choosing a webhost

jassi_9

hi, i need to get my website up and running but dont know how/who to get it hosted with?

i havent registered the domain yet, but this will be a .co.uk address and i will be selling things on there so, i will need some sort of paypal or other payment method on there

any ideas of who is most reputable? who to avoid etc? i know i can get it free wiht some places, but im worried the service wont be good quality, so i dont mind paying a little

thank you

mynamesnotdave

Hi,
If you are selling stuff you probably want to go with a host who already provide free shopping systems built into their packages.
I use Orchard Hosting because they are fairly small company and always have time to answer my questions thorougly and quickly.
http://orchardhosting.com
I think the Bronze package will be suitable for you.
You don't need to purchase your domain with your host and I'd recommend https://www.ukreg.com or 123-reg.co.uk for purchasing a uk domain as they let you have full control over all settings etc.

Paul_VW

I have found the service from https://www.34sp.com to be first class, there are very reasonalbe aslo

Astaroth

For domains:

http://www.123-reg.co.uk

For hosting:

http://www.dataflame.co.uk

- I really have to set up an affiliates account with these companies soon.

I have always been more comfortable having my domain and hosting with 2 seperate companies after being stung by a "release fee" by a previous webhost.

jassi_9

so with orchard hosting, they supply the shopping cart thing with the package? so no need for paypal? is that rite?

and it looks like 123-reg are better for registerign my domain then? (when u say full control over your settings wat does this entail? once ive got a .co.k, wat else would i need to change anyway?)

but basically its a good idea to keep them seperate? ive never heard of a release fee b4, i dont have to pay this with 123-reg then?

thanx guys

mynamesnotdave

Hi, You would still need to use paypal or other credit card merchant to carry out your transactions. The shopping cart thing still needs your own credit card merchant configuring to use it.
If you setup a paypal, you should be able to integrate it very quickly with the shopping cart system within a few minutes.

Astaroth

Full control means that you can control where the emails and website goes rather than relying on them to do it for you - so if you decided your webhost was rubbish and wanted to move to another one all you need to do is log into 123 reg and change where the domain points and as soon as it replicates it will be actioned.

I am going back a few years so I dont know if it is still common practice or not but a lot of webhosts used to give free domains when you took a package out with them. The problem was that hidden in the small print was the fact you had to pay them a fee to keep the domain (or effectively buy it off them and then pay them to make the alterations to it) if you decided to switch to another webhost. It happened to me once and they wanted £75 to enable me to keep the domain - as it was only a hobby website I let them keep it and just registered another domain but for a business or a very popular site it is costly to change your domain name. If you have the 2 seperate then you change host and you just go in and update where the domain points yourself at no cost.

jassi_9

thanx alot guys, makes things a little clearer now cheers!!

just a quick question though, whats the diff between having paypal + shopping cart and having an e-commerce site ?(i dont acctually know what it means, but ive seen people talking about it on here?)

has e-commerce got nothing to do with what im trying to achieve?

i was going to sell a service at £10 for each user, per year

Flexible_Friend

If you're just selling a "service", use a Paypal account. Paypal supports recurring charges if you want to charge monthly/annually. You don't need a sophisticated e-commerce shopping solution if you're not selling multiple "products".

Depending on the type of service you are selling and what software you use to build your website, you can set it up so that Paypal automatically/instantly notifies you of any payments received (other than via the standard Paypal email).