Even though the Internet is packed with thousands of cheap web hosting providers, only the best web hosting companies survive and continually improve on customer satisfaction year-over-year.  One of those top cheap web hosting companies is BlueHost.com.

Cheap Web Hosting - Exceptional Features! 

BlueHost has been providing web hosting services since 1996 and has been giving users the highest level of support through their well-trained staff.  Whether you are new to web hosting or a seasoned veteran, you’ll find their staff qualified to handle the needs of your business.

Free Domain With $6.95 Hosting Package

BlueHost offers one standard package with everything you could possibly need for a single website or blog to a fully functioning affiliate network of websites.  Since many of my readers are affiliate marketers, and those aspiring to become one, I recommend looking for a cheap web hosting company that offers a package that supports hosting unlimited domains.  Why?  Simple.  One cheap web hosting package can allow you to create multiple affiliate websites for one low monthly price!

Affiliate marketing is all about finding a niche, creating quality content, and earning money.  Suppose you have ideas for multiple niches?  Are you going to purchase a separate web hosting package for each website?  Now way!  That would cost you a fortune and new affiliates just starting out don’t have the inflow of cash yet to support that method.

This is why finding a cheap web hosting company that provides unlimited domains to be hosted from your account is so important.  With BlueHost.com, you have one administrative login to work from and you can create, deploy and manage as many additional top level domains (TLD’s) as you want.  You also get the option to enable Secure Shell (SSH) capability which I highly recommend.  This secure shell will allow you to use free applications like Putty to open up a console screen to your virtual web server for administrative tasks not easily done via the c-Panel GUI.

Instant Websites and Blogs! 

If cheap web hosting wasn’t enough, BlueHost also offers the Fantastico set of plug-ins free as part of the web hosting package.  There are about 50 plug-ins that are available, but two of the more popular ones for those wishing to create websites and blogs are Joomla Content Management System (CMS) and Wordpress (blogging).  In about 2 minutes, you can have yourself a fully functioning CMS system or blog and instantly start creating the content for your website. Now that’s a time saver and you don’t have to be a web guru to have a gorgeous website.

So, if you’re looking for cheap web hosting with exceptional features, support and reliability, look no further than BlueHost.com.

What is a Reseller Certificate? 

A Reseller Certificate allows you, through your business, to buy goods without paying tax.  It is your responsibility to collect the applicable taxes from your customers when they order the product from you.  Currently, most states require you to collect taxes from customers who reside in the state your business is registered in.

If you need to clarify your State’s position on collecting taxes, you should refer to your State’s tax webpage for current information.

Who Needs a Reseller Certificate?

Basically, if you purchase products with the intent to resell it to someone else, you should have a reseller certificate.  More importantly, the reseller certificate allows you to do business with wholesalers and distributors who normally require a valid Tax ID to open an account.  The wholesaler will ask you to provide a Resale Certificate as proof that the property is being purchased for resale.  This allows them to sell their products to you without having to collect taxes from you.  Essentially, they’re placing the burden of collecting taxes in your hands.  Whatever there reasons, if you don’t have a reseller certificate, they’re not going to give you business.

If you’re in the business of selling products online, check your State’s taxation website for information on how to obtain a Reseller Certificate.

For those users running a previous version of Wordpress, please be aware that Wordpress has released an important security fix which will bring your current release level to 2.3.3.

This security release will correct a flaw for those sites that have registration enabled.  A flaw was found in the XML-RPC implementation such that a specially crafted request could allow the hacker to modify users posts.

Also, if you are using the WP-Forum plug-in, an exploit was found in that module as well.

Please visit Wordpress to learn more about these exploits and download the XML-RPC patch or new Wordpress 2.3.3 release level.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve become a big fan of the Open Source community and those companies offering users alternatives to high price commercial products.  AntiVirus software has become a huge money making business for companies like Symantic and McAfee (and countless others).  At $40 - $75 per year for antivirus subscription software, it starts to get a little ridiculous on how far you have to go to protect an operating system that should be better equipped to handle virus threats to begin with (ie. Windows)!

I have been using AVG Free AntiVirus software from Grisoft for a couple of years, and have been very happy with the protection it has provided me.  Also, since it just does antivirus checking and repairing, your system won’t feel as sluggish as it does when using Symantec or McAfee’s suite of products.  Combine those features with zero cost, and you have yourself one great free antivirus product for your personal PC.

In addition to Free AntiVirus software, they also offer Free Anti-Spyware and Free Anti-Rootkit software.

The easiest and cheapest way for anyone to get started with their own personal or business website is with a shared hosting plan.  In general, web hosting is the storage and delivery of websites via the Internet.  Shared web hosting, which is also known as virtual web hosting, is the storage of files for multiple websites on a single server.  Each website is allocated its own amount of disk space, processor utilization, memory and bandwidth from the resources available on that single server.  Think of this as the slicing of an apple pie.  The pie as a whole is the server, and each piece cut is a unique website.

Advantages of Shared Web Hosting

The biggest advantage of shared web hosting is the cost.  Shared hosting is considerably less expensive than purchasing a dedicated server.  With a dedicated server, you are the only client on it, and all the resources are yours to do with as you please.  Also, with shared web hosting, the web host manages the server hardware and network resources.  Thereby, eliminating the need for the end-user to require technical staff to maintain the server.

Shared web hosting is a good idea for individuals and businesses with small web hosting needs and resources.  Some examples are blogs, home pages, and web sites with small to moderate web traffic.

Disadvantages of Shared Web Hosting

The biggest disadvantage of shared hosting is the lack of control over the server.  For those that have the technical expertise and want more control over the system resources, shared hosting can be a very difficult and frustrating experience.  Also, for those websites that do not want to chance another shared site causing the server to crash, probably wouldn’t want a shared service.  Larger e-commerce sites and high traffic sites should look to dedicated servers.

Recommendation

When looking for a web host, ask yourself what you need it for.  If you’re doing a blog, or an informational website, chances are a shared web host will be perfect for you.  If you need e-commerce or anticipate huge amounts of web traffic, you may want to look at a dedicated server.  Remember, you can always upgrade if the need arises.  So, if start-up money is an issue, start with a shared and grow your business as needed.

If you’re looking for a excellent award winning web hosting company that has been around awhile with a solid reputation, take a look at HostGator.com.  They have shared web hosting plans starting at $4.95 per month, offer cPanel control panel, free Fantastico scripts (Wordpress, Joomla, and dozens more), and of course, their 45-day money back guarantee.

I personally use them, after having tried many other hosting companies, and have found their service and tech support to be very knowledgeable, helpful and prompt.  Whatever your needs, you’ll find HostGator to be top notch.