17 of 26

The first step in creating this site was to decide on a domain name registrar and a web host.  Fortunately, my wife (who definitely does her research!)  has owned several domains for a while now so I just asked her who I should use.

For a domain name registrar, her answer was DreamHost.  Their registration fee is fairly standard ($9.95/year) and they offer a privacy service which hides your personal contact information from WHOIS queries.  This was definitely something I would want and is not offered by all registrars – I was (very easily) convinced.

When it came to the web host, my wife suggested Host Gator.  I did a quick comparison of their prices to DreamHost, and Host Gator was significantly cheaper.  A basic plan that hosts one domain is $4.95/month if you pre-pay for 3 years (per month costs are a bit higher for shorter terms).  They’re also currently having a 20% off summer sale if you sign up before August 1st.  I signed up for two years and with the 20% off I felt like I got a pretty darn good deal.

Next:  Creating 17of26.com