Building your website

[Adam Chandler]

Hey guys,

I'm looking to get a website going but I'm not too sure about a lot of stuff.

So far I've checked out Godaddy.com and Namecheap.com for domains and hosting and right now I'm leaning towards Namecheaps basic hosting package since the website I'm planning won't be too complicated.

Do you guys know any other hosting sites that would be good for a ball python business site?

Also did you guys design your own website or did you hire someone to design it? What is a typical price for someone to design a basics ball python sales site?

[Nate]

GoDaddy is good as far as having them as your domain registrar. Their hosting is just awful.

I've been reasonably satisfied with HostGator's hosting.

As far as design is concerned - a lot of folks simply design their own, which is fine. Learn a bit of HTML and CSS and take on a challenge...good stuff.

If you'd rather leave it to a pro, you can spend anywhere from a few hundred bucks to a few thousand. You get what you pay for. Find a designer that IS a designer and has a portfolio to prove it.

There's also the development side of websites. Not just design. Development is what's under the hood.

[Sarin]

I prefer GoDaddy.com for domains but like Nate said, their hosting just stinks. I prefer Webs.com for hosting just because I have been with them for years and it is very easy to use. You can choose whether you want free hosting or pay for their packages. Good prices as well.

I design my own website/s. I've been doing it as a hobby for quite some time. It really isn't that difficult. Look up HTML and CSS to get an idea!

Good luck and don't forget to show us when it's done!

[cinderbird]

guess im the odd one out, but i use godaddy for everything, domain and hosting. I've never had a problem with them and their customer service is excellent.

[AaronP]

GoDaddy is good as far as having them as your domain registrar. Their hosting is just awful.

I've been reasonably satisfied with HostGator's hosting.

As far as design is concerned - a lot of folks simply design their own, which is fine. Learn a bit of HTML and CSS and take on a challenge...good stuff.

If you'd rather leave it to a pro, you can spend anywhere from a few hundred bucks to a few thousand. You get what you pay for. Find a designer that IS a designer and has a portfolio to prove it.

There's also the development side of websites. Not just design. Development is what's under the hood.

I mostly agree with what is said here. I haven't personally had any issues with GoDaddy as a host and I have had no experience with Host Gator. I use 1and1.com for my little website and have a couple of clients on there, they're pretty solid.

Of the clients that I have that are on GoDaddy (which is a few) they're on there mainly to keep things simple. If you decide to Hire a Designer/Developer they should be able to help you get setup and with the exception of billing you really should haven't to deal too much with your host after everything is setup and running.

Only one I've run into that I really don't like is StartLogic and DreamHost.

Whatever route you take, good luck!

[Wh00h0069]

guess im the odd one out, but i use godaddy for everything, domain and hosting. I've never had a problem with them and their customer service is excellent.

Make that two. I haven't had any problems with them.

[Blue Apple Herps]

I use DreamHost and couldn't be happier with it! They're always running promotions for new customers. My first year I paid $7.77 for hosting and domain registration (That's 7.77 for the whole year!! not per month).

Now I pay ~$10/mo. for unlimited disk space and unlimited bandwidth. I haven't shopped around since I signed up several years ago, so not sure how it compares, but they're top notch. Great customer service, etc.

I can't recommend them enough.


*Edit* Just compared with GoDaddy which is ~$14/mo for unlimited and DreamHost is ~$9 for unlimited.

[Twisted Reptiles]

We use GoDaddy for domain registration and HostGator for hosting and are extremely please with both. HostGator is top notch in both availability and customer service.

As far as design, do some experimenting and see what you can come up with on your own, visit the sites you like best and see why it is you like them and try to adopt those characteristics. If after you've given it a shot you're still not getting anywhere, consider finding someone more well versed in design. It'll be important to know some basics regardless though so you can do your own maintenance and updates for easy stuff. Having a designer/admin make updates can get expensive real quick.

[SlitherinSisters]

I use Yola.com, I really like the options they have and I haven't had any problems with them. I pay $20 a year for the domain name and that's it. The site is updated instantly and works great on any computer/internet, even on my phone.

They have all sorts of free layouts and if you know what you're doing you can customize almost everything. My banner and background are both customized from the original layout.

The only thing I've been unhappy with was the free counter. I had 1,000 hits in a week and the stupid thing restarted the count. It did it again about a week and a half later when it hit 1,000+. The counter went to a trillion so it doesn't make sense. I got rid of it and emailed them about my discontentment, but no one answered me I suppose it was free so they didn't care what I had to say.

[Peoples]

So here's input from a Web Developer (thats me )

Personally I've worked with godaddy and their domain and hosting is awesome. Those that say it sucks simply can't find their way around.

I'd also suggest you go with a professional web developer than with a DIY approach so you get pointed in the right direction.

Your other option would be to simply contact me for a hassle free development service and reasonable rates on development that won't run you major expense.