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snowboardpunk

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 28, 2013
109
5
I decided to make a blog on Wordpress. I am kind of new to this stuff but seems easy enough. I realized I need a web hosting company and tried googling it but sometimes was hard to decipher between spam and actual reviews. Most seem like they are just trying to get paid. I just want a reliable server that's fairly cheap. Dream host, blue host, and west host seem to offer the best bang for the buck but seem to have mixed reviews. While a small orange seems like you don't get much. The medium plan offers 100gb of bandwidth for 10 dollars a month. Which seems low but I personally have no idea what that means. But then again seems to get better reviews than the above. I liked media temple but can't afford the 20 dollars a month.
Who do you guys recommend?

Also my next question is if I get a domain and hosting from like blue host, and I try them out and are not reliable can I move my domain name and all my blog info to another hosting company?

Also if I buy a domain for year can I renew it for longer or do I need a whole new domain. Also is it possible for people to steal my domain if my 1 year expires?
 

roxxette

macrumors 68000
Aug 9, 2011
1,507
0
Yes of course you can renew your domain :) if you buy your domain using the hosting company they will auto renew/charge you unless you specify otherwise.

Blue host is good and prices are not steep, check out hostgator and godaddy wich are pretty easy to setup wordpress; some people hate on godaddy but hey they are very reliable and the only issue i had is with the hosting control wich is a bit slow and you kind of have to dig to find some options.

Goodluck !
 

Rob587

macrumors 6502a
Jul 4, 2004
801
1
Orlando, FL
I use Host Gator after having a horrible experience with go daddy's interface. Also nice that Host Gator has free 24/7 live chat support.
 

960design

macrumors 68040
Apr 17, 2012
3,691
1,548
Destin, FL
Do the little google thing: best web hosting 2013
It'll give you a pretty good list to choose from:

Some of the companies I've worked with:
justhost.com
hostgator.com
godaddy.com ( i hate them, i hate them, i charge double if a client requires them )
 

rsnapeuk

macrumors regular
Oct 19, 2011
221
6
Hi there.

I can understand where you're coming from in terms of looking for a reliable host - I must recommend SimplexWebs they're a UK based hosting company, who own all their own hardware and offer excellent support.

I've been with them since day one and they've not let me down once. Excellent support, uptime and offer a range of services.

Highly recommend - https://www.simplexwebs.com/panel/aff.php?aff=073

P.s I don't work for them!
 

designs216

macrumors 65816
Oct 26, 2009
1,046
21
Down the rabbit hole
Yes of course you can renew your domain :) if you buy your domain using the hosting company they will auto renew/charge you unless you specify otherwise.

Blue host is good and prices are not steep, check out hostgator and godaddy wich are pretty easy to setup wordpress; some people hate on godaddy but hey they are very reliable and the only issue i had is with the hosting control wich is a bit slow and you kind of have to dig to find some options.

I've had good luck with Bluehost and I also like their UI. I'll second the feedback above about GoDaddy -- they're cheap and it's hard to find stuff. I did have an easy time setting up WordPress with them however. Wait times are usually long and customer service is hit and miss. Customer service was even worse at 1and1.

I also found if you register a domain sometimes there are rules that require a waiting period before it can be transferred to another company. So if you move your hosting elsewhere you must point the domain to the new server. In addition, non-standard suffixes cannot be registered with some companies.
 

walangij

macrumors 6502
Mar 10, 2007
396
0
MI
I'd highly recommend either webfaction ($9.99/mo) or digital ocean($5/mo).

Digital ocean is becoming the new hotness for developers. SSD storage, 512MB memory, 1TB monthly transfer. Keep in mind that Digital Ocean is a little more involved in server setup for wordpress, getting PHP installed, database, ect so the low price is a deal if you have the knowledge (there's documentation online to help you through it though).

Webfaction is much easier to install Wordpress on. When setting up a site, you can select from a huge list of popular applications, click install and it'll get it setup for you automatically.

Bluehost, hostgator, godaddy, all popular options but I don't know any web developers that would recommend them since there are better options these days. Also I don't recommend going to a host that also registers a domain, since then you're on their time and mercy if you want to transfer out. It can become a nightmare. Register with someone like NameCheap or Netfirms if you want to avoid those problems.
 
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enigma2118

macrumors regular
Jan 7, 2006
109
2
I use Arvixe. I have to say the customer support is wonderful.

At work we host with Site 5. And if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

Aaaaand, here's a little secret. Every Thanksgiving, Arvixe does a Black Friday sale - 1/2 off hosting for life with one free domain for life (well, life of the account kept in good standing)

Now Arvixe, and most of the others listed here, are the normal everyday user hosting company. When you get up to the big boys (online businesses that can't afford the possible %2 downtime a year) like RackSpace (which doesn't even come with it's own Cpanel, you have to license your own) that price tag starts to skyrocket.
 

sonofjay

macrumors newbie
Jan 31, 2013
9
0
I use Host Gator after having a horrible experience with go daddy's interface. Also nice that Host Gator has free 24/7 live chat support.

I use HostGator as well . . . my experience from the last few years have been nothing but positive . . .

----------

I decided to make a blog on Wordpress.

well before you go all out, why not just get a FREE wordpress account FIRST? Do you expect to have so much web traffic where you're going to need dedicated hosting?

You'll have a http://YOUR_USERNAME.wordpress.com URL, but Wordpress will do all the heavy lifting for you (hosting, wordpress set up, etc).

Then you can always buy your domain name and have it simply forward to your Wordpress URL.

Once that's working fine, then you can escalate things and get your own hosting, set up Wordpress and export your entries to the new web host.
 

sonofjay

macrumors newbie
Jan 31, 2013
9
0
Also if I buy a domain for year can I renew it for longer or do I need a whole new domain. Also is it possible for people to steal my domain if my 1 year expires?

Depending on which domain name registrar you use, you can opt to have your domain name registration AUTOMATICALLY renew every year (or however long you choose, like buying a few years up front, etc).

if you don't have your domain name registration automatically renew, then yes, someone can register your expired domain name for themselves. Can't really be considered "stealing" if you fail to renew your domain (the registrar needs to make money too if you don't pay your bills on time or refuse to renew).
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,418
43,304
I use ICDSoft. Not the cheapest but one of the best. Everyone guarantees 99.99% uptime, but some web hosts over sell that is do not have sufficient resources to accommodate all of their customers so when you start using more resources you get throttled. Not so with ICDSoft. Plus all of my support tickets are addressed and even resolved typically within 10 minutes
 

PinkyMacGodess

Suspended
Mar 7, 2007
10,271
6,226
Midwest America.
I've used Fused.com for a couple of clients. I had a problem after hours and called and got their CEO. I started describing what the issue was and he actually fixed the issue while I was on the phone. A few months later, I received an invite to his wedding! We had quite a friendly conversation while he was working on the issue, and apparently he was impressed. :confused:

Ive never had any issues, and they seem to be up 100%, and keep their networks up to date.

I've used APlus and then they were bought out by Deluxe (the check printing people, of all things) and support largely vaporized... (Typical)
 

defektion

macrumors regular
Jan 29, 2010
141
3
I've been using DigitalOcean.com for awhile now. Full Root access. Your own private VPS and not shared amongst other. 3 datacenters and growing.

I use the the $5/month tier as my sites don't require that much resources but I can instantly bump it up when i need to.

it's a but more advanced setting up your VPS as a webserver but definitely worth knowing how to do it!
 

Mutinygraphiks

macrumors regular
Jan 5, 2011
173
1
Las Vegas, NV
Do the little google thing: best web hosting 2013
It'll give you a pretty good list to choose from:

Some of the companies I've worked with:
justhost.com
hostgator.com
godaddy.com ( i hate them, i hate them, i charge double if a client requires them )

For you to charge double to a client because they "require" godaddy for integration is absurd and honestly kinda crummy on your part as a designer to do so.


Back to the original post:

I have used 1and1.com and godaddy.com, and mediatemple all are great but it really depends on what you are going to use it for! I have all 3 because they have different uses.
 

960design

macrumors 68040
Apr 17, 2012
3,691
1,548
Destin, FL
For you to charge double to a client because they "require" godaddy for integration is absurd and honestly kinda crummy on your part as a designer to do so.


Back to the original post:

I have used 1and1.com and godaddy.com, and mediatemple all are great but it really depends on what you are going to use it for! I have all 3 because they have different uses.

Sometimes I forget the web has no sarcasm symbol. Next time I'll try to remember to use something like <sarcasm> </sarcasm>.

I bill per hour, if I spend an hour on hold with godaddy it's your dime and your call. <sarcasm>I'll write code underwater, while skydiving, using godaddy, any way you wish.</sarcasm>'

And to clear things up: I'm not just a designer, I have 25 years experience with code. I can write in 12 languages, on just about any operating system there is or has been. You may call me code monkey.
 

soupmix

macrumors newbie
May 12, 2011
12
1
El Paso, TX
I use mediatemple but have also looked very seriously at Eleven2.

One of the things to consider is how much control / bandwidth etc. you are looking to get. If you want something simple to use, MediaTemple's (gs) service is great! They also have a one-click installer for WordPress which works well.
 

Apple2

macrumors member
Feb 28, 2010
94
0
Providence, RI
I use Inmotion Hosting for my site. I just checked, and they have three plans, one at 6, one at 8, and one at 14 dollars a month. I believe they also include unlimited bandwidth and storage. (If you use a TON, they'll probably ask you to switch over to a VPS or dedicated server, but this shouldn't be a problem if you're only running one site that doesn't get a ridiculous amount of traffic). I've had good experiences with them, they've been quick to address any problems I've had and been quite reliable. I've heard good things about BlueHost as well, but I can't vouch for them personally.

EDIT: Forgot to add that Inmotion's cPanel has a Wordpress add-on. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but it might be helpful to you.
 

aaawebstore

macrumors newbie
Jul 17, 2013
4
0
aaawebstore

Knowing the different choices is first. Then, you can determine what your business needs the most. The most essential factor is that you get the stage of web web host assistance your organization needs. So, after you've simplified the area down to a few web website hosts that provide the solutions you're looking for, you can begin evaluating costs.
 

aaawebstore

macrumors newbie
Jul 17, 2013
4
0
aaawebstore

One of the factors to consider is how much management / data transfer useage etc. you are looking to get. If you want something easy to use, MediaTemple's assistance is great! They also have a one-click installation software for WordPress which performs well.
 

Archerious

macrumors 6502
Dec 12, 2010
357
31
Texas
I use mediatemple but have also looked very seriously at Eleven2.

One of the things to consider is how much control / bandwidth etc. you are looking to get. If you want something simple to use, MediaTemple's (gs) service is great! They also have a one-click installer for WordPress which works well.

DO NOT use eleven2. OMG I had them for 7 days, and my site was down for 4 days! They took 3 days to assign my dedicated ips, didn't transfer the sites right. Wouldn't let me transfer the sites myself, they must do it as I was told by one of their "live chat agents". What do the live chat agents tell you? "Please open a support ticket so we can better assist you". More like open the support ticket and eleven2 will reply within 1 week! Do not go to eleven2.com with any intention of having a hobby or career online. I lost clients because of this incident....

Dathorn is a small but amazing company, so is knownhost, and Digital Ocean, but I didn't like Godaddy. When my sites were at Godaddy I had a few sites outages daily, and it took over 10 seconds for my website to load. Hostgator is getting slower too, I guess big companies like to oversell there servers....My server admin also hates godaddy, so I use VPS's and soon a dedicated box.
 

rexy101

macrumors newbie
Feb 20, 2013
9
0
Hi,

I use Hosting24.

They have:
- Live chat 24/7
- Unlimited storage & bandwidth
- FREE domain name with hosting
- Really cheap.
 
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