Webhost advice

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blairm

54 posts

Master Geek

#70766 30-Oct-2010 11:56

Have been thinking for a while about setting up a site, and I've recently been looking at different web hosts. All a bit confusing, so hoping someone can provide advice/recommendations.
So, a couple of questions...

- Traffic: What should I be looking for in terms of bandwidth? Some places advertise unlimited bandwidth but I've read those places are usually overselling. Site content is just blog posts and pictures, possibly with the occasional embedded YouTube video. Have no idea what sort of traffic I'd get, but can't see people flocking to it in their thousands each day.

- Operating system: I use Linux, so would probably be more comfortable with that unless there's a very strong reason to go with Windows.

- Platform: Have seen some hosts have a bunch of scripts to install various platforms. Would prefer WordPress, or possibly SilverStripe.

- Location: Am I better to have the site hosted in NZ or overseas? As a beginner to this I like the idea of a local help desk but if there are strong advantages to overseas hosting might reconsider.

And finally, is there anything else I should be watching for?

Cheers,

Blair

michaelmurfy

meow
13240 posts

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#397696 30-Oct-2010 12:18

If you were wanting Wordpress / Silverstripe it's best to go with a Linux host. For shared hosting I would say http://www.oxynet.co.nz/ would be a good starting point, They are Christchurch Based and I am sure that Stace will always be there to answer your calls :)

But since you will be spending $15 / $30 a month there why not go with a Virtual Server? That way you are in control of everything and since you use Linux there should be no issues with setting up a LLMP server (Linux, Lighttpd, MySQL, PHP) - http://www.slicehost.com/ is a good place to start with this. They offer a excellent helpdesk plus since it's like a dedicated server (in a way) you are in control of what you can host, can do etc. Just install Debian on a "Slice" and from there you are at your starting point, install MySQL, Lighttpd, PHP-CGI and SSH (for SFTP) - with something like this you can also gain some of your money back with selling web space to your mates etc.

If you want a Domain Name from people who know their stuff too, I would personally recommend http://www.metaname.co.nz - The guys behind it are very clued up and $25+GST per year is a really good price for a domain name in NZ.

Hopefully this helps :)

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
Referral Links: Quic Broadband (use R122101E7CV7Q for free setup)

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robbyp

1199 posts

Uber Geek

#397702 30-Oct-2010 12:33

For bandwidth, it is very difficult to tell how much your website will use as it depends on your content, but most websites wills will use under 1-2GB of traffic from my experience. Those that offer 'unlimited' you will end up using more than you fair share of CPU resources, if you use too much, so there is no such thing as 'unlimited' with shared web hosting.

There is nothing wrong with US hosting, many websites in NZ are hosted in the US. The other thing to look out for is the control panel. I would recommend CPanel, which is very easy to use. It costs the host more to provide CPanel, over cheaper control panels like plesk and direct admin, but it is worth it. CPanel will allow you to autoinstall wordpress and other CMs's like joomla. I don't think they have a silverstripe autoinstaller, but you can easily install this yourself by uploading the files manually via FTP.

Kraven

729 posts

Ultimate Geek

#397703 30-Oct-2010 12:36

RE: Hosting Overseas...

It depends on where your target audience is located. If you have a primarily New Zealand based audience, then host it in it NZ. If you find the NZ hosting costs too high, then try and find a webhost on the west coast of USA, eg. Los Angeles.

If its a global audience, then hosting anywhere in the USA should be fine.

nate

6473 posts

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#397778 30-Oct-2010 16:55

You'd be looking at Wordpress (on Linux), wouldn't need anything too sophisticated - we can help out, flick me a PM if you're interested.