I have worked with a lot of hosting and printing companies, and I’ve seen people pay way too much for what they need. For example, a client of mine was paying almost $100 per month for local hosting for a very small website, and close to that per hour for maintenance. I moved his site and domain name and ended up saving him over $1000 a year.
Website Hosting
Website hosting can be very particular, handling large numbers of servers that all fall under the usual auspices of cranky technology. One user may never have a problem with their hosting while another on the same service can have nothing but problems. There are a lot of variables but so far, after working with dozens of companies, the one that has worked the best for myself and the clients I have moved there has been HostGator. I am currently using reseller hosting and some individual accounts. They have accounts for just about any kind of need and will transfer your existing site for you, so check them out. Feel free to do research before deciding on a host.
An important thing to keep in mind is how much space you actually need and what you want to do with it. For instance, the HostGator Hatchling Plan allows for one website and gives you all the space most websites need. Their Baby plan allows for unlimited domains, which means you can run several sites on one account, as I do. So if you plan on using multiple sites, check out plans that allow you to do that and you can end up saving money overall. Visit their website and compare plans to get an idea of what you can look for. If you have questions about your particular situation, contact me.
Domain Names
It wasn’t long ago that people had no choice but to pay $70 for two years of domain registration. That hasn’t been the case for a while. I personally use GoDaddy for their pricing and multiple free options. They are annoying during the registration process but that’s typical because any company wants to sell you more stuff. If you just say No Thanks to their paid offers, you’ll be good to go. Other places cost more and charge for things like forwarding. But if for some reason you’re not a GoDaddy fan, feel free to do some searching – just keep in mind that easy things like forwarding should be free and your domain should not cost more than $12-15 per year. Absolutely do NOT use Domain Registry of America.
Printing
Quality printing can be hard to come by. If you prefer to use local companies, that’s awesome, but I can’t help you find one since I don’t have experience with locals outside of my own area. If you want quality printing and a good price, there are a couple companies I like to use.
At PSPrint I’ve had brochures, business cards, fliers, postcards and posters printed. The quality is great and because they always have some promotion going on, the prices are way better than most other places. If PSPrint doesn’t offer something or what I want isn’t on sale that day, I compare with PrintPlace, which has done some really good business cards for me.
