Did I make a mistake?

Flavel · #1 (**permalink**) 10-16-2007, 07:14 PM

So, I bought my domain names from Godaddy.com. I actually purchased the .com version of my name for 10 years and the others ..ex...biz, .gov and so on for 2 years.

While I was on the phone, the sales person caught me in a buying fever lol. They told me about website tonight and how they had a premium plan for website tonight that would suit my needs.

I have never built a website before so I wanted something that was easy and could handle possibly 100 pages of info. The topic of my site is broad and covers the country which I will break-down by states.

By the time I was finished, I spent 360.00 for 3 years of website tonight, domain names, and hosting.

Today, I googled search hosting and review. All of the reviews about godaddy were negative. This concerns me. Some said that godaddy puts advertisements on your site and there is nothing you can do about it. Is this true? Also, can godaddy handle high traffic on a site? Did I make a mistake?

Does anyone have any experience with godaddy? If godaddy is a bust, what site do you recommend. Keep in mind that I need to be able to use their software to build a site. I want to be able to use Adsense and control what ads are on my site. In other words, I dont want someone else to make a profit and me not see a dime. My site will be an information site so Adsense will be key along with affiliate programs if I can obtain any. Also, this is my first time.

The sales person said I could change my order at any time. I would keep the domain names but would switch to a different host if godaddy is not on the up and up. Also, the salesperson said if I extended my domain to 10 years that it would help move me higher with search engines. Is this true?

I really want to start building the site, but I want to make sure I am with a good company. I tried to google reviews for SBI but could not find any magazine or independent reviews about it.

What I am looking for:
1. A hosting site that offers an easy web building tool that can handle many, many pages and is user friendly. Also, I want to be able to place tabs(not sure if that is right term) to allow easy navigation. ***Remember I am a beginner and this will be my first site.****I am reading books on HTML but it will be a long, long time before I can understand it lol.

2. A hosting site that can handle a high volume of traffic. Hopefully, my idea will take off after time and effort.

3. A hosting site that does not throw advertisement on my site. I want to be able to control what ads are on there.

4. Good customer service and 24/7 support.

5. A reasonable price. I cannot afford spending 500 bucks a year for it.

6. If I did make a mistake with godaddy, I need a hosting site that can transfer my domain names to them.

7. Also, I plan to add pictures to my site in relation to the topic, so the hosting site must be able to handle this. In addition, I hope to add a forum if my site recieves a decent amount of traffic.

I have no delusions of publishing my site quickly. In reality, it will take me months(prob 6-8) before I put it on-line.

I really appreciate any advice...

lisa · #2 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 10:28 AM

I use my reseller site to host this site, websitebabble, which is really the same as godaddy.com (they own the company and use the same servers) and I haven't had any problems.

If you do a search for almost any hosting company you are always going to find negatives about them and I think when you have a company as big as godaddy.com with as many customers as they have, there will always be a large number of complaints simply because of the number of customers.

Maybe someone else can chime in but I've never heard of them putting ads on your site? If you pay for your hosting that shouldn't happen.

I personally think you'll be fine with them as I've never had any problems. But that's just my experience.

ssmorgan · #3 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 11:49 AM

Even though I have not used godaddy before, I didn't think they would provide a bad hosting service, mainly because I have heard Lisa recommend it before.

Also, I think whoever told you about the ad posting:

a) maybe he/she had a free web hosting plan of some sort

b) maybe a discounted hosting plan, supported by ads

Either way, I am sure it would be listed upfront... I do not think a company like godaddy would get away with charging you the same amount as other web hosting companies and still display ads on your pages.

Since your message yesterday, have you tried it out? have you had any problems with them?

Flavel · #4 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 12:43 PM

I haven't tried it out yet SSMORGAN. My site entails alot of research that I am putting on word and according to Godaddy.com I can paste that in the text. In reality, it will probably take me a good 6 months of 4 to 8 hours of day to put all the info in there and present it the way I want it.

I sent their sales a dept an email asking about my plan and if I have total control of ads on the site when created. Before I invest my time into building a website, I want to make sure I am getting the service that I am paying for.

If they respond saying they do put ads on client's sites, then I will ask for a refund on everything but the Domain Names then search for different service.

If Godaddy does not work out, what service would you suggest?

I want a service that is user friendly, especially for someone who is not experienced in creating a website. I want to have total control of ads. I want good customer service. And eventually, I would like to be able to ad forums after I feel I receive enough traffic.

I do have one queston for you guys. The sales person at Godaddy.com said by purchasing my domain name for 10 years that it will move me up in the search engine rankings. Is this true?

Thanks,

ssmorgan · #5 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 12:58 PM

I have been using Hostgator.com for about a year now, and I think they're great... never had a problem with them, and in my experience, customer service has been great.

I do not think that buying a domain name for 1 or 10 years would help you in the search engines. I do know that Google likes domain names that are a little older... so maybe after a few years, Google will add value to your site ranking because it's been around for some time.

But Google's criteria change all the time. I wouldn't worry about the changes, though, because they tend to improve in the favor of better websites... for example, it would be able to distinguish (if they don't already) between a domain name that has been parked for 10 years versus a 10 year old site that continues to get updated with fresh content.

It sounds like you plan on doing quite a bit of work on your website... I hope you are not overwhelmed... enjoy it!

lisa · #6 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 01:30 PM

I second that. I just switched to Hostgator for one of my sites and I am very happy with them. I was amazed at the customer service. I called with a question and got someone immediately (an actual human!) without all the "Press 1 for this" and "Press 2 for that" now please hold for this...."

Flavel · #7 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 02:14 PM

OK, So I spoke w/Godaddy.com and they said once my site is built and published that I control all ads.

Now for the not so great news, I kinda explained to them what I was wanting to do wth my site and they said Website Tonight will not be able to handle what I want.

They said I could get a refund or get 6 years of 100g webhosting w/metropolis program if i wanted to. I am not sure what to do.

I do not have any exp with building a website and the site I want to build may be beyond my means. However, I am hoping there is a service/software that is available to a simpleton like me. Eventually, I plan to take classes and learn HTML, but I would like to be able to work on my site soon.

Basically I want my site to have the capability where they can click on a tab(not sure if that is right term) and a list of all 50 states becomes available. Then, I want them to be able to click on the state and they would then be able to see the information I am providing. This is an informative site with no service/products to sell..yet.

I want to be able to add photos and eventually a forum to this site.

So, with 50 states and hopefully expanding to other countries, this site could be pretty big.

Do you guys/gals have any suggestions for me? I know it is a pain to answer so many questions, but I would really appreciate your help.

Thanks so much...

ssmorgan · #8 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 02:40 PM

Hello Hello!

Do not feel bad at all about... it's not a pain at all answering your good questions!

Based on your needs, I would compare metropolis and hostgator as far as their capabilities to help you create a website. I want to say, however, that there is enough info and tools on the web to help you build a website, that it's not hard at all to build a website nowadays. Having said this, I would compare the different features between metropolis and hostgator.

Quick question: Godaddy recommended metropolis, probably because they have a back-end deal with them... but can you transfer to a different hosting company, like hostgator?

I would like to point something else out to you, just to think about...

Do you think it would be more useful/beneficial to create 50 sections of your website... 1 for each state? Or do you think that if you focus on the topic (instead of the different states) and go much deeper into the topic?

To elaborate, ...

Would it be better to have 1 topic/page for each state (total of 50 pages per topic) or create 50 pages about about the same topic (going much much deeper into your topic).

To decide, think about your audience: are they looking for basic information, or will they require to go very deep into the topic... There is no right or wrong answer here... it all depends on your interests, your goals, and the needs of your audience.

I realize that this is not addressing your primary question, but I figured I would bring up this issue right now to your attention.

Flavel · #9 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 03:17 PM

Thaks SSMorgan for taking the time to answer.

I could get the refund from godaddy and transfer my domain names to host gator. I dont think that would be a problem.

To your other question. I wanted my main(home) page to have the capability for the user to be able to click on the state/country they are interested in. By clicking on the name of the state/country, the site would navigate the to the appropriate page where the info would be. I am not sure if I am making sense but I hope that kinda answers your question. How is Hostgator's website building software?

I really appreciate the time you and Lisa have taken to answer my questions.

ssmorgan · #10 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 05:41 PM

You're Welcome!

I am sorry, but I haven't used Hostgator's website building software, but you can take the site builder for a test run before you sign up. Here is how:

1) go to http://www.hostgator.com/shared.shtml

2) click on the question mark next to "Site Builder"

3) Play around with the different templates, color schemes, etc.

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