Hosting Server - decide on where you are going to host the site

[This is Step 3 of the Website Building Tutorial]

Some decisions you will need to make while selecting hosting are:

Free or paid?
Windows or UNIX?
Fantastico or other automatic installation tools
Server space and bandwidth considerations
Does it support the Site Builder used to build the site?
How many sites do you plan to build?

1. Free or paid?

There are free hosting servers available, however most of them show their ads on your website or are unreliable.

2. Windows or UNIX?

In case you wish to install some scripts e.g. form, forum , guestbooks etc. you will need to ensure that the server is compatible with the script you wish to use. For example, php with MYSQL is usually on UNIX servers, so if you want to install the Open source CMS Joomla or Wordpress blog you would probably choose a UNIX server with the required version of php and MYSQL. However if you plan to use an ASP script you would probably choose Windows hosting. Hostgator offers Linux hosting and I use it to host all my websites.

3. Fantastico or Automatic Installation Tools

Some hosting servers offer Fantastico which allows you to easily install various open source products like Joomla, Moodle, WordPress blog etc. If you intend to install Joomla for example it might be a good idea to go for a hosting server that provides this service e.g. Hostgator

4. Server Space and Bandwidth Considerations

Depending on the file size of your website and expected traffic to your website you would need to select a hosting plan that offers you what you need. For example, if you have many video files you would probably require a larger amount of space. If you are expecting a large number of visitors you would probably prefer a hosting service that provide larger bandwidth usage.

5. Does it support the Site Builder used to build the site?

How do you plan to build the site? Which site building tools/ software will you use?

In some cases you might choose to use a free and easy site builder like Blue Voda in which case you would have to sign up with the specified hosting service provider - in this case VodaHost.

Site Build It has its own site builder and includes hosting too. It also includes all the tools, know how and basically all you need to build a successful online business in one complete package.

Some hosting providers provide inbuilt site builders as well eg. HostGater.

If you plan to have an online store it would be wise to go in for something like Yahoo! Small Business which provides everything you need for an ecommerce business.

6. How many sites do you plan to build?

Most likely you will want to build another site once you finish the first one. If so, it may be wise to sign up with a host that allows you to host multiple domains on the same server. E.g Hostgator's most popular plan allows you to host multiple domains so you save in the long run if you sign up for this plan.