I need help finding recommended hosting out of THOUSANDS of options for a small portfolio/ small business website. I have went to several review sites and I’m trying to avoid being biased so I reach out to a community instead. There are always unsatisfied customers and not having much experience with host providers, I don’t want to make my decision from that.
My goal is to display my work from previous clients and show my background in web design, social media, PR and SEO. To market myself in the best light as possible and to get more clients!
It’s just ME, MYSELF AND I. So I don’t need some huge expensive hosting plan BUT I also want a reliable server that doesn’t crash and that doesn’t makes my site offline frequently. That would look stupid to potential clients.
Based on what the site is for…
What affordable and secure web hosting do you recommend?
I’m broke so please keep that in mind. However, I’m willing to stretch a LITTLE for good reliable service.
It’s good to see that you understand exactly what you need as many people will look for the host that provides the most space etc. Your requirements are not very high so just about any web host will be able to meet your needs.
A couple of questions:
What’s your budget? Do you prefer to pay for a year in advance or month to month?
How important will support be to you? Do you prefer a certain type of support?
The sticky threads at the top of this board answer your hosting questions and the Review A Host offers member reviews (and others comment, pro and con, from other members) of hosting services. I’m sure you’ll find some good candidates there.
IMHO, el cheapo hosts will give you el cheapo service AND make you liable to blacklisting for the spam generated on their servers. In other words, keep away from those if you need to appear professional (at a minimum, VPS is good for that while a dedicated server is just too expensive for most).
I always recommend give a try to web hosting company you like. In any way you will be always get your money back if you are not satisfied.
Good luck with your search.
Make sure the hosting provider has a solid money back guarantee, ensure the host offers 24/7 technical support, and look out for customer reviews.
Also, before deciding on a hosting provider, be sure to ask the hosting provider questions and see the kind of answers you receive. First impressions are everything. Good luck with your search!
It’s good that you’ve taken the initiative to dig a bit deeper. SitePoint is an excellent resource however I do suggest you search for reviews on any provider that looks interesting to you over at WebHostingTalk.com as well as there are a LOT of reviews there.
Generally I recommend registering your domains at a separate registrar such as GoDaddy or NameCheap. This makes it easier for you to shift providers if needed without needing to work with your existing host.
Generally you do get what you’re paying for… If you’re after a reliable provider and service then I wouldn’t look at the budget category personally.
$5.99/mo is decent, it’s still well within “budget” but it’s more of the higher end of budget. You can probably get a high quality provider at this price with a good promotion.
Absolutely.
I don’t know any providers that make a customer that didn’t actually send the spam liable… I mean - the IPs can get blacklisted and it will affect everybody on that server, but it’s not like the provider is going to charge everybody on the server a fee or something.
Make sure you do a lot of research on any provider before signing up… Anybody can make promises, including money back guarantees, but whether or not they actually keep those promises could be a different story.
If your site is important to you - no matter what your provider promises - always maintain your own off-provider backups.
I need help finding recommended hosting out of THOUSANDS of options for a small portfolio/ small business website. I have went to several review sites and I’m trying to avoid being biased so I reach out to a community instead.
My suggestion is to try out the hosts and see which one works for you. Most should have a 30 day trial period and you can find which one is more reliable under your circumstances. Before I had been trying out 10 hosts on a 30 day trial basis and I narrowed it down to one.
It’s just ME, MYSELF AND I. So I don’t need some huge expensive hosting plan BUT I also want a reliable server that doesn’t crash and that doesn’t makes my site offline frequently. That would look stupid to potential clients.
However, I’m willing to stretch a LITTLE for good reliable service.