Order web hosting

What? No online ordering system?

Nope. And here’s why:

We need to protect ourselves, our server and our existing clients from con-artists, spammers and credit-card fraud.

Many unsuspecting web hosts are left holding the bag after their servers are used for fly-by-night scams, spammers who send millions of emails, or stolen credit card numbers (usually used by the aforementioned con-artists and spammers.)

We just don’t need that sort of thing around here. These are the five steps we use instead:

Step One: Register your domain name

If you already have a domain name, great! Skip to step two. Otherwise…

All web sites require a domain name. Domain names are the dot-com, dot-org, or dot-whatever names that have become ubiquitous in the 21st century.

Register your domain name with a Domain Name Registrar. We use and recommend GoDaddy.com, but you can use any one you like. Here is a list of ICANN Accredited Registrars.

Depending on the type of name and the registrar you choose, domain name registration can cost as little at $4.95 per year or as much as $35.00 per year. Shop carefully!

You won’t need all the extra stuff most registrars try to sell you, so you can just skip it. There’s not much profit in simple registrations, so you can’t blame them for trying.

See also:

Step Two: Nameservers (or DNS)

If you’re registering a new name, this is part of the process. If you already have one, you’ll need to login to your account at your registrar to associate The Secret Labs nameservers with your domain name.

Every registrar uses slightly different wording, but look for a choice pertaining to "I will use my own or a private or custom or a third-party nameserver or DNS."

Enter the following nameservers for hosting at The Secret Labs:

  • ns0.thesecretlabs.com
  • ns1.thesecretlabs.com

It takes one to three days for a new registration to become active, or for nameserver changes to existing names to take effect. While you’re waiting for that…

Step Three: Contact us to place your order

  • 585.298.9394

We need the following information in order to set up your web site:

  • Your domain name
  • Your name
  • Your full mailing address
  • Your phone number
  • Your email address

Of course we also need to know if want:

  • Personal web hosting for blogs, forums, etc.
    ½ GB (512 MB) disk space, 10 GB monthly transfer
    $60 per year (Equivalent to $5.00/mo)
     
  • Small business and not-for-profit orgs
    2 GB disk space, 25 GB monthly transfer
    $100 per year (Equivalent to $8.34/mo)
     
  • e-Commerce hosting for online sales
    5 GB disk space, 50 GB monthly transfer
    Includes your own IP address and root-chained SSL certificate
    $225 per year (Equivalent to $18.75/mo)
     
  • 40% discount on multiple sites
    Have more than one web site? Pay the full rate for your most-expensive plan and get 40% off each additional site.
    • Personal site: $60 - 40% = $36
    • Small business/not-for-profit site: $100 - 40% = $60
    • e-Commerce site: $225 - 40% = $135
     

We will verify your domain registration information, then call you on the phone to be sure it’s really you who is ordering and not some imposter.

Please Note:

All account and billing periods are for one year. There are no month-to-month accounts and no month-to-month billing. Equivalent monthly rates are shown for comparison-shopping purposes only.

Step Four: Pay us

PayPal is the secure online payment processor for The Secret Labs. We’ll email you a link to PayPal where you can pay by credit or debit card.

You do not need to have or open a PayPal account to pay online by MasterCard, VISA, American Express, or Discover.

If you do have a PayPal account, you can also pay from funds in your PayPal account or from your checking account.

Alternatively, you can mail us a check or money order to the address on the Contact Us page. (If you’re local, you can even drop by and pay us in good, old-fashioned Yankee greenbacks!)

Step Five: Login and start creating your new web site

After your payment has cleared, we’ll email you our Hosting Welcome Package which includes your username and password for logging in to your account.

Questions? We have answers at:

  • 585.298.9394
 

IMPORTANT:

  • All prices are quoted in US dollars.
  • All account periods are one year. There are no month-to-month plans. Monthly rates shown for comparison purposes only.
  • Plan upgrades/downgrades pro-rated accordingly

Cancellations

To cancel your account, just send us an email saying so. After we verify that it’s really you and not some imposter, we’ll cancel your account and, if it’s been less than 30 days since you signed up, we’ll refund your money.

No refund of unused portion or accumulated credits on service cancellation after 30-day money-back guarantee period.

Terms of service

Our upstream provider places us under certain terms and conditions of use. Those same terms and conditions apply to you. In short, it means that you’ll be a good ’Net citizen. No porn, hacking, spamming, warez, copyright infringement or illegal activities. We also ask that for security and anti-spam reasons you don’t create a public email service (like Hotmail) within your space.