Hi all. New to this so please bear with me.
I bought a domain name for my business a couple of months ago (.co.uk with catcher email account). I now need to know how I go about getting a website up and running using my domain name. I understand that I need to get it hosted, is it just me or is this an absolute minefield? I want to keep expenses as low as possible as this initially will just be a couple of pages with shop details and email link.
Have I just been blinded by over-reading too many adverts? Can't seem to get my head around it at all! All suggestions and advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Dave.

Hi Dave,

Welcome to PCHF. We just happen to have a number of staff members who are webmasters themselves, and I am sure that they will be able to point you in the right direction, with a little TLC on the side if need be.

First thing tho, I am going to put your thread in a more relevant thread, to make sure that they all see it.

Keep an eye out for their posts.

TTFN

LGW

Thanks LGW Would be really great if someone can help me out

Hi Dave, welcome to PCHF!

Here are some tips when choosing a webhost:

1. Never choose a webhost that offers "unlimited" webspace or bandwidth. These probably aren't professional hosting companies. There are a lot of very small hosting companies out there, being run from garages, that just can't provide very good service. These are the companies that have "unlimited" plans, trying to attract customers.

2. Look for a phone number. If there's no phone number to be found, it's not a real comapny.

3. Send them an email, asking some questions like "What is your uptime?", "What kind of servers do you run?". You don't have to know what these questions mean, but they do. If they don't know how to answer those questions, or they answer very slowly, I'd stay away from them.

4. You'll need tech support when you first start out, I know I did. Look for a host that offers a good ammount of webspace and bandwidth, but not at a ridiculously low price. If the price is too low, chances are they won't be able to provide the best tech support.

4. Look for a host that has "cPanel". cPanel is a control panel that will make things much easier for you. I'd never use a host that dosn't have it.

Here are some webhosting companies I've dealt with in the past.

Chronic Hosting - I'd recommend the starter plan for you. Excellent tech support, they have many tech support reps, and the owner even helps you with tech support. I've used them for over a year now.
PolurNET - Very good ammount of space. They also have very good tech support. I've used them for a few months now.

Whatever you choose, make sure to search google for reviews. Another good site to look for reviews is http://webhostingtalk.com.

Good Luck!

Thanks Nathan. Have looked at both sites and both seem interesting. Was hoping to go with a UK based company, so now I have a comparison point I have a better idea of what I am looking for. Nice one!

Dave

Hey Prolix,

That's terrific! (Great Job there Nathan).

Sounds like Nathan answered your question, so I am going to mark this thread as such. However, if you have any trouble, or need additional help with this topic, please feel free to post back here. Of course if you have a different problem, you can open a new thread.

Look forward to seeing you in the forums. Make sure to post back your site in the Promote Your Site forums, we'll be interested in how it turns out.

TTFN

LGW