# Is Ipage as good as the reviews say?



## bigheadnick

So, I'm a small business start up looking for a good hosting site, Ipage LOOKS the best but is it? Are there better alternatives? I do home improvement and repair and I need something very user friendly with easy ability to change and update my portfolio of work as time goes by.Something weighed heavily toward first page search results.I figure a 3-5 page layout, no shopping cart, but may be picture and/or slide show heavy.Ive dipped my feet into a couple of these sites and they are all pushing the extra security options with fees attached.,are these important for a site like mine or just another way to make $ for the hosting sites? Ideas suggestions greatly appreciated thank you.


----------



## bigheadnick

I actually think I posted in the wrong section here.Could a mod please move my thread to the correct one? thank you


----------



## Laxer

I have requested this thread to be moved to the appropriate section,

as fore Ipage, i have not personally used them but their prices seem pretty good.

My main concern for you is about building the site, some of the hosts offer templates to use for your site. Most of the time these will cost you extra money and you will end up paying almost twice the annual fees.

On average i would say you will end up paying about $60/year for your site. This includes the domain.

If you don't have knowledge of web design i would highly suggest you confirm with your host that they support popular Content Management Systems (CMS). What a CMS does is it gives a user friendly interface for creating the actual site itself.


----------



## bigheadnick

Thanks for getting the thread moved and the response.So is there a particular hosting site you would recommend the most?And understanding weather or not I need these extra security options is important to.I wouldn't figure my site to be a target but I really don't know.They all seem to have positives and negatives but I just cant settle on one.I think Ive got it narrowed down to either yahoo or ipage. Ipage offers free yellow book listing where yahoo doesnt but I would figure having yahoo as the host grants a lot of weight with yahoo search engine.Yahoo is cheaper up front but more $ by the year.They both offer free website builders and templates as most others do as well and these are a must for me as I'm illiterate when it comes to web design.I really want to make the right call on this as it could greatly impact weather my bus is successful or not.Price is a factor but not the be all end all.


----------



## mcorton

I can recommend several great hosts depending on what your site is all about. What do you do?


----------



## bigheadnick

mcorton said:


> I can recommend several great hosts depending on what your site is all about. What do you do?


home improvement
my needs:
*as much search engine traffic as possible
*listing in online directories IE: yellow pages
*<$75 to start
*domain security
*user friendly so I can continually update and change as needed

AND SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME IF I SHOULD SIGN UP FOR THE EXTRA SECURITY OPTIONS OR ARE THEY NEEDED? thank you


----------



## Laxer

bigheadnick said:


> AND SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME IF I SHOULD SIGN UP FOR THE EXTRA SECURITY OPTIONS OR ARE THEY NEEDED? thank you


I would say no, you don't have any DBs, or sensitive information i would imagine. Just general security should be sufficient.

I have only ever used 3 hosts: Godaddy, HostGator, and Inmotion hosting. When we purchased the hosting it was for unlimited FTP accounts and bandwidth, I am not sure about how each host deals with smaller sites such as the one you are building.


----------



## mcorton

For what you need I have the following suggestions.
1. Buy your domain from Godaddy.com. Do a Google search for "godaddy discount codes." There's always several running.

For hosting I would recommend the following. If you don't need a lot of databases or scripts I'd suggest justhost.com. They're one of the hosts I use. They have litespeed servers, better than average tech support, and I've never had any down time at all. 

If you think you'll be using PHP scripts and MYSQL databases, I'd recommend hawkhost.com. They also use litespeed servers, have almost no down time, and have 2 auto script installers, Fantastico and Softaculous. Both give you a lot of bang for the buck.

If you won't be taking orders and payments online you won't need extra security. If you do you can buy an SSL certificate for around $70 a year.


----------



## bigheadnick

Well I went with ipage because of all the extras like the adwords credit and free yellow pages listing etc.. However I am not happy at all with the web building options, the dummy ap for people like me sucks, I cant even change backround colors of templates unless I pony up another $10/mo for the weebly premium.I try using another option(trendysitebuilder) it has listed then it says "error need to have ioncube" - or something to that effect.Here's the funny part, Ioncube is in my file database!!! lol I don't have a clue when it comes to all the tech talk html php ftp and all that so, going with the advanced building option isnt an option.I think i gonna lose it.


----------



## mcorton

I wish I posted sooner to avoid that. You should have the option to break your contract if they have a grace period. If they don't it's a red flag. Please cancel them and go with my suggestions. A name is good as the paper it's written on.


----------



## Laxer

I contacted their live support for you:


> Marc Newman: Hi. My name is Marc Newman, how are you today?
> Geoff: Hello Marc, I was curious if you offered the installation of any CMS.
> Geoff: Marc?
> Marc Newman: Yes.
> Marc Newman: May I place you hold for 2 minutes?
> Geoff: Do you install them? if so which ones do you support?
> Geoff: yes that is fine
> Marc Newman: Thank you for holding.
> Marc Newman: We provide SimpleScripts interface. You can install Drupal, e107, Joomla, Mambo CMS application via SimpleScripts interface.
> Marc Newman: We provide support only in installing those application.
> Geoff: Ok, Thank you for your time.
> Marc Newman: You're welcome!
> Marc Newman: Is there anything else I can assist you with today?
> Geoff: No, that is all.
> Marc Newman: Thank you for chatting with us. Please feel free to contact us at any time. We are available 24x7.
> Marc Newman: Bye!


As i suggest earlier i will once again recommend a CMS for your situation. iPage seems to have good Techs and they will help you set everything up. I have personally used Drupal and a little Joomla.


----------



## bigheadnick

could you explain cms in lay mens terms?


----------



## bigheadnick

Im installing drupal right now. You guys gotta understand i build houses not websites lol.I really really suck at this so im sorry if i sound somewhat retarded


----------



## bigheadnick

btw, i did finally get trendy opened by using another build but it just didn't work, I tried to DL a backround several actually and they never loaded up in the builder.


----------



## bigheadnick

ok i installed it but it wont let me login, says I need to publish the site first, I dont get it thought the point was to build THEN publish???


----------



## Laxer

a CMS is a content managment system, what it will allow you to do is create pages simply and easily.

it gives an interface like word, or like the one you use here to post.

The login information should have been setup during the install.

if not here is a quote from their site:


> *Create the configuration file and grant permissions*
> 
> In order to set up your new site, it is necessary to be able to modify the settings.php file via your browser. By default when you unarchive these files, only the default.settings.php file exists and the permissions are set to Read Only.
> 
> You will need to copy the file, rename it to settings.php, and then temporarily change the permissions so that the server can Read and Write to this file when a user makes changes via a web browser.
> 
> You then need to move up one level to the /sites directory and change the permission on the /default directory (folder), as this is the place where files created or uploaded via the web interface will be stored.
> 
> Copy the file default.settings.php and rename it to settings.php
> Use your ISP’s file manager to navigate to the /sites/default directory
> Select the default.settings.php file (usually done by checking a box next to the file)
> Copy the file, naming the new copy ‘settings.php’
> Change the permissions of the settings.php file.
> In your ISP’s file manager select the file ‘settings.php’ and click on permissions.
> Add the permissions for the file to be written by the web server (i.e. web users). If your system is asking you to use a numeric value to CHMOD the file you will want to use 666, this will set the file to be written by anyone.
> Save your changes.
> Please note: The installation script that runs when you first visit your site should change the permissions of the ‘settings.php’ file back to read-only when you are finished the initial configuration of your site; however, it is recommended that you check that the permissions for settings.php have been set back to Read Only once you are finished.
> 
> Change the permissions of the /default directory.
> In your ISP’s file manager select the /default folder and click on permissions.
> Add the permissions for the folder to be written by the web server (i.e web users).
> Save your change.


If you still run into problems contact your host here: https://server.iad.liveperson.net/h...sToChat&site=66651396&byhref=1&ref=chatbubble

explain to them the problem you are having and they will help you set it up :1angel:


----------



## bigheadnick

It's funny how you think I understand any of that quote lol.This site is horse bleep.It lured me in with claims of a great web builder and easy to use interface, Oh weebly is easy to use alright until u actually try to edit ANYTHING!!.And the rest of it is jibberish to me.It shouldn't be so dam complex, for you it's all simple for me its alien


----------



## Laxer

Laxer said:


> My main concern for you is about building the site, some of the hosts offer templates to use for your site. Most of the time these will cost you extra money and you will end up paying almost twice the annual fees.


I recently worked with a client who was paying $60/year for use of templates they weren't even using. :tongue:

If you are having this much problems upfront i would suggest contacting your host as mcorton suggested a few posts up.

Just a random thought, Have you tried using google sites? you can point your DNS to them so you have pages like yourdomain.com/contact.html. This would be a lot cheaper and more user friendly. The only problem you would run into is poor tech support. I guess in this case you would get what you pay for.


----------



## bigheadnick

im on the phone now with tech support, says hes gonna email me some other building options


----------



## Laxer

bigheadnick said:


> im on the phone now with tech support, says hes gonna email me some other building options


Glad that worked out for you, they seem to have good techs. When i contacted them earlier they were pretty quick.


----------



## bigheadnick

well it didn't work out but thanks.This is turning out to be a nightmare and not because of the crap web builders either.My first attempt at launching my site, My g/f was gonna pay for it so we put in all the cc and personal info and when I try to accept it told me that the address didnt match the one on bank records.So i resubmitted a few times using different variations IE: apt2 #2 apt#2 etc.THEY CHARGED HER FOR THE FULL AMOUNT FOR EVERY ATTEMPT!!! BUT TOLD ME IT DIDN'T GO THROUGH!!!! So now I'm trying to call the billing team and this is where they're vaunted customer service falls apart, cuz Im waiting waiting.Staw away from this company!


----------



## Laxer

bigheadnick said:


> well it didn't work out but thanks.This is turning out to be a nightmare and not because of the crap web builders either.My first attempt at launching my site, My g/f was gonna pay for it so we put in all the cc and personal info and when I try to accept it told me that the address didnt match the one on bank records.So i resubmitted a few times using different variations IE: apt2 #2 apt#2 etc.THEY CHARGED HER FOR THE FULL AMOUNT FOR EVERY ATTEMPT!!! BUT TOLD ME IT DIDN'T GO THROUGH!!!! So now I'm trying to call the billing team and this is where they're vaunted customer service falls apart, cuz Im waiting waiting.Staw away from this company!


This alone would send a flag up for me.

See if you can get refunded for all of the transactions and go to a more popular host like godaddy.


----------



## PeterBishop

*USE IPAGE AT YOUR OWN RISK*​

I wanted to transfer my domain name to use iPage as my new web host.
iPage said they could and would do all that was needed for me.
I paid on the spot. The registration process with iPage involved many successive pages with pre-checked check boxes that you had to uncheck or you'd get services you didn't need or want that cost more. SHARP PRACTICE.
Maybe I missed something because *I ended up paying more than the advertised amount*
Then they said there was a technical issue that only* I *could solve.
When I looked into it, iPage could have done it or at least advised me what to do.
I complained and they apologized - but did not help. I became suspicious and told them I only do business with people I trust. *Close the account and give me my money back.*
Nothing happened for 5 days. I warned them that if I didn't have my refund in 2 weeks I'd raise a disputed transaction with the bank.
They THEN closed the account - but said it would take 10 working days to process the transaction.
I replied and said I was raising a bank dispute *immediately*. After all *I had paid "on the spot"*.
iPage changed their mind and said they'd do the credit in "one or two days"
*I still don't have my iPage refund and I really don't trust these guys.* They make you jump through hoops with no guarantee of success. You have kick them in the *** to get them to do anything - usually a re-promise of a previous agreement. They duck and dive, saying one thing one day, another the next.
The good thing I can say about ePage is that they do reply promptly when you contact them.
Peter Bishop


--Mod Note-- Email removed to stop it being targeted by spam.


----------



## Fjandr

I would also recommend using another host if their billing procedure is that screwed up. Whether or not they are a good host, technical issues of that magnitude are usually indicative of deeper problems.


----------



## wmorri

please don't post on old threads.


----------

