Where Should You Host Your Money Making Blog?
November 16, 2008 by Reba
Filed under Blog, Blogging For Money, Hot Topics
If you read my last post, A Guide to Choosing a Site for Your Money Making Blog, you know I highly recommend using Wordpress on your own domain name and hosting account. But you’re probably wondering where to go to get a domain name and hosting account. This post will give you some suggestions for where to register a domain name and sign-up for a hosting account.
Domain Name – Domain names are fairly inexpensive no matter where you go. I buy all my domain names from the same place so they are easy to manage. I used to not do that, I had domain name registrations with several companies and I totally lost control. It was very hard to keep track. The company I now use, DomainsPricedRight.com, has a website that is very easy to use and they are timely about reminding you to renew. They are a reseller of GoDaddy.com domain registrations but I’m finding they are less expensive than GoDaddy.com. So my advice would be to check both.
Hosting Account – It’s best to choose a hosting account that not only charges a reasonable rate for their service but also is easy to use. Hosting companies that offer C-Panel for their control panel will make using your account simple. Also be sure they have 24/7 telephone customer service. And lastly, check to be sure they have Fantastico. Fantastico is a software program that installs other software for you. It makes installing WordPress as easy as clicking a link.
My favorite web hosting company is HostGator.com. They offer everything I recommend and are reasonably priced. Recently I noticed they have changed their hosting packages to include unlimited disk space and bandwidth, which is fabulous if you want to host any video or if your site becomes wildly popular.
I’ll be honest here, I have a HostGator account but I’m currently not using it. I started on the internet ten years ago and at that time I chose WestHost. WestHost has been fantastic for me with regard to reliability and customer service, so I’ve stayed with them. I host a lot of websites, and because I understand their control panel and it would be a great hassle to move all my sites, I’m staying with them. The only reason I don’t recommend them, especially for beginners, is they don’t use C-Panel. Sorry WestHost. However, if you’re a seasoned website builder and you’re looking for a reliable hosting company, WestHost is just that.
One other thing I want to discuss is whether to choose Linux or Windows hosting. When you go to open your hosting account you will be presented with a choice at many of the hosting companies I’m going to recommend and I want you to have some knowledge.
Linux is the operating system I use and recommend you choose. There seems to be dispute within the IT community as to which is best, but for a new user, Linux will serve you best. And from what I’ve read, it’s the most secure and most stable of the two operating systems. If you want to read a good article that compares the two systems, read Windows vs. Linux . A quote from that page sums it up for me:
While Linux is not yet able to take full advantage of ASP, it is a very popular choice as an operating system for web servers. It is widely acclaimed for its stability and that has to count for something. While Windows’ instability, although it might be somewhat anecdotal, is a subject that is often discussed, Linux’s stability is almost undisputed.
Here’s a list of hosting companies for you to compare:
- HostGator.com – C-Panel & Fantastico
- WestHost.com – no C-Panel but they do have an easy install for WordPress
- BlueHost.com – C-Panel & Fantastico
- HostICan.com – C-Panel & Fantastico
- GoDaddy.com – They have easy install WordPress but I couldn’t tell from their website if they use C-Panel & Fantastico or not.
I don’t recommend you use Blogger.com, Wordpress.com or TypePad.com for your blog, however, if you’re new, you may decide that’s the route you want to go. Customization options for these services are very limited and you won’t get decent statistics on your blog activities. You can install secondary stat tools but why go to that extra effort? Be sure to read my last post, A Guide to Choosing a Site for Your Money Making Blog.
Well, that’s enough for now. My next three posts will be a series about how to set-up your money-making blog properly. Be sure to come back!
Cheers!
Reba
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Good information on setting up WP blogs here guys. I am interested to know if you have used Joomla much as an alternative to Wordpress?
Obviously WP is the most popular, but I am interested to know if it is necessarily the best in terms of presentation.
Anyways, keep up the great work.
Nick
Hi Nick,
Thanks for the kind words. Re Joomla, I personally do not have experience with Joomla. From what I’ve read, there is a large learning curve but it’s a great program. Like WordPress, it’s also included free with most hosting accounts. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help, maybe some of our other readers will be able to chime-in with their thoughts.
I’ll always recommend WordPress and the way I see it, there’s no need for me to spend time learning another content management system, but if others use Joomla and like it better than WordPress, it would be great to hear why.
Reba
Have not tried Joomla myself. However, I would agree what I have heard about it, it does have a large learning curve. We use WordPress on all of our client’s sites because it is packed full of features and available plugins. And, it is very user friendly for them too.
Grant Griffithss last blog post..Survey says — Should professional service firms advertise on their blogs?
Excellent piece of work!
At the time I am using Blogger, but I have outgrown it.
I have installed WP on my domain for one of my blogs but I have not made it live yet.
This article has come at a good time for me because I was looking at GoDaddy too. I don’t like it. Too confusing from what I am used to.
I host with Host4Profit and they have the basics, but not WP or Fantastico. Hmm.
Thanks again.
Kimberly Floress last blog post..Want to know the REAL secret of success?
Kimberly, thanks for commenting and I’m glad the post gave you some info to help in your decision.
Reba
[...] section on installing your WordPress blog, they do it from scratch. I explain in my article “Where Should You Host Your Money Making Blog” that HostGator uses C-Panel and they have Fantastico. Fantastico is a program that installs [...]
I use word press but in the last couple of years have switch over to Joomla. Especially now that the 1.5 version is packed full of goodies and the 6.0 version will be totally seo friendly. Even more then wordpress and you can do alot more with joomla once you learn it, than you can with WP I have some videos on my site if you would like to see just how easy it is to use.
Since you mentioned godaddy, I’ll also list a few of some recent discoveries for Godaddy coupon codes. I am a Screenwriting Site Developer, and these codes come in very handy when purchasing or renewing a domain. Use Godaddy promo code ZINE3 for $7.49 .com domains and renewals. I save about $30 every time I buy domains. When I buy at least 5 domains, I also get free private registration when I use ZINE3. For other Godaddy coupons, use ZINE1 for 10% off, ZINE2 for $5 off any $30+ purchase, and ZINE25 for $25 off any purchase of $100 or more, like hosting plans. These promo codes are current, working, and do not expire. Hope these Godaddy coupon codes save just as much dough for the other viewers as they have for my projects. Have a good day!
-Tu from Chino Hills, CA.
Tu Merritts last blog post..Cheap Domains – Use Go Daddy Discount Code ZINE3
I have heard many webmasters to register a web hosting account only because it uses C-panel as control panel. This is very impressive and it is done because C-panel is one of the best, if not the best, control panel for managing the resources and web hosting services which are allocated to you. Also I would like to notice that you should not be lured by unlimited resources that certain web hosting firms offer with each plan. Ok, Hostgator is a well known company, but unfortunately there are thousands out there that aren’t. These web hosts can’t afford to be unlimited. They lack support personnel and most importantly they lack basic knowledge of web hosting industry. These kind of cheap web hosts cause you the most expensive damages, as they hurt your websites profile by extended downtime…All the web hosting providers that are mentioned to your article are indeed reliable and will not cause you any problem if you choose them.
You are absolutely correct in suggesting Godaddy for the domain and Hostgator for the hosting and WP for the website. If the user was more advanced I’d suggest going to HostNexus and using Plesk rather than cPanel.
Great stuff. Keep it up!
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Great insight!, Wordpress is a big help for your site.