Choosing a good web host.

Choosing what hosting solution to use is a critical step when making a website. There are so many possibilities out there that it can be a bit overwhelming for someone who is just about to get their first online presence. Here are my tips on choosing the right web host.

Be prepared to pay for a good service

There are quite a few people who will host your site for free but there is usually a catch. For example you will either have to put up with adds, or not have the free choice of your site’s domain name, or have to put up with lots of downtime (your website will be unreachable some of the time). Therefore tip number one is be prepared to pay something for your web hosting. Having said that you can get very good quality shared hosting for as low as $4 or $5 a month.

Site software requirements

Then you have to know what software you are going to use on your website. Most web hosting packages will come with Php and at least one Mysql database, but depending on what software you are going to use you might need the latest version and you will need a list of extensions. For example, MODx revolution requires Php 5.1.1 or higher and Mysql 4.1.20 or newer and some required extensions and appropriate database user privileges that can be found in the official modx documentation.

Get hosting that runs on renewable energy

As you may have read on the about page, I am a nature lover. Therefore I am going to encourage you to buy green hosting.  That is to say to buy hosting from a company that offsets all of their electricity consumption by purchasing certified renewable energy credits.

I recommend the following green web hosting companies.

The following hosting companies use renewable energy and offer affordable shared linux hosting plans with unlimited disk space, unlimited bandwidth and unlimited domain names. ( Why settle for less? )

Hostgator

Hostgator are my personal choice as a web host. They are not the cheapest but they offer excellent customer service (every little issue I have come across was fixed within minutes). They purchase more energy credits than they use, which means that by hosting your site with them you are not just neutralizing your environmental impact, you are reversing it ! They have a 30 day money back guarantee. When I saw all the unlimited things in their shared hosting plans I decided to give it a try and they convinced me to stay with them.

Green Geeks

GreenGeeks are the cheapest (and greenest) green web hosting solution I have found. They offset their energy consumption by 300%. Additionally they seem to offer a little more site software solutions than Hostgator. For example they would seem to be a good choice if you want to use Python scripting to run your web apps. (I have tried them myself so I can’t tell you what customer service is worth)

Bounce Web

Bounce web offer cheap, shared, Cpanel hosting. They’re green and should you need to try it out you can get a 30 day money back guarantee. (I have tried them myself so I can’t tell you what customer service is worth)

If for some reason you want Microsoft green hosting, then you can go to ThinkHost. I personally don’t settle for anything but Apache + Linux.

If you still can’t decide what hosting solution you need for your website then get in touch and I will help you find the solution that best fits your needs !

P.S. If anyone has any experience of hosting on GreenGeeks or BounceWeb, I would love to hear what you thought of the quality of their service. Please share it with us in a comment bellow !!