The Best Web Hosting List

The best web hosting providers will offer easy website scripts that you can install with one-click. For example, if your web hosting provider uses cPanel, one of the forerunners in web hosting control panels, then you also get Fantastico, which allows the kind of easy website script installs I mentioned earlier. But if you don’t have an easy tool to install scripts, you can do them yourself without any HTML or programming experience! Here are a few popular script ideas you may want to use.

Counters & Web Stats

Having a website counter or web statistics program on your web hosting plan allows you to see who is on your website, at what time, how long they stay, where they came from, and even how many times they came back.

* Perfect for business web hosting to keep track of potential customers or personal web hosting to see the popularity of your blog, church website, or hobby website!

Advertisements

Owning your own website means you can put your own advertisements on it if you wish! This is fun because you can actually make money off online advertisements, and it won’t cost you a dime to install them. Make sure the ads are relevant to your website, find a good application or script, and install it. It’s that easy.

* Perfect for ecommerce web hosting to gain additional income from your website or blog web hosting where you can easily capitalize on your readership.

Photo Galleries

Do you want to have a professional art or photo gallery for your family, church, vacation, business products, digital or traditional art, and more? Then installing a photo gallery script will help your best web hosting look phenomenal! With photo gallery scripts, you can have any many ‘galleries’ as you want and can add unlimited photos or images instantly, all from your main hosting control panel!

* Perfect for mothers and families, churches, blog web hosting, vacation photos, business products, digital or traditional artists, and more.

By now you have seen that most if not all of even the best web hosting companies offer “unlimited web hosting” through unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, and unlimited website hosting. But do you know what you’re really getting with companies that promote ‘unlimited web hosting’?

It’s a fact – nothing but the essentials like air and water are unlimited and even then, mathematically, there is a physical end to them. The same goes for anything you buy, including web hosting storage, bandwidth, email accounts, and domain name hosting.

So how can web hosts offer unlimited hosting?

One word – marketing! All web hosting providers are competing in what is one of the most saturated and cutthroat markets in the world. There are estimated to be over 10,000 web hosting companies around the world, most of which are fresh startups who will barely be able to make back their down payment. So to get more customers, you have to advertise big.

But aren’t these web hosts lying about their offers?

Essentially, this depends on the web hosting provider in question. Little webhosting companies are most likely lying and are not trustworthy, as they won’t have the technology to back your website up or the reputation to become well-known and approved. The best web hosting companies, like the ones we promote here, are however fully prepared to back their promises up.

What’s the catch?

That is a good question. As a general rule, web hosting companies limit their hosting customers by setting a cap on what’s called CPU. CPU stands for computer processor unit and this unit measures how many times your website is accessed per minute, second, day, etc. It is basically the brain of the server, just like your home computer’s processor is what makes it load fast or slow.

Now, shared hosting (which is the cheap and affordable hosting you’ll find here) means that your website and about 300 other websites are sharing the same CPU (processor). So imagine 300 people sharing your home computer – if you have a good processor, your machine will run fast, just like if the customers sharing space with you are not using very much, the server will be fast and good! So if all 300 customers use >1% CPU, your server will be amazing.

Now imagine all 300 people trying to download a movie all at the same time on your home computer. Your home computer would likely shut down, as it would be unable to handle the load of 300 people downloading something that large at once. That is the same effect as if those 300 people on your web hosting server all used more than 1% CPU. Your server (and website) will crash.

So the catch to unlimited web hosting is merely CPU usage. Keep it below 1% and you’ll be fine and can really utilize unlimited storage and bandwidth!

So you think you’re ready to buy web hosting? That’s great! Like the first time I purchased web hosting, you must be very excited! It’s a little bit scary, a little thrilling, and a great deal nerve-wracking. To help ease your web hosting anxiety, here are some presales questions you may want to answer yourself before you buy from the best web hosting provider of your choice.

What kind of website do I want to host?

Are you ready for business hosting? Ecommerce? Personal? Family? Narrow it down as much as possible to a specific niche. Here are some further examples:

* Blog hosting / WordPress web hosting
* Joomla hosting
* Web 2.0 hosting
* Dedicated Server Hosting
* Adult hosting
* Music hosting
* Email hosting
* Reseller hosting
* Photo hosting / Artist hosting
* Church hosting

What kind of features do I need?

Consider the kind of website you are looking to create. If you are starting a church website, odds are you are not going to need very much storage space, whereas you might need a website template and an average amount of bandwidth. On the other hand, if you are running a photography website, you are going to need a good deal of storage space and bandwidth, but may be less concerned with website templates or the amount of email addresses you can use.

How many webpages and/or websites will I create?

You may not know this ahead of time, but think in generic terms – do you plan to add other websites to your hosting account in the future? Would you like to be able to have that option?

Do I need advanced web hosting features?

Do you plan to add scripting or programming to your website? If so, make sure the kind of scripts you want to run are supported by your web hosting provider. If you’re unsure, odds are you don’t need them.

Can I build the website myself?

If yes, don’t choose a web hosting provider who offers free site building tools over one that doesn’t just because it looks like they offer more. If you’re unsure about building your own website, make sure that you put a website builder as a priority on your web hosting checklist! Or get a web design template.

By now you are probably wondering why we have so many of what we call the “best web hosting” providers listed on our Top 10 List. This is because all other top web hosting lists are wrong. They choose to evaluate each web host in relation to the other hosts and assign an arbitrary number to them to show they are the best or the worst.

Notice that we do not have any numeric values listed on our website and while one web hosting provider may be listed above another, this does not mean they are better or worse for YOU.

Instead, we decided to change things up a bit and rank each web host based on the values you care about most: Support, Features, Price, and Functionality.

So how is this different? Simple – each host is #1 for its own reason or we would not be showcasing them on our website. So each web host we provide information on has something they work best for, as we have discovered along our web hosting work and research that one web hosting provider is perfect to host a business or e-business, while they are very poor for personal web hosting or blogging. Then there are other web hosts who are best-suited for personal or family web hosting but really don’t have the features necessary for the business world.

Here is a detailed list of our current Top Web Hosting providers and what they are #1 for to help you find the perfect web host.

IX Web Hosting - #1 for Overall Web Hosting - IX Web Hosting is great for businesses, blogs, personal websites, adult hosting, and nearly everything else you can imagine to use your website for. Check out our IX Web Hosting Review for further details.

ThinkHost - #1 for Eco Friendly Web Hosting - ThinkHost is green hosting at its best, meaning they are conscious of the environment in everything they do. Use them for personal websites, blogs, and web hosting projects based on personal needs.

DreamHost - #1 Webmaster Choice Web Hosting - DreamHost is definitely one of the most popular web hosting providers on the planet and for good reason. Use DreamHost for music and media hosting, a simple green hosting solution, or blog.

EasgyCGI - #1 Advanced Web Hosting - Do you like Windows? You’ll love EasyCGI! They have various web hosting options for your small business, Fortune 500 enterprise, or dedicated server. Not for newbies, but great for professionals.

StartLogic - #1 Cheap Web Hosting - You need a website and you need it cheap, then StartLogic is for you. They have hosting for as little as $5.95/month, which can help you get your blog online ASAP.

BlueHost - #1 Secure Web Hosting - 24/7 Support was literally defined by BlueHost, so you can rest assured that you’ll be taken care of and your website will be backed up. This is great for ecommerce and big businesses who need the extra attention.

HostMonsster - #1 Professional Web Hosting - Business hosting, ecommerce, affordable servers, reliable support, and even personal assistance for your ebusiness needs. Easy to work with too!

FatCow - #1 Ecommerce Web Hosting - Ecommerce web hosting has never been easier with FatCow. You can create your ecommerce shop in 3 steps with online tutorials and design assistance. Perfect for beginners and work-at-home moms.

GoDaddy - #1 Domain Web Hosting - You need 50 domains and you need them cheap, hosted, and with plenty of email access. In that case, GoDaddy is for you! These guys are known worldwide for domain registration and secure hosting.

HostingZoom - #1 Reliable Web Hosting - 24/7 support backed by incredibly web hosting professionals means they are perfect for small businesses, enterprise solutions, and work at home corporations.

Here’s a quick list for you of 5 website design tips. Once you’ve got your best web hosting picked out, you’ll need them to start actually designing the look of your new website!

1. Simplicity is Key

When people first started designing websites back in the 90s, websites were ugly and overcrowded with a bunch of images, text, and worst of all links. These days, web hosting and web design are better when they are created with simplicity in mind. Keeping this thought close, after you purchase your website hosting and start to design your website, don’t overcrowd your site with pictures and links. Let your content do most of the talking but keep that below 500 words for the index page. Take a look at thebestwebhostinglist.com, for example. The most important thing to remember is: don’t use flashy animations or blinking text, etc. These things are not effective or professional.

2. White Space is Good

These days, a clean website is a beautiful website. In the old days, clutter was best, but having nice white space or blank space between words, images, links, and everything else, means your website will look cleaner and neater. It will also look modern, which is good for any new web hosting customer to consider!

3. Be Appropriate

Personally, I love anime girls, but I’m not going to have a template with anime girls on it if I’m running a business, because that is not professional. If you are running a business, make sure your photos, music, videos, and overall theme is tasteful and effectively portrays your image. As state above, clean and simple is better than messy and crowded for website design.

4. Organize, Organize, Organize!!!

The most important part of a website’s design is how effectively you can lead your customers or audience exactly where you want them. For example, if you want them to buy your product, make sure your product’s price, details, and images or screenshots are easily accessible from the homepage and from all other pages on the website. Likewise, if you have important information, display it prominently. The most important thing to remember is to include a link back to the homepage of your website on EVERY page, preferably in the header or top of your website’s menu.

5. Make it Pretty

That sounds silly, but honestly, a beautiful website sells better than an ugly one. By make it pretty, though, I really mean to check for broken links, make sure your website works on all browsers, double check that your message is clear, and get comments from your community. Ask them to take a survey or comment on a blog about how your website looks.

Make sure to choose a reliable web hosting provider so that these tips are not wasted on a website that is down most of the time. To avoid this, check our Top 10 Web Hosting List for the best web hosting companies in the world.

As many of the best webhosts offer their services within shared hosting environments, it’s important to be aware of CPU usage and how it might affect you. Although many hosts are now offering “unlimited bandwidth” there is a bit of a catch to it — you can use as much bandwidth at you need, but if you’re using too much of the CPU, you’ll need upgrade to a dedicated or VPS server.

Many webhosts limit CPU usage to less than 1% on a shared server, and the logic behind this is simple. Say you have 100% of the CPU available on a server, and 300 people are on that server, that leaves less that 1% available to each person so the computer can run smoothly. That doesn’t necessarily mean each person IS using their portion — some customers may have a very small site that demands little or no CPU, some may not have a site yet at all — but it means that if your site is consistently busy and your users are doing CPU-intensive actions, you’ll become a burden to the server, everyone else’s site will slow down, and you’ll have to upgrade.

Most people with small sites won’t ever have to worry about it but, let’s put it this way, just because a shared server says it offers “unlimited bandwidth” doesn’t mean a site like Facebook or Livejournal or Pogo can survive on it — they’re way too popular and will need much more than what a shared server can offer.

Do you know what ASP, JSP, PHP, MySQL, and MSSQL stand for? Well, here’s a quick guide to help you out if you’re stuck, because defining web hosting terminology shouldn’t be as difficult as it often is!

ASP – (Active Server Pages) ASP is a Windows-based script that allows you to customize your website. It’s not necessary for personal webhosting, so if you’re not a programmer, odds are you can live without it. More often than not, ASP web hosting is more expensive than basic hosting.

CGI – (Common Gateway Interface) CGI is a very tiny script that allows data taken from website users to be processed on the server. CGI-bins are common in web hosting control panels so that you can store CGI scripts.

FrontPage – (Microsoft FrontPage Extensions) FrontPage is a web design tool developed and licensed by Microsoft. Many users prefer the ease of use in designing websites using FrontPage. FrontPage web hosting is very popular and affordable.

HTML – (HyperText Markup Language) HTML is a commonly-used phrase these days, and it’s nothing more than language you can learn and use to design and develop your website. HTML can make your text italic, show pictures, create line breaks, and even design borders, links, and play music.

JSP – (Java Server Pages) JSP is a scripting language similar to ASP in the tasks it can perform. JSP web hosting normally is more expensive, and if you are not into web programming, you do not need it.

SQL – (Standard Query Language) SQL is a protocol used to generate information requested from databases. The two most popular ways to utilize SQL is by using MySQL or MS SQL databases. They are both similar, and the main difference is that MS SQL is developed and licensed by Microsoft and works best with Windows Web Hosting.

XML – (Extensible Markup Language) XML is a language similar to HTML, which also allows for website design and development. XML is more for website programming than design and actually allows programmers to define its functions.

While email is a great thing to have with your hosting service, one thing you’ll need to remember is that so many of the best webhosts out there are offering their services on shared servers. Shared hosting almost always has limitations on the number of emails you’re allowed to send out per hour, so if you’re looking to send out more than, say, 500 or 600, you’ll probably want to look into VPS or Dedicated hosting. The reason webhosts often limit outgoing email on a shared server is to try and reduce the instance of spamming and blacklisting. If a server is black listed because ONE person sent out a few hundred too many emails, than the hundreds of account holders on that server will suffer — and their first course of action will be to call the webhost. So those email restrictions are both for yours AND the hosts benefit.

While email-forwarding can be extremely beneficial to people, there is one catch that beginners should be made aware of, especially if you’re going for one of the shared hosting plans that most of the best web hosts offer. Time and time again during my time with a web hosting company, we found that people were actually spamming themselves and blacklisting their OWN servers due to email forwarding!

Here’s how it works: The big guys — Yahoo!, AOL, Hotmail, Gmail — really, REALLY hate spam, and they’re quick to blacklist any server that they think a spammer is on. If you prefer to use your Yahoo account, for example, but want your customers to email an address that’s @yourdomain.com you might set up a forwarder — your customers see the professional email address, but you can maintain your email as you always have in your Yahoo inbox. Just remember, that ALL your email will be forwarded — including the spam. What often happens is, once the spam hits your Yahoo email, you might mark it as spam. What does Yahoo see? Yahoo sees the spam as being sent from your OWN hosting account — from the server your website is on! Keep on marking that spam, and Yahoo just might blacklist your server. In essence — you’re spamming yourself.

So if you do decide to set up forwarders, always just delete any spam that comes in from your hosting account. Better to be safe that sorry!

If you call or contact some of the best web hosts, you might come across the term “blacklisting”. Basically, blacklisting happens when an email service thinks they are getting spammed by a certain server — they “blacklist” that server and block an incoming email from that server.

I’ll spell it out in examples and explain , since I quite like examples

You’re on a shared server with 300 other customers. One of those customers has a large mailing list and many Yahoo! accounts. He send out email and a number of the Yahoo! customers don’t remember signing up for the list, so they mark his email as spam. Yahoo takes the spam claims seriously, looks into the matter, and finds that these emails were sent by on account holder on a specific server. They then blacklist that server, disallowing all incoming emails from that server. How this affects you if you’re on that server is, you can email hotmail accounts, you can email AOL accounts, but any Yahoo accounts you try to email won’t go through. In these cases, the webhosts are alerted to the problem, investigate the alleged “spammer” on their server, and work with Yahoo to get them white listed again.

Because this is ALWAYS a risk with any shared hosting, companies who rely heavily on email communications might choose to go with a VPS or Dedicated server to lessen and eradicate this possibility.