Hello All! I just registered with Web Hosting Talk today so I am sure this question has come up many times in the past so excuse this newbie's ignorance. I have a no-frills, non-commerical web site, approximately 25 mb . It is an educational web site dealing with local history. I am overwhelmed at the number of web hosting services available and don't know how to evaluate them. Since I will buying the domain name and paying for the hosting out of my paycheck, I don't want to get burned. I am willing to pay about 15 a month and don't want any banners or ads on the site. Any ideas on how to separate out the good ones from the not so good ones? Many thanks.

WATCH OUT FOR GIMMICKS

what i mean is "unlimited ANYTHING" as this is something NO host can fulfill

READ THE TERMS OF SERVICE
alot of hosting companies "bury" the REAL deal in their TOS

See how long their domain has been registered for, although this isn't always a good barometer of time in business, it's a start.

Ask around. Post a message here asking if anyone has experience with a particular host you are interested in.

Email the host you are looking at and ask why you should host with them.

If you like the speed of their website, you will probably like the speed of yours.

It can all be overwhelming, especially for the newbie.
A good resource for info is http://www.hosthelp.com
There is alot of reading info at the site and it may be worthwhile for you to go through some of that before choosing a host or at least bookmark it so you will have it.
Many hosting companies will register your domain name for you, be careful if you choose this option, and double check how they register the name if you let them do it.
You can register your own domain name at a reputable registrar such as www.000domains.com
They charge 13.50 for a year, and you have instant access to make changes, update your domain info, etc., so you have total control over it.
Once your domain is registered, you will need a host...you can check places like hostsearch.com or www.webhostdir.com. These directories allow you to search for a host based on your needs...then you can always come back to the forums for feedback if necessary.
Email any potential hosts with questions, concerns you have BEFORE signing up.
What you seem to be looking for will not be hard to find at all.
Good Luck!

I would recommend a trip through Deb's page at http://www.forumhosts.com/hosts.htm as it's one of the more comprehensive "what to look for" type pages out there, and has cautionary notes tossed in as well. Worth the read.

I think word of mouth is the #1 way to find a good host. Talk to your friends or online buddies and see who they host with. You can always go with name recognition also, i.e. verio and other companies that you know will be around for quite a bit of time. Never just go off what you see on the companies site. Also, try sending an email to their support staff and see how long it takes to get an answer. If it takes over 24 hours you know you need to go somewhere else.

My recommendation would be Site5.com. They have a package for $14.95/m if you pay for a year of service which includes 200MB of space. Plenty just in case your site grows. Check them out and you should find tons of features that you wouldn't expect for that low of a price.

This is also who I use for two domains I have. Very happy with them.

spend a lot of time on this forum can help
do a lot of searches make a list and start checking off until you find one with the features you want
also call them up and ask questions
if they have 24 hour tech support call em super late in the am see how they answer etc...

best of luck

Originally posted by Susan Ferrandiz
Hello All! I just registered with Web Hosting Talk today so I am sure this question has come up many times in the past so excuse this newbie's ignorance. I have a no-frills, non-commerical web site, approximately 25 mb . It is an educational web site dealing with local history. I am overwhelmed at the number of web hosting services available and don't know how to evaluate them. Since I will buying the domain name and paying for the hosting out of my paycheck, I don't want to get burned. I am willing to pay about 15 a month and don't want any banners or ads on the site. Any ideas on how to separate out the good ones from the not so good ones? Many thanks.

Susan,

I'm putting together a Web Hosting FAQ which may be helpful. It is a living document and will never truly be complete, but what is there right now you might find helpful. The link is:

http://www.assortedinternet.com/hosting/faq/faq-web-hosting.php

Take care,

Brian

You only need to be paying around 10 dollars for a good host now and days. I suggest hostrocket.com I have three accounts with them and I never been happier w/ any other host.