Website newbie - any advice on hosting etc please

[CB]

Please can anyone offer some advice....

I want to start a blog using Wordpress. I've decided on a domain name and it is available.

Should I buy the domain name first - then look around for someone to host?

Or do it all in one with someone like GoDaddy?

How do I get email to match my new domain name?

I'd really appreciate a few pointers in the right direction :-)

[dbboy]

try fasthost

[Huguenot]

It doesn't sound like you're really teckie.

In your position I'd be tempted to set up a blog on something like wordpress.com, buy the URL through GoDaddy, and then divert the URL through GoDaddy to Wordpress.

Nice'n'easy.

[CB]

Thx for advice - I just wasn't sure whether there were any benefits or negatives to buy domain name from GoDaddy as well as/at the same time as hosting from them.

As oppose to keeping the two separate i.e buying domain name say from 123Reg & then getting hosting say from GoDaddy.

[Huguenot]

Not for any reason other than simplicity - you'd only need one log in, and one billing provider for example.

However, I think you might just be missing the important things you should be considering with suppliers:

I train guys in web creation, and here's a few notes from my slides on this subject, but all of these notes throw up issues that are more important than whether you use the same company or not:

On domain name selection:

Additional names

Common misspellings

Common variations

International

Competing domains

Promotional domains

On selection of your registrar:

Cost

- Base price of TLD

- Registrar mark-up

- Transfer cost

Management

- Domain management services

- Additional functions ? auto renewal, freebies

- Agree registration details

On selecting your host:

Services

- In-house

- Turnkey solutions

- Software requirements

- Email

Reliability

- Up time and access

- Bandwidth

Support

- Practicality

- Operating System

- Control Panels

- Services

[CB]

Thanks v much - I really appreciate you taking the time to give advice.?

I had considered some of the things you mention so at least I'm on the right track :-)