Which Website Server?

[splish]

I have recently bought a domain name as i have been running a photography business for 20 years and have decided to start my own website to showcase my work and to pass to potential new clients. I don't know which server to choose, what should i be looking for? I don't want to pay a lot to begin with and i want a user friendly option as i haven't done this before.
Thanks in advance!

[VHG]

Having your own server normally indicates having the web site hosted on your own computer which is within your own business or your own house.

But most people host their web site with a separate hosting company.

So when you say a server do you mean a company to host your web site?

If your web site is going to be pretty basic (no complex databases or ecommerce) then go for a cheap "home" package or small business package.

This should be pretty cheap, and you can always upgrade it in the future if your needs expand.

I have one of my sites hosted with Netcetera, and they do a basic package for �25 a year.

http://www.netcetera.co.uk/Hosting/lite/

I am not saying Netcetera are the best, just using them as an exmaple, there are loads and loads of hosting companies.

[stefos]

use 1&1 Internet Ltd without any problems

http://order.1and1.co.uk/xml/order/Home

[VHG]

Have you considered starting a blog?

You can create a blog here with Blogger and it is totally free and MUCH easier than designing your own web site.

http://www.blogger.com/start

You need no techncial skill, no requirement to understand web design or HTML, and the whole site is "managed" by the blog itself.

Here are a few photographers who are using a blog to promote themselves.

http://craig-photography.blogspot.com/

http://thetravelphotographer.blogspot.com/

http://eric-carr-photography.blogspot.com/

[VHG]

> I want a user friendly option as i haven't done this before.

Designing a website is one of those things that almost anyone can do.

However desiging a GOOD website, that showcases your business and work, is NOT something everyone can do and it can take months or years of practice to design a good website.

First you need a web site design tool (Dreamweaver?), and a graphics package (you probaby already have one if you are into Photography).

But you also need a knowledge of the HTML language and the CSS language. Plus knowledge of GIFs and JPEGs.

You also need some WEB DESIGN skills, which take a while to learn.

You also need some technical skills to learn how to upload the web site from your computer to the hosting computer. Not that difficult, but depending on your skills it may take some time to get the hang of it.

That is why I suggested a blog in my append above.

A blog takes away a LOT of those requirements and Blogs can be a good starting point for a beginner.

[Lil O'lady]

Following on from VHG's very important point, many of the companies that provide web domains and hosting also provide downloadable templates for your site. One such is Fasthosts but there are many more. They also often provide options for building in e-commerce, and I would recommend you follow this route as a hand-knitted website is often a great turn-off for online customers.

[fo3nix]

I'd recommend you do the following:

Use Google Apps for Your Domain to host your email (free for standard users, a small fee a year for businesses. Though you can probably get away with using the standard service.). Their spam systems work very well, and it's easy to set up.

For web hosting, I can recommend web-mania.com. They're cheap (�30/year), and support just about everything you'd expect from a basic host.

If you want more than that, Dreamhost is good.

[Gromit]

i use these and am very pleased with their service.

http://www.zen.co.uk/about/latest-awards.aspx

[whqttt]

fatcow.com are very friendly, and cheap (although you do have to pay for a year up front, but it works out at about a fiver a month).

I've had no problems with them.

[splish]

Thanks guys, looking into it all now. Cheers