There are literally thousands of web hosting providers to choose from. Who you select really depends on the specific needs of your website. If you are just getting started, one of the basic services from a reputable company such as Network Solutions or Yahoo will cost between $8 and $12 per month. That’s very inexpensive compared to other costs of marketing. The cheapest (but still reliable) web hosting service we have found is GoDaddy. The simplest package starts at around $4 / month. We host several of our websites on GoDaddy and have been consistently pleased with the service.
How Much Do Web Hosting Services Cost?
The price for a good web hosting service for a basic website typically ranges from $5 to $15 per month, depending on the complexity of the web site and additional services provided. If your website begins to receive a high volume of traffic or you decide to add more complex functionality to your website, you may need to upgrade your service. Even advanced service levels should cost less than $25 / per month. It’s really quite affordable when you consider everything you get… space on a server, bandwidth, technical support, and an easy-to-use admin panel that lets you access the files on your website.
Where Should I Register My Domain Name?
There are literally thousands of place where you can register your website domain name. And it really does not make all that much difference, as long as you register the domain through someone reputable.
So where do we suggest you register your domain name?
What is a Web Host?
A web host allocates space on a server to “host” your website and then makes your website accessible to the public. If you want the public to access your web site, then you need to sign up with a web host. OK, you could host the site yourself and not use a web host, but let’s face it, you wouldn’t be reading the “Beginner’s Guide” if you had the technical savvy to do that!
Web hosting companies provide a number of other optional services, including email administration, file backup & recovery, disk storage, bandwidth, databases, specialized software and much more.
What is a Domain Name?
A domain name is the name of a website. A domain name is also called a URL or an IP address. Examples of recognizable domain names are www.google.com, www.yahoo.com, and www.amazon.com. You will notice that all 3 of the examples end in “.com”. But domain names can also use other extensions, such as .org, .info, .net, or .us.
How Much Does It Cost To Register A Domain Name?
Like all things in a competitive marketplace, there isn’t a single purchase price for domain names. If you register only the domain name with no associated services, such as web hosting or private registration, you will pay anywhere from $10 – $35 / year.