Bluehost and Go.Daddy question

Leslie · Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 2 Location: California

I'm new to the biz and from all the reading I've done (Sah and forum), it looks like the best way to start out would be getting a domain name from Go.Daddy and then signing up with Bluehost and then using Fantastico and Wordpress to design and set up my website. Does this sound like a plan? Has anyone done it this way or have any other options to suggest? I have my niche and once I settle on my domain name, I want to get started. Thanks.

Jim Hutchinson · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 4:24 pm Post subject:

Hi Leslie

That sounds like a good plan. I went that route, but with different vendors.

For domain registrations, I went with DirectNIC because I like their easy navigation system and no ads.

For web hosting I went with Host Gator because a real person to answers the phone, even on a major holiday. All of my dedicated servers are with Host Gator now.

The choice of web hosts is yours. It depends on who you are comfortable with and if they provide the services you are looking for.

BradleyD.Haslam · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 10:12 am Post subject:

I'm leary of godaddy.
Heard a few horror stories.

But having your registar and host
seperated is the way to go for sure.
I'd look at www.namecheap.com for a registar.
That's who I use.

Blue host is a great host.
You shouldn't have any problems there.

My 2 cents.
Brad.

rileyvanhorn · Joined: 19 Mar 2008 Posts: 3 Location: Paragould, Arkansas

Leslie,

My experience with godaddy has been a pretty good one. I went with the premium hosting package for 3 years, and got ALMOST everything I needed for about $460. I wasn't impressed with their website builders.

It's nice to have everything in one place, hosting, domain registration,etc. Since I have a remotely located associate that helps me with the more detailed programming, it's easy for him to only have one account and password to keep up with.

The menus are a little confusing until you get used to them, and their email response is not great, but anytime I've called, I've gotten connected to someone who knows what they are talking about and they are (last time I called, anyway) native English speakers who are easy to communicate with.

Hendry Lee · Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 10:26 am Post subject:

I heard bad experience with GoDaddy, too.

If you must choose between those two BlueHost is the way to go.

Hostgator is my favorite though, it is more or less the same size as BlueHost but I've hosted several blogs there without a lot of problems, even for a moderately high traffic blog.

Rosalind Gardner

Hi Leslie,

Another benefit to signing up with Bluehost is that they include the domain registration fees in their longer term packages. So, when you sign up for a year-long or 2-year hosting contract, you'll save money on both the hosting and the domain registration... and I'm all for saving money. Smile

Cheers,

Lowell Rieger · Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 11:53 am Post subject:

Bluehost -heads up -

If you plan on blogging more than 1 domain:

I do some install work, I have a client who has both BlueHost and Hostgator shared hosting.

I'd go with Hostgator over Bluehost as it seems Bluehost is only allowing my client one Fantastico WordPress install in her account.

We moved that particular install to Hostgator, where I've installed 6 WordPress blogs to add-on domains via Fantastico, same account, with no problems. This is on their babycroc plan.

I'll say that HostGator support is good (not great), chiefly because they answer the phone. I do webmastering for a company that has two dedicated servers at HostGator and so have reason to talk with their support occasionally. They are available, but they can't (or won't) always fix simple problems via the phone. I have better luck with their ticket system as all is in writing.

I don't believe in add-on domains as a general rule, as reseller hosting is so cheap nowadays. And for the record I don't use Hostgator or BlueHost personally.

Lowell

jpatriar · Joined: 29 Jan 2006 Posts: 32 Location: Watertown, MA

What do you typically pay for a domain registration and is it worth it to make it private? I've always made them private so I don't what the consequences may be if it is public.

Jim Hutchinson

With Reseller Hosting, each domain can be created separately. When you want to manage the domains, each one has its own control panel. If you are frequently doing updates, this can be a slight hassle, although switching is pretty quick using a drop-down menu in cPanel.

Add-on domains are sometimes a bit trickier to manage, especially in using redirects, but even those can be mastered quickly. Each add-on domain is in a folder below the primary domain. If you manage your sites through FTP or the cPanel file manager, then switching between sites is easy as going to another folder while staying in the same window.

With reseller hosting, you also get access to a (limited) Web Host Manager area, where you can control various details of your hosting space that are not available in the standard control panel.

Reseller hosting costs more, but usually has more storage space than standard web hosting. Both allow you to add on domains, depending on the host you use. What it comes down to is a personal preference.

Jim Hutchinson

Any time I want more information about a company, one of the first places I look is in their domain registration record. In several cases, a contact form on a website, or an email address provided during registration, bounces.

In those cases, I also look up the domain registration for the contact info. Sometimes that information is bogus, but the hosting contact is always acceptable.

Some new customers found my contact info by looking up one of my domain registrations. Had that info been private, those would have been lost sales.

Private registrations cost more, not only for the registration, but possibly in the long run with missed contacts you may otherwise have had.

jpatriar · Joined: 29 Jan 2006 Posts: 32 Location: Watertown, MA

Hi Jim

thanks for the info. I heard a reseller package is the way to go for managing several web sites. I was going to move up a package level on Go Daddy and that would let me host multiple sites. Right now I have two separate packages.

What I was really asking about in regards to private vs. public registrations is the amount of spam received.

lbso

Jim Hutchinson · Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 4:05 am Post subject:

Johnny · Joined: 17 Dec 2007 Posts: 26

I hate godaddy. Their web site is incredibly slow. I'm never registering another name with them as long as I live.