Free Web Design Advice

Every website MUST be “hosted” on a computer that “serves” your website to the internet.  In fact, most  webhosts offer package deals where they will sell you the hosting, domain name and website building/blogging tools all together at a discount.  Check it out!   (Be aware:  Price is not everything.  Choose wisely.  Things like availablility of customer service or protection from natural disasters may be worth a few extra bucks/month.)

Vocabulary:

Companies that host websites are sometimes called “Web Hosts” or “Hosting Companies”.

Recommendations:

If you have a website that you have built yourself and you need a web host in order to publish your site to the internet, we have a few recommendations.

If you have built your website in standard HTML, then we highly recommend you go purchase web hosting services on a Unix/Linux platform.  It is more stable and less expensive than Windows servers.

With your hosting account, you should get email service.

We recommend three different hosts:

1.  Host Gator (Your server will be in Dallas, Texas – relatively safe from any natural disasters.)

2.  Panther City Web Source (All their servers are located in the US and Europe, but we are not sure about their exact locations.)

3.  Lunarpages (Their data center is located in San Diego in a highly secured facility.)

Things you might want to consider when choosing a hosting package are:

• Where are the servers?  What happens if the data center is hit by a tsunami or earthquake?
• Is support available?  When?  By phone, email, or online only?
• What type of server is available?  (Note:  Select a Unix/Linux server instead of a Windows server.  It will be less expensive and more reliable.)
• How much disk space (space for your website files) and bandwidth (amount of download) is included?
• Is a website building tool included?
• Is a bloggin tool included
• Are you locked into a contract?
• Is email included?  How many email accounts?
• Are there programs you can use to run forms, blogs, etc.?
• Is there a control panel?  What sorts of features are available?
• Can you view your website statistics?
• Is e-commerce included?  What kind of program?
• Is it easy to get a Dedicated IP and SSL if you run an e-commerce program?

What to avoid:

Don’t, don’t, don’t host with your phone company or with a “free” web host.  There is no such thing as truly free, as you will have to deal with ugly ads or, at best, lack of flexibility in what you can do with your website.  We do not like ATT or Yahoo as web hosts.