How to select a host for your domain

There are three components to any basic website. The site content (html and image files), the domain name, and a host for your site content. This article will guide you through the process of selecting a webhost.

Webhosts span the full range from respectable to downright dirty... The bad ones will trick you into giving away your domain - or even use the information you provide to steal your identity. Most companies are fine – don't let us spook you out too much. Follow our guidelines for selecting a host and you should do fine.

Many hosting companies are actually resellers. They have a website of their own which they use to “front” some other company's services. Using a reseller as a host poses many problems. They don't have physical access to the servers (the computers that host the webspace). There is an added delay on most customer service requests as they must contact the actual host, resolve the issue, and get back to you. Avoid resellers.

How to tell a reseller from a real web host.
Resellers can be very slick. Don't expect the resellers to identify themselves as such. They will dress their site up with stock photographs of servers and “facilities”. Many people say you can spot a reseller because they don't have their own reseller program. This is true of only the most green resellers. Experienced resellers know that the key to their low-margin business lies in volume... and affiliate or reseller programs are a powerful way to increase your sales force.
So the truth is, there aren't any easy ways to tell a reseller from a the real deal. We suggest asking the company directly: Are you a reseller? Where are your servers located?

Our best tip: Use Google and search for “HostName Complaints”. Then read the results you find. For example: At Thirdsite.com, we use WestHost to host this site (and all our partner sites). So, when we were considering WestHost, we googled “WestHost complaints” (quote marks omitted). The results? A bunch of sites extoling the virtues of WestHost, and one site (the first result) where someone is complaining about a WestHost customer (not WestHost).
Contrast that with the results from a host we have used in the past (not for this site).. Globat.

Let's see what we get when we Google “Globat Complaints”. Real complaints! Serious ones... like unexplained downtime, unanswered service requests, unreachable mail servers... All nightmares for someone who wants their site to be online 24/7.

Generally speaking – you get what you pay for. If all you want is a simple place to stick pictures of your family... Consider using a blog or online album service.

Be wary of web host ranking sites... Most are complete fabrications designed to generate referral revenue... You will note that the top rated hosts are almost always either paying for their high rating directly, or offering massive referral fees to the site that delivers them customers.

There are a great number of highly reputable, professionally run hosting companies.. You just need to do some detective work to ensure that you are dealing with one of them before you sign up. Please post your comments on this entry to submit your experiences.