In Part one I shared with you what a domain name was and how to go about setting up your own personal domain name.

In part two of this series I’ll take you step by step through the process of finding and selecting the perfect web host to fit your needs. I’ll also give you my recommended feature list when selecting a web host and then we’ll wrap up with showing you how to connect your domain name to your new hosting service.

WHAT IS A WEB HOST
In a nutshell and to make things simple, a web host or server, is simply a computer that lives in a data center remotely someplace else in the world. Though possible to setup your own web server locally, I recommend opting to pay a reputable hosting company to serve up and manage your site unless you are the ultimate control freak and have a budget to hire a server administrator at which point I still say opt for having someone else host it and save yourself a world of headache.

A web server is the place you store your website, blogs and online galleries, when a web surfer types in your url such as www.prophotoresource.com a DNS Server (explained later in this article) re-routes them to your web server and subsequently the browser displays your page. I know it all seems like magic doesn’t it.

Most hosting companies offer a variety of choices when choosing a new account, the most important at this point are whether to choose a Windows or Linux based server. My personal preference is Linux. This isn’t the place to get into a deep heated debate with all the Microsoft fans out there who think Windows is a superior hosting environment, both have their advantages and disadvantages, but for my personal needs the Linux platform offers everything I need to get the job done. Do your research, talk to your web developer and find the best solution for your needs.
SHARED vs. VIRTUAL PRIVATE vs. DEDICATED HOSTING – WHAT ARE ALL THESE OPTIONS
The first thing you’ll notice as you begin your search in finding the perfect web host are all the different flavors of hosting, the three most confusing are Shared Hosting, Virtual Private Hosting and Dedicated Hosting, let me briefly explain the differences below.

SHARED HOSTING
Shared hosting is exactly as the name implies, your site lives on server with a variety of other sites, it is not uncommon for a shared server to have upwards of 500-1000+ domains sharing the same server. A nifty tool for showing how many domains currently live on your shared server can be found here http://www.domaintools.com/reverse-ip/ Type in your domain name and Domain Tools will reverse engineer your IP Address and let you know how many other domains are currently being hosted on your server. Don’t be alarmed if there are 1200 other sites on the same server, chances are most of them are just one page sites with very little traffic. You may want to ask your potential hosting provider how man domains they host per server before committing to an account. Obviously you would rather share a server with 100 other domains than one with 2,000 so it pays to ask this question up front.

A reputable hosting company monitors their servers 24/7 for unbalanced loads or strain, accounts running malicious scripts or users abusing outbound email standards and will rectify or suspend the offending before it affects your domain. Such an incident happened to one our sites recently; we had a script go rogue on us that put an unnecessary strain on the msql server, which in turn affected other users on the shared server. The problem was easily solved and we were back up and running quickly, it was reassuring to know that our host had the backs of their customers and promptly notified me of the issue. So the bottom line is that in a Shared Hosting environment ALL server resources and bandwidth are shared amongst the other users on that particular server so what affects one affects all, take this into careful consideration as you begin narrow down your choice.

The biggest perk of a Shared Server is Cost, because server space and resources can be shared amongst many clients, it’s not uncommon to get yourself set up with a robust host for under $10 dollars per month, a small price to pay when you think of the returns your personal website will bring you. Later in this article I’ll list a few of our favorite Shared Hosting Providers.

Hosting on a shared server is typically the most popular and most cost effective solution for most photographers seeking a simple place to show their photos.

VIRTUAL PRIVATE HOSTING
Virtual Private servers are the next step up from the shared server. With a Virtual Private Server or VPS, resources are still shared among all the users on the server but fewer domains are hosted on the on the same server. The server is partitioned and configured in such a way that it feels more like a dedicated server. When running a Virtual Private Server you have the ability to not only install a full fledged operating system and other server software, but also the ability to reboot your VPS anytime you like without affecting other clients on the server as you would in a shared server environment.

Virtual Private Servers bridge the gap between the shared server and Dedicated Server and are often a popular solution for sites that have a little heavier traffic and want the flexibility of being able to control server along with the backup administrator resources provided by the Hosting Provider in the event of a catastrophe.

DEDICATED SERVER
A dedicated server is one that is typically leased to single client and housed in a data center. As the client you have the ability to run and manage your server just as you would if it were residing in your own office via remote administration software along with the added benefit of redundant power and HVAC (Heating, Venting and Air Conditioning) provided by the data center.

Typically geared towards larger websites with lots of traffic a dedicated server allows for total control over ever aspect of your hosting needs. The downside to a dedicated server is that you need a working knowledge of server administration or need to hire a server admin to manage it for you, the costs of running a dedicated server can quickly out weigh the benefits if you are just starting out.

CHOOSING A HOSTING PROVIDER
Over the years I’ve had great experiences with some hosting providers and well not so great with others. My word of advice when selecting a hosting provider is to treat it as you would when selecting a spouse, because ending up with a hosting provider who’s systems are constantly going down or who’s tech support department is unresponsive and unknowledgeable or doesn’t have the tools necessary for you to run your online business is only going to lead to a messy divorce in the end.

Since most photographers reading this will need nothing more than a shared hosting setup, I’ll outline below some of the main things to look for when choosing this type of account.

• Responsiveness – Call and talk to the hosting companies sales and technical department and make sure they seem knowledgeable and responsive. Call the tech support number and see how long the typical hold time is. This is a good indicator of how they typically run their business.
• 24/7 Support – When your site goes down or email stops working you want to know that you can pick up the phone and contact someone and get resolve.
• Referrals – Ask friends and colleagues what hosting providers they use and recommend. Often times when signing up based upon a referral you might even be able to get your friend a monetary kickback.
• Uptime Guarantee – Make sure that the provider states an Uptime Guarantee somewhere on their website. This is usually an indicator that they are confident of their systems and in the event that your server continually goes down you’ll have some recourse in getting your money back.
• Webserver Tools – When selecting a hosting provider make sure they offer all the tools you’ll need to do your job which includes at the very least Control Panel Access to your account and if possible other useful tools like Fantastico or SimpleScripts, these will allow you to very easily install web based applications like shopping carts, user forums or blogs on your server with no database knowledge required.
• Unlimited Data Transfer and Server Space – While this is somewhat of a marketing gimmick since most people ever barely put a dent in the given space or data transfer provided with their hosting accounts, it’s nice to know that if your site or blog takes off you aren’t going to quickly outgrow or worse yet end up with a HUGE bill for going over your allotted monthly bandwidth. Make sure you read the hosts Terms of Service before signing up for an unlimited data transfer plan, even though they say they offer unlimited data, many have a clause that will allow them to terminate your account if they feel you are using to much bandwidth.
• mySQL Databases – If you are going to want to install a blog or other more interactive applications on your server it’s going to be mandatory that your hosting package comes with the ability to add mySQL databases, it’s even better if you can manage the databases and database users from the control panel instead of having to rely on the host to make these changes.
• Addon Domains – Addon domains or sub domains allow you the ability to host multiple websites under one account. So for as little as 10 dollars you can host as many sites as you want.
• Webmail – This isn’t as crucial to me as it once was since I can get email right to my cell phone now but it is nice to know that i can go into a cafe or a friends internet connected computer and check email from the road.
• Support for Latest Technology – Make sure the host you are looking for supports to the most current versions of PHP, mySQL, Ruby on Rails or whatever technology you are going to be building your website upon.
• Money Back Guarantee – While not a deal breaker, if a company is willing to stand behind their service with at least a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee you can be confident that they are confident about their services. In the event they don’t work out at least you can get out with minimal investment.

RECOMMENDED HOSTING PROVIDERS
I’ve worked with many hosting providers over the years both in shared and dedicated environments and through this time a few have stood out above the pack for me.
The hosting companies that I list below are only recommendations, your needs may differ than mine so again do your homework, ask friends and colleagues whom they recommend and then find the host that best fits your website.

ApertureHost.com – I love these guys! Owned by Michael McRae and his wife, who by the way is a photographer offer great pricing and Technical Support that is the best I’ve encountered in the last 10 years of dealing with Hosting Companies. ApertureHost.com offers all the same tools as the big boys, but is still small enough to attend to your every need.

Right now ApertureHost.com is on my A list of Shared Hosting Providers. Sign up with them using the promotion code handbook09 and you’ll receive 25% off your order of any plan including their Starter Plan. They offer a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee so if you’re not happy just let them know and Michael will return your money no questions asked.

Bluehost.com – I Currently use Bluehost for both ProPhotoResource.com and PhotographersHandbook.com. I have no real complaints about their service and feel confident recommending them for your needs. Like so many of the other major hosting companies they have had their fair share of growing pains, but I still like their knowledgeable 24/7 support.

DreamHost.com – I don’t currently host any of my own personal sites with Dreamhost but have developed for clients who use them. They offer unlimited storage and bandwidth for $9.95.

Other hosting companies worth looking into
HostGator.com
MediaTemple.com
HostMonster.com

THE LAST STEP – POINTING YOUR DOMAIN TO YOUR NEW SERVER
Finally we have our domain registered and our hosting set up and we just need to point our domain to the new hosting company. Easy!
The first thing you’ll need to do is contact you’re new hosting provider and ask them what their name servers are? This is also usually posted on their website as well.
Once you have this information which typically looks something like this NS1.YOURHOST.COM and NS2.YOURHOST.com you go back to the place you registered your domain name and log into your account. Once you are logged in look for something that says Change Name Servers, each system is different. Once you find the name server button click edit and enter your new name server info into the fields overwriting the current name servers that are listed. Click Save. Within 24 to 72 Hours dns servers across the globe will be updated and your new site will be online. Nothing to it.

Keep checking back for the next installment of Web 101 Down to the Basics when we’ll cover the different website development options you have for creating your website.

If you enjoyed this article be sure to click the TwitThis Link and share it with the folks on Twitter and as always feel free to leave me a comment below, share your hosting experiences or your favorite web host.