. Click here for more info.
===
A note about free hosting
There's a lot of sites offering free hosting. I've used many of them in the past for hobby sites. Most of these include advertisements using pop-ups or banners. The disadvantage of some of these sites are annoyances and reliability.
Since these sites are free, you never know how reliable your data storage is, how often your site will be down, or how long it will be free. Since your not paying anybody, what incentive do they have?
Another aspect to consider is credibility. Although your site may be informative, business sites with free hosting addresses don't give a professional image.
So if you have a long term site, you should consider hosting that you pay for.
Comments
Through ASP, by default it has server side includes.
I also use scripted includes through PHP in my blogs