which host service is best and how to choose domain name?

21 replies
hello, I am a rookie in internet market, and I really learn much in this forum, such as SEO and affiliate. I want to make my first step, rent a share host and build a site, anyone can provide me some information about select web host service? I have selected hostgator before, but it seems not very friendly, is there any other choice, and how to choose a domain name, is there some trick?
#choose #domain #host #service
  • Profile picture of the author smisen
    Hey Thunderflash,

    There are plenty of great hosting companies out there - I've had good luck with BlueHost and DowntownHost, both of which offered really great support when I was first getting started. I've also heard good things about 1on1, although I can't personally recommend them.

    As for choosing a domain name, it depends a lot on the kind of site you're creating and the product you'll be promoting. Generally, it's a good idea to have some version of your target keyword/keyphrase in the domain name, and the search engines tend to respect .coms, .orgs and .nets more than the newer extensions. It's also a good idea to pick a catchy domain name so that people remember it and come back often.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1175991].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author johnlagoudakis
    I use Kiosk web hosting. They're reliable and when I did have one issue their support was excellent.

    Also, they have network marketing type compensation plan for people you refer.
    Signature
    Need help getting more leads and sales? *** Click here to work with me ***
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1176001].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author FriendlyRob
    Personally, I like Hostgator. One monthly fee of about $10 and host as many domains as you want.

    Plus, and this this most important part, my technical questions are usually answered in a matter of hours.
    Signature

    See What I'm up to Now The New Blog

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1176005].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author TristanPerry
    If it'll help, I written up a 1,000+ word article on how to choose a domain name a couple of months ago:



    Choosing your domain name (and equivalently your website's name) can often be a difficult task. Coming up with a good name can be difficult enough, and this problem can then be worsened since quite a few domain names are already registered. This can be annoying since you could come up with a great site name (lets say Your Great Name), only to find out later that YourGreatName.com and/or YourGreatName.net are registered.

    This means that you must then either try and re-choose your name (and then have to re-check if the equivalent domain is free to register), or that you register a less well-known domain extension (YourGreatName.org, YourGreatName.info etc) of your original idea.

    There is a third option - and this is to try and buy YourGreatName.com and/or YourGreatName.net off their owners. However more often than not this could be quite expensive (with sellers requesting $xxx or even $x,xxx+ - i.e. hundreds or thousands plus) in order to sell the name to you. Hence this article won't consider this third option; however if you are thinking of doing this, always use a domain Escrow service (i.e. from Escrow.com, Moniker Escrow etc) for high-value domain transactions.

    This article will look at the following aspects of choosing a domain name for your website:

    • Choosing your website's name
    • Choosing your domain name's extension (.com, .net etc)
    • Where to register your domain
    • Protecting your domain

    Choosing Your Name

    Having an idea of your aims/objectives, and also an idea of your website look/layout and content as discussed in another article can help you in choosing a name. You want your website name to suit your site's topic area, and you also want it to be as memorable as possible. Whilst having a relatively short domain (4-6 letters long) can help with making your name memorable, remember that some of the most popular websites and brands (Facebook, Microsoft etc) aren't necessarily short - more importantly they are pronounceable and they look good.

    There are some good tools out there that can help you to come up with a website name, such as NameBoy, Dot-o-mator, MakeWords and Cogah - Domain Name Generator Even resources like a dictionary or thesaurus can help you in choosing your site's name.

    Once you have decided upon a name, do a quick search in Google and see if there are any websites with similar names to yours. Especially if the websites have the same niche as yours, it is not a good idea to have a website name very similar to another website's name.

    Whilst a less common issue, also be wary of whether your chosen name conflicts with any existing trademarks or registered names. You can run a trademark check on a website like Business Link (a UK site). Please note that, as far as I'm aware, Business Link only looks at UK-registered trademarks.

    Summary

    To re-emphasise the most important part of the first paragraph above: You want your website name to suit your site's topic area, and you also want it to be as memorable as possible. Also be wary of websites/trademarks with similar names to your chosen name.

    Choosing Your Domain's Extension


    As the old saying (in domaining circles) goes, ".com is king". It is the most popular TLD (top level domain - i.e. 'domain extension') around, and has been for many years. Hence if possible, try and register the .com version of your chosen website name.

    Of course, since ".com is king" and it's the most popular TLD, there is a chance that the .com version of your chosen name is already taken. In this case, you must either choose another website name entirely or look at registering one of the other available TLDs. For the purposes of this section, we will assume that you choose the latter option.

    When some of the other TLDs were first introduced, they were assigned a particular meaning - i.e. ".net" were for 'networking' sites, ".org" were for organization sites, ".info" were for information sites and ".biz" were for business sites. However nowadays, particularly with .net and .org, such associated meanings aren't as strong and so using one of the above for any type of website is more acceptable (in fact my first popular website - which is still running nowadays with 9,500+ members - used a .org TLD). ".net" especially is a very popular TLD for any type of website.

    Also remember that many different countries now have their own TLDs - known as ccTLDs (country code top level domains). For example, the United Kingdom has ".co.uk" (along with ".org.uk" etc), China has ".cn", America has ".us" etc. Hence there are a range of options to choose from - if your website is more of a local one (i.e. and not specifically targeting an internationally diverse audience), choosing your specific ccTLD may be a good idea.

    In terms of popularity, .com is the most popular. The Chinese ccTLD .cn recently became second most popular. .net is third most popular, and .org is the fourth most popular (going on Verisign's list of recent domain registrations). It can be a good idea to be mindful of this - some people will simply chose the .net TLD if the .com TLD is already taken, for example.

    This section gives an (albeit brief) list of some of the more common TLDs and ccTLDs available to register. However don't worry too much which one you choose - the search engines will rank your website mainly based on the quality of its content (amongst other things). Simply owning a .com TLD doesn't mean your website will be ranked highly with the search engines. As an example, if "Toys.com" was just a small one page website, whilst "LookAtOurToys.org" was a very popular, 1000-page website with strong backlinks, the search engines would almost definitely rank "LookAtOurToys.org" higher than "Toys.com" when people searched for "Toys".

    Summary

    In total there are dozens of different TLDs and ccTLDs around, and so don't worry too much if the .com version of your particular domain is taken. The quality of content on your website is much more important than the TLD you choose.

    Where To Register Your Domain

    Firstly, I feel it's important to say that many website hosts allow you to register domain names through them. And whilst this is convenient, it is usually recommended to register your domain name yourself at a domain name registrar and keep your hosting and domain name(s) separate. This allows you to have more control over your domain(s) and also if you ever wish to move hosts, you don't also have to worry about moving your domain name out of your old host to your new host etc.

    Probably the most popular domain name registrar (the company you buy your domain off) is GoDaddy.com. However they aren't the cheapest domain registrar around (to get competitive pricing with GoDaddy you usually have to search the internet for GoDaddy coupons to bring their prices down). Having said that, their domain control panel is relatively well laid out and easy to use.

    There are a range of other registrars about - I personally use and recommend Moniker. Name.com, NameCheap and eNom also all come recommended. Have a browse around them, check out their pricing and features and choose a registrar based off that. Also, if you know people who already have domains at any of the above, ask them what they think of the domain control panel - having easy access and control of your domains is very useful.

    Summary

    Have a brief look around the various domain name registrars mentioned and consider registering your domain(s) there. By all means register your domain name(s) at your host or a different registrar to the ones listed above; I'm just making some suggestions to speed up your research.

    Protecting Your Domain

    By protecting your domain, I don't mean legally protect it (i.e. via trademarking or registering your website name - which would be quite expensive). I'm referring to basic security measures like ensuring your domain is 'locked' and that your contact information is kept up to date.

    A domain can either be "locked" or "unlocked" - by default after registering a name, it should always be "locked". Locking a domain prevents it from being moved to another domain registrar. So be sure to check that your domain is locked after you register it.

    Always keep your domain's contact information up to date - there are numerous reasons for this. One of the main reasons is that when your domain becomes close to the renewal date, your domain registrar should e-mail your e-mail address on record to remind you to renew it. If your e-mail address is wrong or out-of-date, you may not get this e-mail and in a worst case scenario the domain could end up expiring and you could lose control of it (or be forced to pay a $60 redemption fee depending on how recently the domain expired).

    The following is more of a general internet security point, although it's still one to be very mindful of. Make sure that your e-mail address on record for the domain has a secure password that is hard (if not near impossible) to guess. It may seem relatively innocent, although having a weak e-mail address password could be a disaster if someone guesses it - they could then try moving your domain to another registrar and you wouldn't get any of the notification e-mails since your account has been compromised. The same applies for your domain name account passwords - make them difficult to guess, otherwise someone may simply be able to come into your account and hence take control of your domain name(s).

    Summary


    Security can be something that people perceive as a time-consuming after-thought, although simple measures like ensuring your domain is locked, keeping your contact details up to date and having secure passwords can stop a range of potential hack attacks.

    To Conclude

    Choosing a website name isn't always easy, nor is picking out another TLD if the .com version of your site name is taken. Hopefully the above information will have helped you in making that decision easier, and also in understanding that the TLD you end up choosing isn't the most important factor in how well ranked your website is. However having a site name (and so domain name) you are proud of and like is important, so do choose wisely.

    Source: Choosing your website's domain




    As for choosing a host, HostGator are recommended here. Obviously they are an "unlimited" host (yet unlimited disk space and bandwidth doesn't exist), so be sure not to use too much disk space and bandwidth, but they seem a solid host
    Signature
    Plagiarism Guard - Protect Against Content Theft
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1176021].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author thunderflash
    thanks to Smisen, Johnlagoudakis, friendlyRob and Dave147, I will try according to your advices.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1176027].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author KevinA
    I currently use Hostgator - would definately recommend them
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1176028].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author thunderflash
    oh, TristanPerry provide very useful information, I will read it in detail, thank you a lot.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1176034].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author TristanPerry
    You're welcome thunderflash
    Signature
    Plagiarism Guard - Protect Against Content Theft
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1176041].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Thomas Smale
    Hi Thunderflash,

    I also use HostGator - I have always found them to be very helpful and the support is always 24/7 - you can always get hold of someone if you have problems.

    Thomas
    Signature
    I specialize in selling websites over $10,000 in value. No obligation, confidential valuation here.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1176052].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author BurgerBoy
    I've tried a lot of different hosting companies during my 11 years as an affiliate marketer.

    I now host all of my sites at HostGator. They are the only host I've found that I have no problems or site down time with.
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1176145].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author cmaclean
    For hosting, I highly recommend Hostgator.

    I would suggest buying a domain from NameCheap.com. Just stay away from GoDaddy!

    I (along with many) would suggest to use seperate companies for your domain and hosting.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1177152].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author sandangel
      I use Bluehost and have been very happy with them.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1177490].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Jennienbr
      Originally Posted by cmaclean View Post

      For hosting, I highly recommend Hostgator.

      I would suggest buying a domain from NameCheap.com. Just stay away from GoDaddy!

      I (along with many) would suggest to use seperate companies for your domain and hosting.
      Can you share why it is better to have separate companies for your domain name and your hosting company? How hard is it to get the domain name from one company to point to the hosting site located with another company?

      I am trying to learn website hosting and creation .... sorry if this is a newbie question.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1177549].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Koos-K
    Hostgator is great, I have been using it for a while now, and if you want to you can get your first month for free. Just fill in HOUSTON at the couponfield. Hope this helps you out
    Signature
    Most personal and highest potential CTR marketing. Video marketing is the new way to roll.
    Free
    secret at Video Marketing Boost
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1177593].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author BurgerBoy
    If you get the domain name and hosting from the same company when you host the site they put the domain name in their name - not yours.

    When you decide their hosting is no good and want to change host you will go through hell trying to get your domain name away from them and into your name so that your can keep using it.

    I've lost good domain names because of this until I learned not to do it.

    As far as buying the domain name from one company and hosting at another - it is real easy to change your name servers.

    When you buy your domain name the place where you buy it will put the domain on their servers and give you the dns for them. When you get a hosting account the host will give you the dns for their server that you will be on, which is different from where you bought the domain name.

    Just go to where you got the domain name and log into your account. There should be a link there that says - change your dns server - or something like that.

    Click on that link and put in the dns that your hosting company gave you in place of what is there from where you bought your domain name and then click save.

    Usually within 24 hours or less the new dns will move through the internet and then your domain will start coming up where you host your site instead of where you bought your domain name.

    That's all there is to it.

    I buy my domain names at GoDaddy and host my websites at HostGator.
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1177603].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author fizzDIGG.com
    I have been using FatCow for just under a year now and have had no problems. Can be slow at times, but that is largely due to my site not the host.
    The Control Panel is easy to use, and they have 24/7 online support which has answered all technical and sales questions and solved some of my technical problems while chatting to them.
    I haven't ever tried other hosts, but it had great reviews at the time.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1178933].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Jem Crowne
    I feel that people have ask your question on hosting but as for choosing your domain you want to do keyword research so that your keyword is in the domain you are choosing for seo purposes if that is you are doing something in your niche market. Make sure your domain is 1-3 words long. Btw I use mia.net. They are Awesome.
    Signature
    Authority Coach on Personal/Business Credit
    Follow Me @crownejem
    If you have any questions about credit email me!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1179694].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author organicgirl6
    Thunder,

    Check out http://www.darrenmcduffie.com. Darren is a new internet marketer trying to do the same things you are so he may be of help, plus he is now offering a free blog setup guide which makes it all so easy. So check it out! Hope this helps.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1179741].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Plinko
    I've been working on a pdf guide for hosting information.

    In 12 or so years I've been with several hosts, even having worked as programmer at some of them.

    Once I quit hosting my own stuff in 2005 I went to a GoDaddy VPS and been happy. Only one complaint and it was cleared up with a phone call. But don't host domain and website at the same place.

    I've also used a2hosting.com with great success. Fast service was the key for me, as waere some of the additional features they have that I required as a developer which are hard to find in many hosts.

    I have friends with hostgator, and again not one complaint. Very happy with their service. A good recommendation from those above.

    Lastly, I'm surprised with the uptime guarantee of some hosts. Not that it matters, but some do offer 100% uptime thanks to redundant net connects, RAID disks and failover for machines. The one host I tried that had 100% uptime couldn't even process my credit card or answer my email.

    But if everyone above says hostgator then I'd say pick an account with them and get crackin'.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1179760].message }}

Trending Topics