I've had such a hard time with web hosts that I think this deserves special mention. This FAQ is intended to be an aid and is entirely my opinion based on my experiences. I could be another nut job amongst the millions of nut jobs out there in cyberspace, so you should research and decide on your own.
So, you want to get your site on the internet? The first thing you want to do is register a domain name. This is done through any one of a number of domain name registrars -- sites where you can register domain names.
I recommend www.godaddy.com. I've had good service through them, and they have good prices.
Some web hosts will offer to register your domain name for you as part of the sign-up. Don't Do This. Even if they offer to register it for free, DO NOT DO THIS. One of the main reasons for this is, if you register the domain name yourself, it is under your name, it is under your account, and YOU have control over it. If you find the web host you've chosen isn't going to work for you, you can cancel your service and point your domain name to another host.
A bad host can cause you no end of grief if they have control of your domain name. I know this from personal experience. One host in particular I had offered a real good price to me and registered my domain name for me as part of the deal. I had problems from the start. Service went up and down. Data was completely lost once. Customer service was horrible. Email was ignored. My mail service went up and down on a daily basis. First it was server problems, then it was configuration problems. THEN I was told my email was shut off because I was spamming -- no evidence of this was able to be produced despite numerous phone calls and emails -- all of which were ignored. I later discovered it was the host itself who was spamming. On top of all this, the host had registered my domain name in THEIR name. This meant I had to try to grab control of it away from the host.
Folks, don't get in this position. Chances are you will lose. In this case I won, but I'm highly obnoxious and I was lucky. Just register the domain name yourself. Once you pick a host, you can point your domain name to the host of your choice by adding their name servers to your domain's configuration through your name registrar. If the host sucks, you chose another one and change the name servers again to point to the new host.
Choosing a host is the hard part. There are a LOT of hosts out there. A LOT. Price can range dramatically from incredibly low to incredibly high.
Stay away from hosts that offer unlimited bandwidth and unlimited storage. This is an unrealistic claim -- they are offering you something with no intention on giving it to you.
Make a list of any specific features you need in a web host. I need to be able to run several mailing lists. I need POP mail accounts. I need to be able to run FORUM software. Don't except a host that doesn't offer exactly what you want -- there are too many out there.
USE SEARCH ENGINES! I started my hunt by going to www.google.com and entering 'web hosting'. This will give you THOUSANDS of returns. There are websites dedicated to rating web hosts, this is a good source -- but take them with a grain of salt.
Once you have found what you think might be a good host, USE THOSE SEARCH ENGINES! Enter their name into a search engine and see what returns. If you find a lot of people doing nothing but complaining about them, you might want to think twice.
You will most likely end up paying for your web hosting services using a credit card. I recommend the following:
1) Pay monthly, if possible. This way if the host sucks, you're not left trying to get back more than a month's worth of hosting.
2) Use a credit card specifically for the web hosting service, and nothing else. Worst case scenario, you can always cancel the credit card.
That aside, here is a list of name registrar services and web hosts that I recommend. If I recommend a host or name registrar, it is because I have personally used them and found them to be of good quality.
RECOMMENDED WEB HOSTS:
www.techark.com -- These are the people that are hosting www.lunacy.us for me. Lots of bang for the buck, and there's been several times when they've added additional features on to my account without me asking or expecting all for the same price. Excellent customer service and response time. I'm currently hosting several domains through them.
www.jatol.com -- Great customer service and they seem very willing to help and make the customer happy. They handled the cancellation of my account quickly and professionally. I really had no reason to cancel them other than the fact that I decided to save a few bucks and just host all my domains under my techark.com account.
www.olm.net -- I found them to be highly professional the entire time I used them. Even when I cancelled my service, they conducted themselves in a business-like manner.
RECOMMENDED NAME REGISTRARS:
www.godaddy.com -- They have good prices and an easy to use interface. Also, I was impressed by the fact that I was able to call them on the telephone, someone answered, and was incredibly helpful.
OTHER HOSTS I'VE USED:
www.www-hosting.net -- I do not recommend or endorse this host in any way (aka WHN aka Web Hosting Network). They owe me money, and are not paying up.
Ryan Neeley aka Webgate Internet aka Techpages.com -- I do not recommend or endorse the use of Ryan Neeley for web hosting services. The website for his hosting service used to be www.webgateinternet.com, but that appears to be a totally different business now. It's possible he's not in the web hosting biz anymore.
www.ecommercediscovery.com -- My son is currently using this host. They have some very good packages, including one in which he's able to host five domains from the same control panel. Email freedom@ecommercediscovery.com for details. My only concern is with response time. They seem to go through periods where they're great in getting back to you, then they go through periods where you don't here from them for days and days. They might be worth a try though.
www.netacore.com -- I used this host briefly. The service was great and the price was right. I had no problems with customer service, and when I cancelled my service they handled it professionally. The problem I had with this host is that they got themselves on several email blacklists. My email is very important to me, and because of the extent of the problem I chose to cancel and move on. If they were ever able to get this problem straightened out, they'd be a good choice. I have a report from someone that they recently switched away from Netacore because of some extended down time after which they didn't get a response from support in a timely fashion. No idea what the story is there.
OTHER RESOURCES:
www.webhostingtalk.com -- A good forum that both web hosts and clients use. You can post what you're looking for, and you're bound to get several offers from various hosts.