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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    California
    Posts
    4

    Need host for simple website..was going with dh but not sure now.

    I'm looking for a cheap host for a simple personal website. I was going to use dreamhost but after everything I've read I'm not sure if I should. I have read a lot of the threads about them but they all were having problems with things I doubt I have to worry about.
    I'm really concerned about people being charged for all the extra bandwidth dh claims they used when it may have been a problem on their side. This site is actually for an elderly relative and I don't want them stuck with a huge bill for extra bw that was never actually used.
    Is this something I need to worry about?
    Are there any other host that would be better?
    I have tried to read through all the different choices but once again most of them talked about things I didn't need.
    Help I'm lost in the endless maze of hosting companies.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    3,590
    Hi

    if your worried about bandwidth bills then pick a plan that has more bandwidth than you need, you can also monitor your bandwidth usage within the control panel.
    The Hosting Heroes Ltd - over 20 years in the UK hosting industry.
    Website Hosting | Reseller Hosting | Cloud VPS Servers | Dedicated Servers | VPS Reseller for WHMCS
    www.thehostingheroes.com

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    PA
    Posts
    1,914
    RuthM,

    What requirements do you have and what budget are you looking to spend within for hosting? This'll help us to give better suggestions for you.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    California
    Posts
    4
    This was for a relative to have a simple personal webpage. I saw dreamhost had a good deal if you use their discount coupon. At that price I was going to get a site for two relatives.
    So the cheaper the better so I can still get one for each relative.
    These are just normal personal websites. A blog, pics, possibly a tiny video clip on one of the sites, etc.
    There won't be heavy traffic, no forums, no selling.
    Thanks for the quick help.
    .....Ruth

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Posts
    1,667
    So if your websites are simple, why go with a company that provides "the world?" There is no such thing as free cheese. If Dream Host provided the world and there were no draw backs, there would be no other web hosting companies. Think about it - why go with another company when Dream Host provides the best hosting service possible?

    Simple site(s) - keep it simple, instead of going with a company like DreamHost. The reason you see people having problems is because you cannot provide the world in options, at a cheap price and good service at the same time, it is just impossible (otherwise all other companies would be obsolete) Go with a company that does not oversell by a huge amount. For a person site, or 3, here are your average requirements:

    Domains - 3
    Disk Space - A max of 200 MB
    Bandwidth - A max of 1 GB

    Most companies will have things like PHP, MySQL and other software. By the sound of your description, you do not need anything like that. So all the requirements you need are above, domains, disk space and bandwidth as well as a reliable company. That is it. Choose a company that has (most) positive reviews and looks like they can continue to provide such service (which means not providing the world for a cent). At one time most people were satisfied with Dream Host, these people were very upset when others told them it will not last (I was actually not part of this group), now you see who was right.

    Good luck

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    California
    Posts
    4
    So if I got something that allowed 3 domains does that mean I could have 3 different domain names and 3 different websites all on the same account? Or would all of the names just point to the same website?
    I guess its very obvious I am new to all of this

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Posts
    1,667
    Quote Originally Posted by RuthM
    So if I got something that allowed 3 domains does that mean I could have 3 different domain names and 3 different websites all on the same account?
    It depends on the wording. If it just says domains or add-on domains, then yep.

    If it says parked domains, then no. That would just mean how many domains you have pointing to one website.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Posts
    771
    Quote Originally Posted by RuthM
    This was for a relative to have a simple personal webpage. I saw dreamhost had a good deal if you use their discount coupon. At that price I was going to get a site for two relatives.
    So the cheaper the better so I can still get one for each relative.
    These are just normal personal websites. A blog, pics, possibly a tiny video clip on one of the sites, etc.
    There won't be heavy traffic, no forums, no selling.
    .....Ruth
    I've recently had an account with Dreamhost. Worked very well, some nice features like subversion on a separate server, but I found I didn't use it as much as I expected because I didn't like the control panel (purely personal preference - some people like it very much).

    But I would never consider them for the sort of site you describe which will be low use. You should also remember that, while they are very cheap in the 1st year with the $97 coupon, they are quite expensive afterwards - and I doubt if elderly relatives will want to change hosts.

    Quote Originally Posted by RuthM
    I don't want them stuck with a huge bill for extra bw that was never actually used.
    Is this something I need to worry about?
    I see no reason to be concerned about this. Dreamhost are a pretty honourable company, your usage will be tiny and the amount of bandwidth they offer is huge.

    Quote Originally Posted by RuthM
    So if I got something that allowed 3 domains does that mean I could have 3 different domain names and 3 different websites all on the same account? Or would all of the names just point to the same website?
    I guess its very obvious I am new to all of this
    As has been said you just need addon domains and no problems. What it does indicate is that you would benefit from high quality support.

    I would recommend http://www.asmallorange.com/services/hosting/. You can start with the Tiny plan ($25 yearly) and then move up to their Small plan ($5 monthly) if your usage is high enough. Support is very good and you can also get a lot of help from their forums - http://forums.asmallorange.com/.

    You can have as many domains as you want on the account.

    I would suggest that you register the domains separately with a registrar (I use Namecheap) rather than a host.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Italy
    Posts
    192
    It is funny, how now days on most of the hosting companies it is so hard to find a small "personal" hosting package. Most of the hosts will offer half gig of diskspace or a gig of diskspace with loads of bandwidth and a reasonable price (from $5/mo up to $7/mo).. and what happens with the clients that need a website that would be big like 20MB ? Or even 500KB ? Do they still have to get hosted with these new "special" plans (referring to the 1GB diskspace and XX/monthly BW plans) and get charged $5-to-$70 month?
    So i do understand RuthM when he says:
    Help I'm lost in the endless maze of hosting companies.
    Good luck RuthM

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Victoria, Australia
    Posts
    36,941
    Quote Originally Posted by TheLaw
    It is funny, how now days on most of the hosting companies it is so hard to find a small "personal" hosting package. Most of the hosts will offer half gig of diskspace or a gig of diskspace with loads of bandwidth and a reasonable price (from $5/mo up to $7/mo).. and what happens with the clients that need a website that would be big like 20MB ? Or even 500KB ? Do they still have to get hosted with these new "special" plans (referring to the 1GB diskspace and XX/monthly BW plans) and get charged $5-to-$70 month?
    Not at all, my last three hosts have offered what I need for a reasonable price I don't use over 10GB bandwidth and I don't need 1GB space. Those plans cover 4 sites

    Edit: Used to be five (a fairly popular forum).

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Italy
    Posts
    192
    I do understand you completely anon-e-mouse, in fact i said it is "hard" not that it is "impossible" to find hosting companies that do provide these small personal packages for personal web sites. Of course if anyone will e-mail the host can agree with a custom plan, but how many of the newbies would go that far and ask "I need 50MB diskspace instead of 5GB, can i have that? and how much would cost me?", not many I believe.
    Not trying to create polemics here was just stating that in some point of view i do feel RuthM in his confusion.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Posts
    771
    Quote Originally Posted by TheLaw
    Of course if anyone will e-mail the host can agree with a custom plan, but how many of the newbies would go that far and ask "I need 50MB diskspace instead of 5GB, can i have that? and how much would cost me?", not many I believe.
    Actually a lot of hosts aren't flexible enough to do custom plans especially the bigger ones with clear structures to their packages.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2000
    Location
    San Antonio, Texas
    Posts
    3,690
    RuthM,
    I would highly recommend trying to narrow a list of no more than 5 hosts and then send some pre-sales emails. This is not going to tell you how good their support will be but it IS important to see if they even respond to your initial inquiries. I believe so many people make the mistake of not inquiring before and then just sign up with some host without doing some added research.

    I think WHT is fine if one uses it as an added tool for research (mainly to see if there are any negative feedback on the co.) You also need to check a host website to see if they have any feedback on their site and also run the co. name through google.com.

    You have to keep in mind many hosts that frequent here will start their business and RELY on wht for business. We dont all work that way. In fact this has become a price war among many. Joeblow offers something for a few bucks and the next one comes along and offers the same thing for a buck. This has just added to the problematic hosts that OVERSELL on a continual basis.
    You have pretty basic needs and Im sure a basic plan of about 100mb space will suit you fine. All this talk of needing a minimum of a gig or more is misleading.
    HostCaters.com - Quality Web Hosting - Under A Gig! - Since 1999

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    California
    Posts
    4

    Smile

    Thanks for the help everyone. You have been very helpful and I understand more of what I'm looking for now.
    .....Ruth

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