Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 124!

So your stuck with a web host your not happy with and your considering the big move. You want to take your web site elsewhere and you want to do it quick. Should you pack your bags and make the move in minutes? No. It is always best not to rush into a situation as big as moving your web site from web host to web host.

Find a new web host before you move. Some people just get so unhappy with their current hosting provider they want to move right here right now. That is not he best way to go. Give your current web host a few more chances to impress you before you jump into another relationship. Think of it as that old ex-girlfriend that promised she would never cheat on you again. If they do better, you might eliminate you need to move all together.

Find several web hosts that are worth your time and money, contact them and see what they say about moving from your current web host to them. The good ones will give you a step by step process in which you can do it with the least amount of pain and suffering. Read more »

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 119!

From the first time you ever remember seeing commerce in action, you learned that one thing rang true. You want to look for a cheap deal. When it comes to web hosting though, the cheapest deal is not always the best deal to go with. If way pay a lot for something, we feel like we are cheated. That is just human nature.

Now when it comes to web hosting and shopping for web hosting you can toss this rule out the window. No mater if you are paying $200 a month or $2 a month, that does nothing to speak for the quality or service that you are getting. Read more »

Over the last two and a half years I have covered a lot of topics that relate back to getting started with a web hosting account so that you can get your own web site off the ground. Here are some of the best of the best to help and newbie become a web hosting guru.

Not all Web Hosting Plans Are The Same…

• Flavors of Web Hosting
• What is VPS Hosting?
• What is Dedicated Web Hosting?
• What Are Server Resources?

When Shopping for Web Hosting You Need to Check…

• The Truth Behind Top 10 Web Host Lists
• Test Your Web Host’s Speed
• Are There Too Many Web Hosts?
• Secret Taboo Topics in Web Hosting

Once You Get That Site, Remember This…

• Quick Tips for Hosting Bliss
• Search Engine Submit and Help
• Classic HTML vs CSS - Who Wins?

Other Tools You Should Keep Handy Are…

• Setting up Google Webmaster Tools
• What is Reverse IP Lookup
• Setting up Google Analytics Guide
• 5 Great Web Dev Tools

Here Are Some Popular Marketing Tips…

• What is a Landing Page?
• 7 Ad Design Tips and Tricks
• Marketing Talk with Amy Armitage of Lunarpages
• Inform, Then Pitch Your Goods
• Marketing Your Site with StumbleUpon
• Write a Better Press Release

There is no doubt that starting out with a new hosting account or web site can be a scary thing. Hopefully with these resources by your side, you’ll be ready for anything that comes your way.

When it comes to picking a good Web host for setting up a blog, there are a few things you must keep in mind.

You want to first make sure that they are going to deliver you enough disk space and bandwidth to keep your head above water for a while. If you expect to write five or more posts a day - you could fill up that space pretty quick. Also make sure that you have an upgrade you can make when you need it.

It might be to the next largest plan - or it might be to a VPS or dedicated account. If you are a nobody just starting your first blog, you could probably just go with the least expensive plan and move on from there. Find some of blogs out there and see who they use for hosting.

Uptime is always important too - because you never want your readers to be left looking at a “this site is not available right now” message too long.

Even though we haven’t picked our blogging engine yet - you must keep in mind you need a Web host that will support the features you need. So you might pick a few good candidates first, and then go on to finding the content management system you need.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 108!

Now I often get asked which top 10 list is better than the best, and honestly it is pretty hard to tell these days. Inside of the Web hosting industry it seems like everybody and their grandmother has a top 10 list of Web hosts.

How can you tell which ones are just there to reap the rewards of affiliate links and which ones really do some work to figure out which host is best?

Well the first tip that I can share with you when it comes to learning how to read these lists is to look for a good explanation about how they figure out who is the best. If it is not on the Web site somewhere, E-mail them and ask how they figure out the rankings. One good example of this in action is over at WebHostingUnleashed.com. Here is how they explain the top hosts list they have.

“These hosts have more than 15 positive reviews and are recommended by at least 90% of the reviewers.”

That sounds like a reasonable and fair explanation. Now the kind of explanation you want to stay away from would be like this.

“We have a secret lab where we hire midgets to pull lottery balls out of a bucket with the Web hosts’ names on them, and then sort those by the midget’s height.”

Who are some of the other good top 10 lists that I trust? Well, I tend to like the comparison shopping engines a little better than the top 10 lists personally. My favorites there would be:

• FindMyHosting.com
• HostQuote.com
• HostVoice.com

There are others out there as well that give you good results. So what do you think is the most important thing to watch out for with these top 10 lists? Do you think they are all crooked or are some of them honest?

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 102!

Over the past month or so we have tackled just about everything there is to tackle when it comes to domain names. I told you my thoughts on how to pick one, how to shop for one, and how to get it up and going. What is left to talk about? Well, I might have a few more domain name tricks and tips up my Web Hosting Show sleave.

Download the Thursday Hosting Special!

Running Time: 5 minutes | File Size: 1.47 MB

Subdomains

So, what is a subdomain? It is a second level domain, some might say. You have probably seen one before. Think of mail.yahoo.com. That would be a subdomain of yahoo.com. They are used to break up your Web hosting account into different parts. Now, if you want one it shouldn’t be too hard to get one. Just about every domain name register and Web host out there offer them. It is just one more thing to keep in mind. One more screwdriver in your tool belt when it comes to planning the layout of your Web site. Read more »

Last week I talked to you about picking the perfect domain name, now this week I am going to teach you how to shop for that domain name in the wide market of choices you have available. Shopping for the domain name of your dreams is sometimes just as confusing and as hard as picking a domain name. There are a few things you should keep in consideration and a few questions you should ask yourself as you shop.

Download the Thursday Hosting Special!

Running Time: 4 minutes | File Size: 925 KB

Before you even start shopping online, you need to stop and think. Let us say you already have your Web hosting for this domain. Now the first question you have to ask yourself is do you want to buy your domain name through your Web host or through a separate domain name register. Read more »