Nowadays there so many web hosting providers that it is almost impossible to make a quick decision as to which service would be the right fit for your hosting needs. As a matter of fact I am convinced that there is a “war” going on between many providers as you have probably seen lately. Prices being slashed at almost 50%, unlimited almost everything, e.g. disk space, bandwidth, websites, etc. A free domain name for life is already a given.
So you may ask, what is the key factor for making a decision?
Some will go straight for the price of course. Why will I pay $2 more if the other one is cheaper, right? Wrong. This is what I call a false economy. Something that in the long run can cost you more than just the small difference. You really have to look into several factors and aside from the price, which I will maybe put at the end of the list, I will first go for the following:
- Support & Technical assistance
- User interface (friendliness)
- Tutorials (preferably video)
- Upload time
- Reliability
- Technical & Customer Support
- Software
- Disk Space & Bandwidth
- and finally the price.
Now what happens if company A has exactly the same offer as company B. You maybe would decide on company A because it is cheaper. Unfortunately, cheap is not a synonym to reliability and going this route quickly could be proven wrong at the end of the day. When you are not satisfied, you will most likely change providers and at this point a lot of things can go wrong. The more strict and picky you are at the beginning, the better. When you come to a standstill, there are other ways to seek for help.
1) Do a thorough research, OR
2) Use a company that does nothing but review and rate web hosting providers (the specialist)
Enter WebHostingRating, an independent web hosting directory which features in-depth information on just about every major web hosting providers that exists. All are accompanied by unedited web hosting reviews and ratings provided by real customers. This, I think is one of the advantages of this company as the reviews given by “real” customers form part of their rating criteria. Obviously, not everything is a promise land and one minor setback of WebHostingRating is that at this time the “reviews” made by real customers are not yet very significant in quantity. Nonetheless, their overall usability is good and very professional. You should consider heading over there whenever you feel that you need more information and advice when choosing the right hosting provider for you.
This post brought to you by WebHostingRating dot com.
Hesham
RT @ditesco: Are All Web Hosting Providers The Same? http://bit.ly/9tlHin
hishaman
RT @ditesco: Are All Web Hosting Providers The Same? http://bit.ly/9tlHin
Aswani
Very useful and informative post. Well, I too was facing a similar problem a year back. Then all credit to one of my blogging friends who advised me too get a domain name and hosting from a popular hosting service. And surprisingly, I got it at very less because I was getting it under a scheme. Anyways, I agree..it is never easy to decide on the same. With so many related services and most of them coming up with cheap hosting solution, it can really be a difficult choice to make. Hopefully, webhostrating .com should solve this problem. Thanks and keep writing.
Hi Aswani. You are spot on when you say that “it is never easy” to decide.. This rule applies to just about anything having that extra help can certainly make a difference.
element321
I have been using the review site for a while. I use them and reviews from several different bloggers including Hesham over at Famous Bloggers to choose HostGator. I am so far happy with their service. My last host was a reseller account I ran with the company I work for. The owner originally choose them because of their advertised discount reseller package and we had the potential making some serious money with them. Once on and past the refund period, the service went down hill and its the worse service I have ever been on. Even though we are out a ton a money for the package, I am glad we never signed anyone on but my sites and sever test accounts. We might have lost clients because the stuff this host put us through…
Hi. When I first started to look up for a new host, I was undecided between BlhueHost, HostGator and GoDaddy. Really can not remember what made me opt for BlueHost, but I know I made a research first before making a decision. I’m happy and I’m glad that you are also satisfied with your current provider.
Ileane @ Basic Blog Tips
Hey DiTesco, as you know I signed up for hosting the other day for the first time. Thanks to you and Hesham I am giving Blue Host a try. Part of my worries had to do with some of the horror stories I’ve heard over the past year about poor hosts. I think that bolggers need to plan ahead for down time no matter which host you’re using – because none of them are perfect. Some are just better at responding than others.
Thanks for your guidance. I’ll keep you posted.
Hi Ileane. I have just visited your new basic blog tips and I have to say that it is looking good. I think you made a wise choice for your host and I hope you do have a good experience with them. Hesham and I have been hosting a lot of our websites in there and they are all working fine. Up to now no problems. Support is good and they also have a good affiliate program 🙂 If there is anything I can do to help, just “yell”, lol Good luck. btw, here is a link for you, can help to get your site indexed fast (hopefully)
Aaron
It’s a good sie DiTesco.. I just wish each host had more reviews so we could get a good -statistical- view of those different posts. Found your blog from a post on Evolutionary Designs — love your theme and good luck with the blog.
J Davis@Star Trek Stuff
Thanks DiTesco for telling us about WebHostingRating. When I first started, I chose my hosting company, because of a friends recommendation and apparently ended up with a really good host company. However, when you are first starting out, there are so many decisions to make including domain purchasing, blog platforms and of course hosting. Your article will help narrow things down and help new people to be more confident in their decision. Thank you!