WordPress Templates That Mimic html Sites

Posted on December 3, 2008
Filed Under free, install wordpress, HostJacker Web Hosting, Resources, wordpress | Leave a Comment

There are several bonuses at HostJacker.com that aren’t proprietary information.  After talking to the supervisor at tech support, they’ve given me permission to release a few of them to anyone who reads this blog, and in return I’ve given them the download for the SEO plugins pack to put in their Extra Bonuses section..  The first one I have for you is really useful.  It’s a collection of WordPress templates that are designed to look more like conventional html web sites.  By using these templates and writing “pages”, instead of posts, you can create a web site that looks a lot like a html web site, without coding anything in html.

To download the templates, just “Right click” on the link below and choose “Save…”.  It’s a zip file with the templates all as zip files inside it.  If you wind up building your site using one of these, drop me a line in comments so I can go take a look at it.

WordPress Template Download

New Additions and Upgrades at HostJacker

Posted on November 28, 2008
Filed Under upgrade, Best Web Hosting Company, HostJacker Web Hosting, bonus, Elefante scripts, wysiwyg, SiteBuilder 1.8, e-commerce web host, cheap web host, web hosting deals, web hosting company, web hosting, web hosting review, webhosting reviews, business web hosting, cheap web hosting, web host | Leave a Comment

HostJacker.com has made some excellent changes and improvements in the last few weeks, and they make them an even better deal than before.  The basic available plans and prices have remained the same, but upgrades to the systems and some of their bonus features makes it an even easier host to use.  The addition of several new bonuses and links makes them an even more inclusive “one stop shop” for all of your hosting and web site building needs.

I have mentioned before, in a previous article, that it is a good idea to go right to the source for any scripts that you want to install, such as WordPress or Joomla, rather than using the ones provided by your hosting company, no matter who that is.  This is mainly to insure that you get the latest versions, and you still had to install a database yourself, anyway.  Well, now HostJacker has made it a really easy process, and made it unnecessary to use the source of the script for your install.  They have just upgraded their Elefante script installer to include all of the most current versions of all of the 40+ scripts they offer.  They have also upgraded their script installer to be almost completely automatic, using the Elefante Toolbar.  You just choose the script, pick the site to host it, and with one click of the “Install” button, the installer automatically chooses the database info, and generates all of the other necessary information without you having to fill it in.  If you want to do it yourself, you can still use the Advanced Installation link to hand fill in the parameters, but it’s really not necessary.

In addition, they have just upgraded to the latest version of their online website tool, to SiteBuilder version 1.8.  The new version is easier to use, has more available templates and options, and a fully integrated payment gateway and web store for e-commerce web sites.  Although I’d still recommend using an inexpensive html editor like 123 WYSIWYG HTMLEditor (this link gets you the special discount) to build a large website, this new version of SiteBuilder gives you a lot more flexibilty for building small to medium sized sites, and it’s free with your hosting package.

In their Extra Bonuses section, HostJacker has added several new items that every web site needs, but many don’t have.  There is now a downloadable robots.txt file included.  This is a basic version that gives search engine robots permission to index your entire web site, which is perfect for most sites out there.  You can modify it with NotePad if you wnat to restrict access in some way, although 99.9% of you won’t need to.  They have also added links to a free Google Site Map Generator and a Broken Links checker.  These are excellent tools to use to make your web site better and more accessible to humnas and the net’s major search engines.

In the next few weeks they’re also going to add a free download of a generic version of both a Terms of Use page and a Privacy Policy page.  You’ll just edit in some basic info for your web site, copy and paste the entire thing into your web site template, and code a link to each onto your main page (or all pages) of your website.  Not only do these pages help keep you out of legal trouble, but they’re one thing that Google supposedly looks for in evaluating and ranking your site.  I’ll let you know when I see that they’ve been added.

Accessing these extras is easy.  After choosing and signing up for your hosting package, click on the “Extra Bonuses From HostJacker” link from the HostJacker.com main page.  From there, you just fill out the short form with your name, email address and receipt number, and they’ll email you the link to the bonuses.  Although several of my original Top Picks for hosting have changed for the worse in the last year, I’m glad to say that my number one pick, and the hosting company I personally use, keeps getting better and better.  You can use the folowing link to find out more about my choice for best web host.

HostMonster Changes Their Hosting Plan

Posted on October 24, 2008
Filed Under HostMonster Hosting, Best Web Hosting Company, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited web space, business web hosting, webhosting reviews, web hosting, web hosting company, web hosting review, web host | Leave a Comment

Just so you know, this web hosting review site isn’t a static web site.  The two main reasons I designed this site using a blog, were so that I could continue to monitor the available hosting plans out there and comment on them, and so I could answer your comments and questions regarding hosting, hosting companies and web site building.  I really do appreciate all of the comments and emails I receive, and I’ll try to respond to all of them.

Recently, HostMonster Hosting changed their hosting plan (they only offer one option), and I don’t think it was a change for the better.  Overall, their prices have gone up, although a “Special Promo” price for a three year contract has been introduced.  My main problem with them is that they have changed their plan to promoting “unlimited” space and bandwidth, but admitting in some hidden fine print that they really can’t live up to that offer.  My main concern with them initially was their somewhat tricky and deceptive pricing and marketing, and this change makes me even more concerned.

HostMonster is a premium host.  They used to have a good hosting plan for a decent price, and made my list as first runner-up for the Best Web Hosting Company.  Near the top of this list, my concerns with each company were decreasing, and HostMonster really only had a few things that separated it from the top host. However, these recent changes at their site means I have to drop them down in my rankings. See the bold comment below for more on this problem.

Basically, this company still meets almost all of my minimum requirements for a great host. They offer 24/7 support, with a choice of email ticket, live chat or phone support, and a 30 day money back guarantee. They give you all of the basic tools and scripts you’ll need, a free domain name with hosting, and the ability to host an unlimited number of domains.

HostMonster does offer quarterly and semi-annual payment options, but these aren’t very attractive to the spammers or phishers that simply want to set up an account that they know will be canceled (or to anyone else, for that matter). Both of these options require a $30 non-refundable set-up fee, plus $10 for domain name registration, and cost $9.95 a month. When there are really cheap web hosts offering these low-lifes a throw away account for $1-$4, they aren’t going to want to spend almost $70 to get one here. You can click the following link to go directly to the HostMonster Web Site..

My main concerns about HostMonster are;

  1. The fact that they only offer one hosting plan
  2. Their pricing, and the advertising they use to promote it
  3. Although their support is relatively quick and has been reliable, they don’t offer any kind of support response time guarantee.
  4. They are now saying they offer “unlimited” space and bandwidth, but on a shared server, such claims are never without limits, and now you just don’t know what they are.

Their main page lists all of the features for their one hosting offer, and shows the price as $6.95 a month. (On “Special Promo” right now for $4.95, as of 10/23/08) This price applies only if you sign up for 3 years, paid in advance. The price for a standard one year contract is actually $8.95 a month. This is a decent price, and I’d feel a little better about them if they advertised it right up front, and then offered the discount for the 2 or 3 year term. Signing up for a year or more also eliminates the $30 set-up fee, which is another of my requirements, and gets you you one free domain name registration. Additional domain names are a good deal, at only $10 each.

Recently, (10/15/08) they changed their only offer for hosting from 1,500 GB of space and 15,000 GB of bandwidth, to one offering unlimited space and bandwidth. However, hidden in their Help section, under Overwhelming Traffic, is this comment.

“Our servers include several hundred websites, and so many users share the same resources, including disk space, processor (CPU), and bandwidth limits (the speed and capacity of the Internet connection). If one website becomes extraordinarily popular it can threaten access to the web servers resources, which it shares with other sites, and so may be temporarily taken offline.”

Basically, HostMonster is just stating what I’ve already told you before about “unlimited” space and bandwidth hosting plans.  Neither really exists.  If it did, huge popular web sites like YouTube and MySpace would all be hosting their web sites for $4.95 a month, instead of spending tens of thousands of dollars a month to maintain their own servers and internet connections.  If you do succeed, and your web site becomes too popular, you will have to move your web site somewhere besides HostMonster for hosting, or be faced with it being shut down at its busiest times.  The difference now is, you just don’t know how much bandwidth you can use before that happens!

Here’s a link to my initial review of HostMonster hosting, and here are the basics of the new HostMonster hosting package;

HostMonster was a really good choice for hosting your web site. I’d prefer some kind of support guarantee, and I’ve always wished they were more “up-front” about their true cost. But, since they recently changed to offering “unlimited” space and bandwidth, I have a real problem with their marketing message versus what they can really deliver. I’ll be investigating this issue further, but it may result in HostMonster dropping significantly in these rankings. After further evaluation, I’ll give you some idea where they wind up, or if I’m dropping them from the list. You can use this link to go directly to HostMonster Hosting.

The good news is, my number one pick for the Best Web Host hasn’t changed.  HostJacker still offers the best premium hosting plans at the best price, with excellent service and tech support.  Their extra free bonuses and discounts on other software and marketing tools are just icing on the cake.

I’m also in the process of checking out three other hosting companies that I was asked about in recent emails.  As soon as that research is finished and I’ve made my decision about HostMonster, I’ll publish a new post with the revised rankings and links to all of my Top Web Hosts.

WordPress Installation - Part 3

Posted on October 22, 2008
Filed Under database, Best Web Hosting Company, install wordpress, plug-ins, htaccess, HostJacker Web Hosting, Control Panel, web hosting company, wordpress, Resources, Scripts, web host | Leave a Comment

This is the last step to installing WordPress on your website, and the easiest to do.  The video will take you through it, step by step.  I’ll point out one important step you need to take, and a tweak you need to do to make sure your blog goes live without a hitch.  Here is some info, in written form, from the video, to help you with the install.

  1. If WordPress is the only thing on your website, (you renamed the folder in the last video to be public_html) your address to install is http://www.yourwebsitename.com/wp-admin/install.php 
  2. If WordPress is part of a larger web site (you renamed your folder to something else in the last video, let’s say “blog”) your address to install is http://www.yourwebsitename.com/blog/wp-admin/install.php
  3. Theline of text you need to add at the bottom of your blog’s htaccess file is this:     DirectoryIndex index.php

Watch the video to see what these three things refer to.  In my next video, I’ll answer some questions I’ve recieved about installing additional themes and plug-ins (like the free plug-in pack in the last post).  You can download it now, and I’ll explain how to install them next time.

Excellent WordPress Plugin Pack

Posted on October 18, 2008
Filed Under SEO, search engine optimization, free, Youtube, plug-ins, wordpress, Resources, Scripts, web site | Leave a Comment

I just downloaded and installed a bunch of excellent plug-ins on this blog.  One actually fixed all of the problems I’ve been having with videos resolving correctly in Firefox.  The others are mainly designed to help you with getting some good, automatic SEO for your blog, to help it get indexed and listed in the search engines.  The whole process takes about 10 minutes and is really worth it.  I’ve packaged the whole deal into a zipped download below.  Just right click and choose “Save As” to download it.  Once you unzip the file, upload each plug-in separately to your plug-in folder (under wp-content).  Then go to your blog’s administration panel and activate each plug-in.  A few of them need additional set up under the “Options” tab, once they’re activated.  Also, check out the “Read Me” file for the Youtube plug-in to see how to easily use it.

Best Plugins Pack

By the way, for those of you who emailed me asking, the final video in the series on installing WordPress will be up in a day or two.  But, essentially, this is the easiest part of the process.  Just navigate in any web browser (IE or Firfox or Mozilla, whatever) to your blog’s location.  This will be www.yourwebsitename.com/yourblogname, if you have your blog as part of your web site, or www.yourwebsitename.com, if your blog is the only thing in your website.  Then just follow the prompts on the screen.  Make sure you write down the PASSWORD it creates for you!   And use a real email address, it’s the only way to reset your password, if you forget it.

If everything works, you’re all set to begin posting.  I’ll post some notes to help with issues with the next video.  Most of these problems only occur when you’re adding a blog to an existing web site, and I’ll give you the solutions next time.

Uploading WordPress to Your Web Site

Posted on October 17, 2008
Filed Under web hosting | Leave a Comment

This is Part 2 of Installing a WordPress blog on your web site. This video will show you how to download the latest version of WordPress, configure it, and upload it to your web site using the free FTP software Filezilla. Below are the links to use to get Wordpress and Filezilla.

WordPress Download

Filezilla Download

In Part 3, I’ll show you how to do the actual install for WordPress, which is the easiest part of the process.

Installing a Database for WordPress

Posted on September 27, 2008
Filed Under HostJacker Web Hosting, database, software, install wordpress, Scripts, Resources, web hosting company, web site, wordpress, web host | Leave a Comment

In response to several e-mails I received, I’m going to do a series of posts on installing a database and a WordPress blog on your website.  The easy install for WordPress at Hostjacker, and every other host, still requires that you install a database for your WordPress blog to use.  I’m assuming that you’re going to install WordPress at your hostJacker hosting account the other way, (which I suggest, to be sure that you’re getting the latest version) by downloading the software from http://www.wordpress.org.

This first video will show you how to install the database in just about one minute, start to finish.  You can also download a clearer version of the video by right clicking the link below and choosing Save Link As or Save Target As: Install a Database .  Watch the video, and let me know what you think.

1. HostJacker Premium Hosting Review

Posted on May 1, 2008
Filed Under e-commerce web host, cheap web host, Control Panel, Site Builder, Best Web Hosting Company, HostJacker Web Hosting, business web hosting, cheap web hosting, web hosting company, web hosting, web hosting deals, web hosting review, webhosting reviews, web host | Leave a Comment

Click the following to go directly to the HostJacker website.

HostJacker is my top pick for web hosting, after researching literally hundreds of different hosts and hosting plans. My top three reasons for choosing them are support, space, bandwidth and bonuses, and their incredibly fair price. Since they are my top pick, I obviously haven’t found any real concerns with HostJacker, and it was diificult to even come up with anything minor to complain about. After giving it a lot of thought, I did manage to come up with two small things that might be of concern to a complete newcomer to building a website.

First, Hostjacker has an international presence, with servers located in both the USA and UK. Their support is based in the UK, so if you use the phone support, you may get someone with a British accent. I’ve only had to use phone support once (and it was for a pretty advanced issue that most people will probably never run into), and the accent wasn’t a problem for me. Then again, two of my grandparents were British and had strong accents, so it was actually a bit nostalgic for me. The point is, HostJacker’s ticket support is so prompt, helpful and efficient, you’ll probably never find it necessary to use phone support.

Second, the free Sitebuilder they offer probably wouldn’t be my first choice among online site builders. Its not a bad piece of software, especially if you’re new to building a web site, but I have seen and used a better one. Still, HostJacker does provide it for free, it is easy to learn and use, and its perfectly good for building a small personal or brochure site.  For a large, multi page web site or an e-commerce sales site, your best bet is to use an off-line WYSIWYG editor.  The Resources page has a couple of good ones listed.

As you know, my most important criteria for any web host is their tech support. Especially if you’re a beginner, you need a variety of options and prompt service. HostJacker offers a searchable database and FAQ and online video tutorials for many functions you’ll need to accomplish. They also have email ticket, live chat and phone support available. They have support 24/7, and even have a one hour support response guarantee! This is something that no other host I could find offered. From personal experience, their average for support response is even less than the 20 minutes quoted on the web site. They actually have simply fixed an issue for me, behind the scenes, and then notified me by email of what they had done, and how I could do it myself in the future, all in less than 15 minutes.

HostJacker offers 3 different plans, and any of them give you ample space and bandwidth for your website or sites. Their smallest plan has the ability to host 3 separate web sites, and their largest gives you the ability to host an unlimited number of sites, up to your available space and bandwidth. I’ll talk about the smallest plan here, and you can visit the HostJacker website to find out more about the other two. All three plans are very reasonably priced for what they offer, and extra domain names are less than $10 each. They only accept payment for a yearly term, so spammers and phishers aren’t likely to favor this web host, which is another big plus in my book. Not only do they offer the full suite of bonuses found at many webhosts, they also have an “Extra Bonuses” area that gives you an assortment of SEO tools, PPC credits and other useful bonuses that you simply won’t find anywhere else. A few of these are large discounts on a product or service, but 90% of them are free. I especially like that they spell out in plain English what you get, and whether or not it will cost you anything. Here are the basics of the HostJacker “Business Hosting Plan”;

If, like me, having prompt, knowledgable and helpful tech support available to assist you 24/7 is a major priority in choosing a reliable web host, then the only choice is HostJacker. To find out more or sign up for your account, just click this link to go to HostJacker Hosting.

2. HostMonster Hosting Review

Posted on April 21, 2008
Filed Under cheap web hosting, business web hosting, e-commerce web host, HostMonster Hosting, webhosting reviews, web hosting review, web hosting, web hosting company, web hosting deals, web host | Leave a Comment

Click the following to go directly to the HostMonster Web Site.

HostMonster is a premium host with a good hosting plan for a decent price, and makes my list as first runner-up for the Best Web Hosting Company. As we approach the top of this list, my concerns with each company decrease, and HostMonster really only has a few things that separate it from the top host. Basically, this company meets all of my minimum requirements for a great host. They offer 24/7 support, with a choice of email ticket, live chat or phone support, and a 30 day money back guarantee. They give you a good sized account, with all of the basic tools and scripts you’ll need, a free domain name with hosting, and the ability to host an unlimited number of domains.

HostMonster does offer quarterly and semi-annual payment options, but these aren’t very attractive to the spammers or phishers that simply want to set up an account that they know will be canceled (or to anyone else, for that matter). Both of these options require a $30 non-refundable set-up fee, and cost $8.95 a month. When there are really cheap web hosts offering these low-lifes a throw away account for $1-$4, they aren’t going to want to spend almost $70 to get one here.

My main concerns about HostMonster are;

  1. The fact that they only offer one hosting plan
  2. Their pricing, and the advertising they use to promote it
  3. Although their support is relatively quick and has been reliable, they don’t offer any kind of support response time guarantee.

Their main page lists all of the features for their one hosting offer, and shows the price as $6.95 a month. This price applies only if you sign up for 2 years, paid in advance. The price for a standard one year contract is actually $7.95 a month. This is a decent price, and I’d feel better about them if they advertised it right up front, and then offered the discount for the 2 year term. Signing up for a year or more also eliminates the $30 set-up fee, which is another of my requirements. Additional domain names are a good deal, at only $10 each. Here are the basics of the HostMonster hosting package;

HostMonster is a really good choice for your web hosting. I’d prefer some kind of support guarantee, and I wish they were more “up-front” about their true cost. But, overall, they are an excellent choice for hosting your web site. You can keep reading to find out about my Top Hosting pick, or click this link to find out more about HostMonster Hosting.

3. Nexx Web Hosting Review

Posted on April 14, 2008
Filed Under cheap web hosting, business web hosting, e-commerce web host, Nexx Web Hosting, webhosting reviews, web hosting review, web hosting, web hosting company, web hosting deals, web host | Leave a Comment

Click the following to go to the Nexx Web Hosting web site.

Nexx Web hosting is offers a decent sized plan with unlimited domains, 24/7 support via email ticket and phone, all for a reasonable price. Nexx is a fairly well known company, and makes the top ten of at least one other review site. I found them to be a really good host, but the space and bandwidth they offer for the cost isn’t quite as good as my Top Two hosts. Still, I only have a few problems with Nexx Hosting, and they basically all relate to value for your money. Here they are;

  1. They only offer one plan, and you only get 300 GB of space and 3,000 GB of bandwidth for $7.95 a month
  2. They advertise their price as a “special 20% off” deal, compared to what they say is their regular price of $9.95 a month
  3. You get only a basic scripts package (although it should be sufficient for most people), and they don’t offer an online Site Builder
  4. Although their support isn’t a real issue (most support emails are responded to within 4 hours, 90% within 8 hours), there is no support response time guarantee
  5. No uptime guarantee is listed on the web site

Nexx Hosting’s main claim to fame is that they offer both Linux and Windows hosting available on the same account. To me, this isn’t a big deal, since I feel that the Linux platform is more stable, and definitely the best choice for most users. Still, if you require Windows hosting for some of your applications, or for an already built web site, Nexx offers Windows hosting for an unbeatable price. Most web hosts only offer your choice of one or the other, and Windows hosting is usually a more expensive option. Since Nexx 24/7 support, offers a free domain name and unlimited domain hosting, and has a 30 day money back guarantee, they would be my first pick if I needed or really wanted Windows hosting. Here are the basics of the Nexx hosting plan;

Basically, Nexx hosting is a good plan for a decent price, but it doesn’t include some of the extras, like an online Site Builder, a wide assortment of one click scripts, and advertising bonuses, that I’ve found to be extremely useful in setting up and promoting a web site. If you need Windows hosting, however, they would be my first choice. Otherwise, especially if you’re a real newbie at building a web site, one of my Top Two Hosts would be a better choice. They both offer Linux hosting, and give you more space and bonuses for the same (or less) money. Click this link to find out more about Nexx Web Hosting.

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