Webhosting Opinions. Godaddy sucks the big one.

[Pryderi]

can you recommend a better one?

[datasuspect]

1. what is your experience with them?

[Pryderi]

5. Templates. No templates without paying extra. I haven't built a webpage in years

and was hoping for a quick and dirty template or 2.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

2. Two recommendations:

1). I use DreamHost for my own Websites and the majority of my clients.

2). I've also set clients up on 1&1.

And while I have no personal experience with the company, I have heard people say good things about Lunarpages. But my first choice, based on my experience, would be DreamHost.

:toast:

[datasuspect]

3. how many sites are you hosting?

are you doing more static or CMS?

[Amerigo Vespucci]

4. Approximately 25 sites on DreamHost, another 6 on 1&1, 2 on GoDaddy

The GoDaddy clients had already registered domain names and paid for Web Hosting prior to my designing their sites, and while I have encouraged clients to move when I thought it was necessary, it would have been a pointless exercise in their situation.

I've had to call GoDaddy tech support on behalf of my clients. They are not the best, but they most certainly are NOT the worst, and I had two support people who were excellent. I send in testimonial emails on both and received emails back from GoDaddy founder Bob Parsons. These were NOT form emails...he responded to specific things I said in my email, no way that could have been done with a form letter.

I have one client who wanted to add a blog to their existing site, so I had to create a WordPress template that matched the existing site design I'd created. They loved it.

I'm not a fan of "canned" CMS...it puts the control of updates in the hands of the client, which is great, but I want to see branding, I want to see distinction, and that's not going to happen with an off-the-shelf Joomla or WordPress template.

My programmers also design more sophisticated CMS pages if the client needs them. They come with an admin area, very user-friendly, and consistent with the look of the static site. I use NetSource, a Chicago Web Host, for this, as my programmers work primarily in ASP and this particular client's site is more of a business application and benefits from having things like the PLESK control panel.

:toast: