When building a web site, one of the first decisions you will need to make is the hosting method you will use. In order for a site to be available to anyone on the Internet, it needs to be installed on a system that is accessible 24/7. For most people this means employing one of three methods: dedicated hosting, shared hosting, or individual hosting. Read each tab below for a brief description of each.
Dedicated: This is a service offered by larger hosting companies wherein a computer is specifically assigned for your use. Basically, you’re renting a computer that is connected to the Internet at the host’s facility. It is dedicated to your use only. The most significant advantages is security (when held in a protected facility) and speed. The biggest disadvantage is the cost.
Shared: A shared host is a hosting method configured to allow multiple web sites, established by different clients, to be served by the same system. This is the most common method for individuals and small-to-medium sized companies and individuals with moderate speed and server load requirements. Cost is the most significant advantage. Disadvantages include speed, since activity on one client’s site could impact the system’s ability to serve your pages.
Individual: A third option involves building one’s own server and connecting it full-time to the Internet from within your own home (or company). Many individuals are using Microsoft Windows or Linux operating systems equipped with Apache or another web serving software package as their host. Advantages include low cost (electricity only assuming you’re already paying for Internet access), and full freedom to manage your own system as desired. The biggest disadvantage is having to rely on your own expertise to fix problems that may arise.
For my purposes, the second option–shared hosting–proved to be the best choice. I signed up with Bluehost.com and have never looked back. This company is quite large and well-established, which is important for sake of longevity. I also like the fact that they will not allow adult-oriented sites on their servers, an important consideration for me.
Bluehost.com offers a very good package for a great price. At present, for a flat monthly fee of $6.95 (paid a full year in advance), you will get 1500 GigaBytes of storage space (that’s 5x the storage on my own home PC!), 15 Terabytes of data transfer each month, an unlimited number of domains and subdomains on that account, linux/Apache-based hosting, mySQL databases (needed for many scripts, including Joomla!), and even “shell” access. The latter is equivalent to using the Command prompt on Windows systems and gives an extra measure of flexibility. Those numbers far exceed my requirements, but nevertheless are available to me.
What really impresses me with Bluehost.com, however, isn’t the numbers–it’s the level of free technical support they provide. As a relatively new web site developer I’ve had to contact their technical support staff on several occasions. Without fail, their responses have been exceptionally on-target, accurate, and timely, both via email and over the telephone. I have trouble understanding how they can offer this level of support for such a modest monthly hosting fee, but they are apparently continuing to do well and have become one of the larger shared hosts with close to 1 million domains.
Bottom line–I’ve been very pleased with Bluehost.com and strongly recommend it to anyone considering a shared hosting plan.