Photography Web Hosting

How to choose the best web host for photographers

(yeah, yeah, yeah... just show me the hosting companies you recommend.)

Being a photographer and needing a website often go hand in hand. Whether you want a website to share your pics with your friends or your need a place to display your professional portfolio, you're going to need a hosting service. Not the most fun part of your online adventure, but a bridge you must cross none-the-less. This lens is designed to help you save time and compare some of the top hosting comapnies all in one spot.

Criteria for a good photographers web host

Now every photographer will need something a little different from their web hosting company, but there are three things are all photographers will need to consider, namely (we'll look at these more in depth below):

1. Space - Photos take up space. So, number one thing to look for is the amount of space your potential web host is offering.
2. Bandwidth - Again, photos can be big. So, the more bandwidth you're allowed to use the better.
3. Price - Lets face it... all things being equal, you'd rather pay less.

This lens is designed to help you check out several of the leading web hosting providers and compare on some of the most important factors of a photographer like yourself. Now you don't have to search the web for hours looking for the right host for your new photo website. Everything is right here. Just review the information, select the one that looks best for you, click the banner and get started on your way to unleashing your photography to the world.

Space needed for hosting a photographers web site

In web hosting "space" is defined as the amount of hard drive memory that the company will allow your website and all its assets (text, pictures, code, programs, videos, ect) to take up.

This is a lot like the hard drive on your computer. When you buy a computer it comes with a hard drive. Once you fill up your hard drive with information (programs, files, pics, etc) then you can not add anything else to it.

Web hosting companies work in the same way with one major difference. Since they have an almost endless amount of storage space, if you go over your alloted space you will most likely just get slapped with a charge from the company. So, it is always best to overshoot a little when looking for space needs.

So, how much space do you need?

Well, that depends on how many pictures you'll be hosting on your site. If you are a professional photographer hosting thousands of pictures... I'd just be safe and go with an unlimited package (it isn't that much more expensive). If I'm just an armature or I'm hosting my pictures on another site like, smugmug or flickr, then a smaller hosting package will be more than sufficient.

How much bandwith do I need?

uh... what is bandwidth?

Bandwidth is the amount of data you transfer to and from your web host's server.

Every time someone loads your website, the hosting company is sending packets of information to and from the server. The more pictures you have and the bigger they are, the more bandwidth you are using.

So, again, if you are a professional with lots of photos, or an amateur who will be getting a lot of traffic to your site, it is better to go with a package that gives you room to grow.

Here again, going with a package that offers unlimited bandwidth is always the safest bet. But most average sites will not have to worry about bandwidth too much.

What should I expect to pay for hosting my photography web site?

Yes, you're going to have to pay

Well, thankfully there is a LOT of competition out there in the web hosting market and, for the most part, everyone seems to offer very similar packages.

That said, you should plan on spending somewhere between $50 and $150 a year for hosting your photography website.

I've tried to highlight some of the goodies that each hosting company offers that sets them apart from their competition and why they might be more or less that the others.

Now the Search for a Photography Web Host Begins

lets go shopping...

Ok, below I have listed 8 web hosting companies that will meet the needs of a photographer looking for web hosting. I've listed the space they offer, the bandwidth limits, and the price. Along with that I have listed some of the goodies they offer that set them apart from the others. If you find one you like, just click the banner ad and it will take you to the companies website... and you're on your own from there.

Good luck. Here we go:

DreamHost

BEST DEAL EVER!

Space: UNLIMITED + 50GB
Bandwidth: UNLIMITED
Price: $4.00 per month!!! (RULES: Must purchase the 1 year hosting plan AND use the coupon code: PHOTOHOSTING)

Special: 100% carbon-neutral, Employee owned, FREE DOMAIN NAME

Other Goodies: You need it, they have it!

Verdict: Seriously, shop around. All the hosts on the page are great, but this deal is unbeatable. The power of DreamHost at a price you can afford. DON'T PASS THIS UP!

Good Avacado

DISCOUNT CODE!

Space: 300 GB
Bandwidth: 1,000 GB
Price: $14.95 per month

Special: 100% carbon-neutral, powered by wind and solar offsets, tree planting initiative, supporting non-profits, committed to sustainable growth

Other Goodies: Unlimited databases, host unlimited websites, unlimited mailboxes, PHP, Ruby on Rails, 100% uptime guarantee

Verdict: A powerful green solution!

Sign Up Now To Save $15 Off Any Of The Hosting Plans. Coupon Code:GAA931WU

JumpLaunch

Space: 600 GB
Bandwidth: 6,000 GB
Price: $5.95 per month

Other Goodies Include: FREE Domain, FREE Setup, Web Statistics, Cpanel - Control Panel, E-commerce Enabled, $30 google ads Credit, $50 yahoo Credit

Verdict: Great hosting provider with everything you'll need!"

Best Web Hosting Plan! 600 GB Space, 6,000 GB Bandwidth - only $5.95/mo!

ThinkHost

COUPON CODE!

Special web hosting offer - LIMITED TIME ONLY

Space:100 GB
Bandwidth: 6,000 GB
Price: $9.95 per month (SAVE 20% with the code THINKHOST20)

Special: ThinkHost is a green web hosting company and is powered by wind and sun... pretty cool!

Other Goodies Include: Host unlimited databases, unlimited domains, unlimited email accounts, free shopping cart, free CMS software, free blog software

Verdict: Want to go green and get great hosting, ThinkHost
is where you need to be!

Dotster

COUPON CODE!

Space: 5 packages from 5 GB to 50GB
Bandwidth: 250 GB to 2,000 GB
Price: $5.25 to $22.95

Other Goodies Include: With so many packages, it is hard to put all the goodies here.

Verdict: Dotster has a great reputation in the hosting industry and is a sold choice.

COUPON CODES:
- Buy one years web hosting and get six months free!
The Code: SixMonths
- Buy two years web hosting and get one year free!
The Code: 1YearFree

5 Free Domains At Dotster With Any Hosting Package! Enter Coupon Code "5FORFREE"

Host Monster

Space: 600 GB
Bandwidth: 6,000 GB
Price: $6.95 per month

Other Goodies Include: Free Domain Name, host unlimited domains, site builder, unlimited email accounts (pop3 and IMAP), 100 MySQL Databases, and many other hosting goodies.

Verdict: A solid solution for hosting a photography website. In fact, this is the company I use for my site Photoshop Video Tutorials

Start Logic

Space: 600 GB
Bandwidth: 6,000 GB
Price: $5.95 per month

Other Goodies Include: Free Domain Name, 30 Day Money Back Guarantee, web templates, unlimited email accounts, 25 MySQL Databases, and many other hosting goodies.

Verdict: Some limitations (compared to others) but the 30 Day Money Back Guarantee is nice. A good option for the nervous at heart.

I Power

Space: 5 GB / 600 GB / 750 GB
Bandwidth: 250 GB / 6,000 GB / UNLIMITED
Price: $3.95 / $4.95 / $12.95

Other Goodies Include: Each package is a little bit different. The $3.95 packages isn't that great, but the other two are wonderful. Lots of options and goodies. Very sweet!

Verdict: Great packages and GREAT PRICES. A really great option. Highly recommended.

iPower - The Leader in Web Hosting

Blue Host

Space: 600 GB
Bandwidth: 6,000 GB
Price: $6.95 per month

Other Goodies Include: Free domain forever, site builder, 24/7 support, 50 MySQL databases, Host unlimited domains

Verdict: Good offer, nothing special there. What makes them stand out is service. I can vouch that their customer service is really responsive and helpful. Always a positive.

Fat Cow

Space: 300 GB
Bandwidth: 3,000 GB
Price: $88 per year

Other Goodies Include: Site creation tools, unlimited email accounts, 30 day money back guarantee, E-store builder

Verdict: With slightly higher price, slightly lower goodies... I'll be honest... The duck got them on the site... that, and the ability to carry a theme as far as one can.

Host Gator

Space: 350 GB / 600 GB / 1,000 GB
Bandwidth: 3,000 GB / 6,000 GB / UNLIMITED
Price: $4.95 / $7.95 / $12.95

Other Goodies Include: Each package is a little bit different and each one is a pretty good deal. Check out the site and compare for yourself, but all looks good.

Verdict: Options to choose from and good offers on all of them... worth looking into further.

Easy CGI

Space: 350 GB / 500 GB / 750 GB
Bandwidth: 3,500 GB / 5,000 GB / 750 GB
Price: $7.96 / $15.96 / $21.56

Other Goodies Include: Unlike other mult-level host offers, Easy CGI gives you almost the same exact goodies on each package (how nice). Money back guarantee and 24/7 phone support are always nice!

Verdict: A little more pricey than others, but as the saying goes, "you get what you pay for."

hostIcan

Space: 200 GB / 500 GB
Bandwidth: 2,500 GB / UNLIMITED
Price: $6.95 / $10.95 per month

Other Goodies Include: Free domain for life, unlimited email, fantastico, website templates, and many other goodies.

Verdict: I use hostIcan for some of my sites (including this one) and have been very pleased. A good solid choice.

Photography Web Hosting

How to choose the best web host for photographers

Contents at a Glance

Contents at a Glance

Criteria for a good photographers web host

Space needed for hosting a photographers web site

How much bandwith do I need?

uh... what is bandwidth?

What should I expect to pay for hosting my photography web site?

Yes, you're going to have to pay

Now the Search for a Photography Web Host Begins

lets go shopping...

DreamHost

BEST DEAL EVER!

Good Avacado

DISCOUNT CODE!

JumpLaunch

ThinkHost

COUPON CODE!

Dotster

COUPON CODE!

Host Monster

Start Logic

I Power

Blue Host

Fat Cow

Host Gator

Easy CGI

hostIcan

Photography and Hosting Links

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