Web Hosting and Domain Registrar reviews

Here I will give you my personal recommendations for choosing a domain registrar and web hosting provider. These are tried-and-tested services.

Navigate:

• Domain Registration
• Shared Web Hosting
• Dedicated Web Hosting
• Domain Parking and Marketing

Summary of my personal recommendations:

For shared hosting, Bluehost offers the most impressive package:

Make an environmental statement with this shared hosting package:

I have just personally signed up with Apthost for a reseller account, and so far I like it:

Choosing a web hosting provider

For a domainer or web developer, choosing the right service provider for web hosting and domaining is essential. Finding a reliable and affordable web hosting provider or domain registrar is not easy. The Web is loaded with services providers advertising their services. Searching for reviews results in loads of so-called "review" sites that do nothing more than compare the advertised features of various packages.

During my endeavours as a domainer and webmaster, I have used various services for web hosting and domain registration. I have gone through the frustration of poor support, unreliable DNS services, server downtime...you name it. After much trial-and-error, I have now enough experience and knowledge to present to you the jewels in the rough.

Shared hosting

Shared hosting is a good option for those who want an easy-to-use hosting interface for websites with limited traffic and modest computing power requirements. 99% of web users manage with shared hosting, and these days the shared hosting packages do allow for substantial traffic. It's also an inexpensive option.

I have used many different hosting providers, and one really stands out: BlueHost. They offer a good package for $6.95 per month: You can host an unlimited number of add-on domains and web sites without any extra charge, 2,500 e-mail accounts, you get a lot of bandwidth for a shared server (I have never had any problems with speed although my sites bring in >5,000 visitors daily. I have however had some problems with CPU quota but that's to be expected with any shared hosting solution). They are about equal to the UNEC/EstiBot hosting package, but I think the advantage of Bluehost is that they have cPanel. Bluehost support is very responsive, and they will accomodate to your special needs as much as they can.

Update 09-12:Bluehost has problems with their domain registry sync. This has caused me a lot of grief. They send me renewal notices for domains that are no longer in my account, but still show on my domain list. They are still good for shared hosting, but I absolutely do not recommend them for domaining purposes. Visit BlueHost

On the negative side, one service I advise you to avoid altogether: Active24.com. I have not had anything but terrible experiences with them. I hosted a few sites there but it was practically impossible to get anything to work and their support was completely unresponsive. It took 2-3 weeks to get a response! I ordered a Linux package and they set up a Windows package. They were unable to do the simplest thing right. Their user interface is horrifying. In short, they are absolutely horrible. Unless you're specifically looking for problems, stay well clear.

Dedicated Server Hosting

If you have sites with high traffic, or want to have complete control over your own server features, you'll need a dedicated server. I have only recently moved into the realm of dedicated servers - when I set up the EstiBot site, I wanted a powerful server to accommodate for the high CPU loads that my mathematical calculations require, and also I wanted to make sure that my visitors would get a smooth performance. I anticipated a lot of visitors, and wanted to have a solid server solution from the get-go. I use HostGator. So far the experience has been good. They offered 4 months for the price of 1, which was a good deal. Their support has been pretty good. They are still under probation as I have only used them for a few months. They are in effect resellers of ThePlanet servers. HostGator provides a very attractively priced package for powerful servers. So far no problems, but I will report here if I have any problems with them. EDIT 08-27-2007: These guys rock. My server was down today, I submitted a ticket as soon as I found out about it and went to live chat also. I got immediate help from the live chat guy, and a near-immediate response to my support ticket, and the matter was resolved within minutes. I'm liking Hostgator a lot right now. Visit HostGator

Domain Registrations

A domainer usually needs several accounts to ensure that bought and sold domains can be "pushed" from one account to another without delay. Therefore most domainers such as myself have accounts with the most prominent registrars. Accounts are free, so there is no harm in opening several.

For serious domainers, it is essential to have an account at Moniker. They provide a full set of reliable and fast DNS management, top notch security (no one will be able to steal your domains), very responsive support, and affordable pricing. They are also experts in promoting domains and regularly host domain auctions where you have an increased chance of making a sale. I am currenly registering all my domains with Moniker. Opening an account is free of charge. Visit Moniker

It is a good idea to have accounts at both Moniker and GoDaddy. I do use GoDaddy, they have some great special offers and so far I have not had a major problem with them. Their user interface can be daunting, and support is sluggish at times, but overall they do a good job. They also support a wide range of payment options for those without a credit card or PayPal account. Visit GoDaddy

Domain Parking and Marketing

I park, sell and buy my domains at SEDO. They have a solid system, with a lot of customization options, and nice parking pages. I have bought and sold many domains through their Escrow service and there have been no problems. Their support is responsive, although sometimes they do give the impression of being overloaded with work. Let's hope they pay more attention to that. All in all - it's a great service, and opening an account and parking your domains if free of charge. You get more exposure for your domain names, parking is made real easy, revenue is paid each month, and their interface is a breeze to use. I can without reservation recommend SEDO for domain parking and aftermarket sales and purchases. Visit SEDO

I have recently started experimenting with a new type of service. Instead of parking my keyword domain names, I set them up at WhyPark - they provide free, search engine optimized website content and you can add your own Adsense ads of affiliate links - the best part is that you get 100% of the ad revenue to yourself. A very interesting concept, and many of my domains at WhyPark have already started making money. Visit WhyPark

Hope this helps! Pick one of the above services, get your website going, register a free account for Adsense (see below) and enjoy domaining and webmastering!

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