HostGator

So I finally found a web host for HeartBeat Children’s Music. It’s HostGator.

If you’ve been following this blog, you may be wondering why I went back to the same host I had given up on earlier.

Well, I did some research, and frankly, HostGator came out ahead. I’m still not happy about the poor way they communicate their prices (for more on that, see my post Watch Me Get a Host for My Site.

But my colleagues and friends gave HostGator high marks. And it came out on top on website reviews.

Originally, I was going for their least expensive plan, Hatchling, advertised at $4.95 a month. It’s actually $8.95 a month if you pay from month to month.

For only a dollar more per month, I can have unlimited domains. That means I can switch two of my other websites there for just $12 a year!

So I chose the Baby plan, which is advertised as $7.95 a month, but costs $9.95 a month if you pay from month to month.

So is my hosting account all set?

Well, not exactly.

Just to get the web hosting working, I need to point the “name servers” to the new host. What does that mean? I’ll tell you in my next post, when I actually do it.

If you buy your domain name from your web host, you don’t need to worry about that. But I have read advice suggesting that you do not buy your domain name from your host.

Why not? Because if you later change hosts, you may end up in an awkward situation. It’s been suggested that the host might make it difficult for you to switch hosts.

This actually happened to me with my first domain name and host. And yes, switching was a pain in the neck. But I don’t remember any real horror stories. So you may want to make your life easier and simply buy the domain name from the host, especially if this technical stuff intimidates you.

What do I need to do after that?

Once I point the name servers to the new host, I still need to design the site, or get it designed.

I have no idea what I’m going to do about that, so it should be fun exploring the many options (which I describe at WB4N).

Meanwhile, I’m happy to have finally chosen HostGator and gotten the important web hosting aspect of this job completed.

Janet