Expect to Pay: $10-15 Basic email, static site, and 25-50 Megs of space. $25-30 Added features like scripting support, Windows NT, basic databases, site reporting, and SSL. $50-150 Will add advanced database support, e-Commerce, and shopping carts. $199-375 Dedicated Cobalt Raq server. $250-Up Dedicated Windows NT, and Unix servers.

Monitor Your Site: Your newly created web presence needs to be up and running 24/7 in order to be effective. Most top-notch web hosts offer money back guarantees if your site is up for less than 99% of time.

That is considerable when: An avg. uptime of 99.9% is 10 minutes of downtime per week. An avg. uptime of 99% is 1 ½ hours of downtime per week. An avg. uptime of 98% is 3 ¼ hours of downtime per week. An avg. uptime of 95% is 8 ½ hours of downtime per week.

This is downtime where your business has effectively closed its doors to potential customers. It is recommended you take advantage of web-based site monitoring services. This will allow for accountability between you and your provider. The fact is, you can’t be there checking to make sure your site's up at 3am everyday, but a good web site monitoring service will email or even page you when your sites down at anytime with diagnostic data to help pinpoint problem. In end, these services can potentially save you money or even justify you switching providers completely.

References: http://www.hostcompare.com - compare web hosts http://www.cobalt.com - rack optimized servers http://www.serverpatrol.com - advanced website monitoring

The web hosting company that I personally use can be found at: http://www.virtualis.com/vr2/rdobbins and I can tell you, that after switching companies numerous times I was ready to literally pull my hair out because I was so frustrated.

Trust me, I've tried 'free', 'cheap' and everything in between but once I found my current host, I wouldn't change it again for anything. I get everything I need (and more) for only $36.00 per month and tech-support is awesome. I personally guarantee that with any support questions you send in, they'll get back to you in one hour or less.

One of biggest complaints that many people have with their Web Host is a lack of customer support. Whatever host you choose, make absolutely sure that they can be reached 24 hours a day. Not only by email, but by telephone as well. Trust me, eventually, you will need support of some kind and by choosing a host that is accessable 24/7 will save you a lot of heartache and headache when that time comes.

Furthermore, make sure that company does not charge you for registering your domain name because any reliable company will do that for you for free. Expect them to also transfer your domain name for you (if needed) at no additional charge.

If you like, you can check out how our recommended hosting company compares to others by visiting:

http://www.virtualis.com/vr2/rdobbins/comparison.html

Keep in mind that I'm not trying to 'push' you to choose this particular company, but merely referring you to them as an excellent and affordable one. Remember that you can compare many other companies as well by going to:

http://webhostlist.internetlist.com/