Finding a Place to Host Your Site
Page Updated
July 28, 2007
Content Written/Updated April 6, 2007
You can't just make a website and leave it on your computer. You need a place to put your site, so other people on the Internet can get to it. This place is called a host server (AKA host). Some people have their own servers in their home or office. This is great if you know a lot about servers (and if you do, then you don't need to look at this page), but if you don't, you'll want to start here.
Should I Use a Free Hosting Service?
If you're just starting out or practicing, by all means, use a free host. There's no reason to spend money on obtaining hosting service if you're not planning to serve a large audience, sell items or services, or look professional.
These services often have advertisements on each page, and some do very annoying things, like put your page in frames or have pop-ups. It takes a bit of searching, but you can often find free hosting with minimal advertisements, and occasionally you can find a service that has no advertisements. Try looking at Free Web Space to find the hosting services that you need.
Another problem with free hosting is reliability issues. I've used quite a few hosting services who disappeared without notice, taking my website with them. Customer service is typically lacking as well.
Paid services have no ads and tend to stick around much longer than the free ones. Plus, they typically have much better technical support.
Kristen's Favorite Hosting Services
What Should I Look for in a Host Site?
FTP Uploading
FTP is short for File Transfer Protocol. To use it, you'll need an FTP program (see Kristen's Favorite Software for my current favorite FTP program). Most FTP programs have an interface like a file manager. You just open the folder on your computer in one window, open your folder on your host server (which you'll need to log into with a username and password), and drag the files you want to upload or download from one folder to the other. Easy!
If your host doesn't support FTP, don't use them. Some hosts require you to go to their website and upload pages one at a time. Some let you upload your pages in group by packing them in zip files, but even that is annoying. FTP is the way to go.
Your Own Domain Name
Free hosts often give you a long URL with you username or account number as a directory name (http://www.myhost.com/myaccountname), and worse, some hosts will give you a URL that includes script code and unusual symbols. Then they charge you (often excessively) to configure their system to allow you to use a domain name that you've registered. Some paid hosts will do the same.
You want to register your own domain name (http://mydomainname.com). People remember a catchy domain name. They don't remember a long URL. You can point your domain name to any host, so no matter where you host your site, visitors can find you.
Most paid hosting services will allow you to integrate your domain name with your website, so every page will look like http://mydomainname.com/page.htm instead of http://www.myhost.com/myaccountname/page.htm. If your paid service doesn't let you do that, don't use them.
If you do happen to have a hosting service that doesn't allow you to integrate your domain name with your site, you can register your domain name and have it forwarded to your long URL provided by your hosting service. However, with forwarding, if somebody bookmarks a page on your site, they'll end up bookmarking the URL the host gave you, not your domain name. That means that if you switch hosts, that bookmark won't go to the new server, and the visitor will get a "File Not Found" error. You can mask the long URL with your domain name, but then visitors can't bookmark individual pages; they can only bookmark your domain name, which probably goes to your homepage.
I say, integrated domain names are the way to go.
Server-Side Scripting Support
Server-side scripting allows you to do all sorts of nifty things in the background without having to use javascript (which is slower and isn't supported in all browsers). Even if you don't know how to do any scripting yet, getting a host that allows such scripting will save you time later on by not having to switch servers.
Find out what types of server-side scripting your host supports. You'll also want to find out if they support things like FrontPage if you're using features that require FrontPage extensions as well as any other services you may be using.
Should I Pay for Hosting Extras
Don't get the super deluxe hosting package unless you are absolutely sure that you need it. Start with the basic package and upgrade as you need to. Things like database support may be necessary, especially if you don't plan on using third-party shopping carts. Extra software packages for forums, calendars, etc. are typically there for your convenience. If you know how to use server-side scripting and databases, you can make most of these tools yourself.
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