Choosing a Joomla! host
The main thing to bear in mind when selecting a Web host is that this decision is no different than most: you typically get what you pay for.
Hosting services like GoDaddy and 1and1 are both affordable choices, and can deliverable reasonable results for your Joomla site. Recently, 1and1 added Joomla as a 'one click' install application through their control panel (cpanel). Be aware, though, that 1and1 limits the number of 'one click' applications based on the hosting package you select. If you're a do-it-yourselfer, and budget is an issue, but are reasonable solutions. In my experience, however, response times for database driven sites, including Joomla, can be painfully slow. Consider this example of a GoDaddy site: Stevens Point Rotary or this 1and1 site: Northern Wisconsin Veterinary Association.
My recommendation: look for hosts that have a reputation for hosting database driven sites. Rochen, for example, touts its 'one click' option for Joomla, Drupal and Word Press. My experience with Rochen started after I learned that they hosted Joomla.org and Joomlawisconsin.com. Compare their performance to the sites in the previous paragraph.
When you're making your decision, I recommend:
- Ask around; what are other developers using? What has their experience been like?
- Find example sites hosted by the company that use a similar technology set. Pay attention to server response on basic tasks, like clicking on links, and more sophisticated activity like search and shopping cart responsiveness.
- Research how the hosting company provides support.
- Confirm that backup is not only offered, but that they are directly available by you. Ideally, the cost of backup will be included in your monthly service fee, and not something you get forced to pay when your site is down and you're in a panic.
- Choose Linux hosting, not Windows; you'll have more flexibility