Website Hosting Advice
Many website owners are overpaying for web hosting simply because they don't know any better. At Merkel Marketing we do not offer web hosting, but we've gathered some free advice to get you going:
Why don't you offer web hosting?
Because you can get it much cheaper straight from a web hosting company. There are a lot of them competing for your business: just Google 'web hosting service'. All you need is a credit card and you can have a hosting account set up in minutes. In this way you also control the website, so if you ever want to use another web design company, you're free to do so. And it eliminates the need for Merkel Marketing to bill you.
What is web hosting and why do I need it?
Web hosts are companies that will provide you with space on their computers for a fee. These computers (called web servers) are always connected to the Internet and typically located in a data center. The web hosting company provides everything you need to make your website available to anyone surfing the web. And now you can probably see why you need it: without a web host your website won't be on the Internet; no one will see it.
How do I get web hosting?
- Pick a web hosting company (we recommend Lunarpages)
- Choose a plan (usually the basic plan is sufficient)
- Pay with a credit card
I don't know what company or plan to choose.
You can Google 'web hosting service' to find a collection of web hosting companies. It's a very competitive business, so if they're on the first page of search results, they're probably one of the bigger players and should be a safe option. You can shop around for the best price or search for reviews if you want.
Generally, a basic plan will be enough for most websites. If you have special requirements that might require a more intensive plan, contact Merkel Marketing to discuss your situation.
Or if you just want to skip to the end, we recommend Lunarpages' basic hosting plan as a good fit for most small- to medium-sized businesses.
What about a domain name?
Domain names are separate from—but related to—web hosting. Domain names are the human-readable names we use to find websites on the Internet, like MyFakeDomain.com. Domain names are sold by domain registrars, typically for only about $8-12 per year. Here are few things to keep in mind with domain names:
- Many companies provide BOTH domain registration and web hosting services. Often one of those services can be had more cheaply from another vendor, but it's also very convenient to have one account and one bill to worry about.
- Domain names need to be "pointed" to a web hosting account before your website will show up on the Internet. Companies that provide registrar and hosting services can often make life easier and take care of this step for you.
- Domain registrars are essentially putting your domain name on the official Internet list of websites, so naturally you can't have a domain that someone else had already claimed.
You can use the green box in the right-hand column to search for available domain names.