
Web Hosting FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about Web Hosting
Is there anything you didn't cover in these reviews I should look for?
There are a number of different services offered by web hosts; they are, quite literally, too numerous to list. To keep the reviews simple, we chose the services that most users, particularly first-timers, are likely to use. Here are some things you may want to look for if you have specific needs:
Google Adword/Yahoo! ad credits for advertising: For those that plan on marketing their sites in search results, this can make your initial foray cheaper.
Search Engine Optimization: These will help make your site more search-engine friendly, which can be important for ecommerce sites. Many of these services are extra, though a few sites offer some automated help.
Dedicated IP Address: An IP address is a numerical address where your site resides, although it's essentially invisible to 99% of people who use the Internet (you might think of it like the zoning in a city), while the domain name is the street address). Often a web host will move you around to different IPs because it's easier for them, and chances are you won't even notice. A dedicated IP means you'll be assigned one IP address and you'll keep it. Then again, chances are you won't even notice that. You should only need a dedicated IP if you're doing something complicated that requires you to own a secure certificate.
Search our blog archives and frequently asked questions for more information about Web Hosting Services
Recently answered questions about Web Hosting Services:
What web hosting provider would you recommend for a website that has a lot of...
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question:
Q: What web hosting provider would you recommend for a website that has a lot of video uploading/downloading or something similar to video conferencing?
For a media intensive site, we would probably recommend Lunarpages. As our web hosting report card shows, Lunarpages has [...]
I want to own my website address. Can I own my own name and still have it hos...
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question:
Q: I want to own my website address-my time is near for renewal with my hosting company but I don't feel comfortable with them paying for it. Can I own my own name and still have it hosted?
A: This is an interesting [...]
Does Web Hosting Pad offer free lifetime domain registration?
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question.
Q: I purchased Webhostingpad.com's (WHP)3yr hosting plan for a godaddy registered domain and a few months later I asked WHP about domain registration if they continue to host the domain.
On 4 Dec 2009 Webhostingpad.com emailed me:
"We provide free domain registration/transfer for one [...]
Webs.com is $99.95 a year. Where is webs.com ranked? Is this a bad deal?
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way.
Q: I have a free website with webs.com and I haven't had any traffic at all in 5 or 6 months! I want [...]
The cheap web hosting challenge
The world of web hosting can be a confusing place. On the one hand, all web hosts do pretty much the same thing: they allow you to publish a website on the Internet. But, as our reviews show, there are also a lot of differences. All those variables aside, sometimes what you want is cheap [...]
Is it wrong to lie on your whois info?
When you register a domain with a web host, you're asked for your name, address, and telephone number. And, as we've pointed out before, this becomes part of the public record (which is why we talk about domain privacy in our reviews). But maybe you're wondering why you should bother putting down the correct [...]
