How do you guys recommend choosing a hosting company?

I am not sure if this is a good section for my post.

I would like a reasonable priced solution which allows php, mysql. I would also like an account which allows more than one domain to be hosted. I would also like the bility to possibly grow into a reseller account.

I would like good support and great performance.

 

webhostingbuzz.com

Very good - I'd check them out.
Ideal for
a) Someone with a high(ish) traffic site
b) Lots of low traffic sites

Good service too.

 

Check out diyhosting.ca very cheap in Canadian dollars, plus you get Fantastico...lots of easy add on's like phpBB & OR a real estate web based search and find database.

I'm not on myself...but will be by the end of the week - new site!

Ian

 

Internationally I have tried www.Ipowerweb.com, and was satisfied with their customer support. Also international, which was important to me. They are bad for multiple accounts though.

In case you need multiple accounts I would search for a webhosting company that uses PLESK software. With plesk, you have some sort of operating system on your webhosting, allowing multiple domains, email addies that you can control online, webalizer statistics is often included, and it is very easy to work with. Very nice software for small resellers.

The server itself though, can be controlled by the company, so you have zero technical support!

 

I would recommend a company called Siteleader.com
http://www.siteleader.com
They're definitely a lot better than the Interlands and Verios of the world and more personable.
I've used them in the past for several sites and they consistently offer both fast tech support whenever needed and their prices are reasonable.
I guess they were huge during the DotCom era and now have settled into a solid web hosting service.

(PS - I do not work for Siteleader or sell for them - Just a well informed consumer)

 

I've heard from many forum owners that asmallorange.com is a great host for pretty reasonable prices.

I use phpwebhosting.com right now, and they have been decent. I am pondering a switch though. What I would really like is a real VPS instead of just virtual hosting.

 

Webhostingbuzz.com seems too good to be true.

What they offer is great but I have found many negative reports against them.

Please do keep the recommendations coming.

This is turning into a tough decision.

 

That's cool man.

I've gotta say though - It is true, and We haven't had any problems yet, and we've got a couple of accounts with them.

 

We use Verio. At some point we just got fed up as all of the smaller hosting companies just could not deliver after some point. A bit more expensive, but it really seems the age old adage, "you get what you pay for" holds very true in the world of web hosting. I am sure I will hear about it for saying that, but I would rather work on my sites than work on making sure they are up and available.

 

www.nextmill.net - Millennium Systems. GREAT support, very good performance. There are cheaper hosts out there though, but I am pretty loyal to these guys.

 

depends if you want to grow a site or if its already sizable

I use totalchoicehosting.com a lot couple of reseller accounts on different servers give great flexibility and backup and a great master tool on top of cpanel - have switched seamlessly to 4/server and than full dedicated.

But I keep the domain dns master on one of the dns backbone providers so I can switch fast.
M

 

I know this is an old thread but I'd thought I'd add www.BlueWho.com to the list for future reference.

They specialize in reseller accounts but it's perfect for running multiple sites. They offer a number of affordable packages with different IP addresses. I spent over a month researching web hosts and did a lot of reading. I kept coming back to these folks and they always had great reviews. I've been really happy with their service.

If you currently have accounts utilizing Cpanel, they'll transfer all of them (stats and all) over to your new account.

Don't be fooled by the simple web design they use....it's ALL about customer service.

 

I'd suggest www.ev1servers.net, if you don't want to pay that much for an own server I can sell you traffic and space with everything you need (IIS Hosting only if I sell you something, no Linux)

 

The important thing is to find out where the host is situated. If they're in the US and your market is in the UK, it won't do you any favours in the rankings.
Ian

 

TotalChoice is good or try HostGator

 

I have been on hostgator for about two months. It has been a bad experience thus far.

This week is the first week without any issues.

There support is very very weak.


Here is why.

I have had at-least six Mysql outages

My cpanel has been inaccessible

I have been unable to log in via ftp once

Http server has been down twice

All of these problems in a period of two weeks.

These problems were corrected but are unacceptable at this frequency.

I have e-mailed your support a couple of times asking to speak to a supervisor with no-one providing me that info.

I would be more understanding if someone would just level with me and let me know what is going on.

Would you put up with this?

If these issues are not corrected by the end of the week, I will have to find another host

 

I have few low traffic sites (=unfortunately only low traffic sites) and I aim at hosting with more than one company, I don't host more than two sites with one company. I thought it is good for seo - especially if the sites might be occasionally linking to each other. I would of course prefer hosting all of them with one webhoster.

Which is better? Is it worth the hassle to have each domain with different hosting company?

PS. sorry for going a little bit off topic in this thread

 

I just signed up with perfectsql.com and they have everything that you've mentioned.

 

I've been using dathorn dot com for about 1.5 years. Many hosting companies come and go. I have three reseller accounts with dathorn and host about 40 sites for various customers. Support is excellent. I have had an issue at 10pm on a Sunday night and have a response in five minutes.

With their reseller accounts, you can host quite a few smaller sites on the least expensive plan, and if you need more bandwidth/space, can easily upgrade to a more robust plan.

I've seen cheaper, but I've stayed there all this time because of the support. That's more important to me than saving $5 or $10 a month.

GTech

 

Well your original question was how to choose a hosting
company so allow me to give my 2 cents worth.

There have been plenty of great recommendation here from other
members so I will not bother sharing any more options with you
but take it from a guy who has been involved in hosting since way
way back in 1994 when images in web pages was a big deal.

I have gone through literally 9 hosts in my time online.

You have to be careful because a good host today can be down tomorrow.

here are few tips to keep in mind.

1)
Test their support level. Email them a pre sales questions,
that is IF you can find the contact form or email!

Then give them no more than 24 hours at most to respond to
you. If they cannot answer an email from someone wanting to
send them money then how quick do you think they will respond
to emergencies?

2)
Beware of offers that sound too good to be true.
Just because you can get 100 domains and 2GB of space for
under $30 does not mean they are the best option.

Often what happens is a host ends up overselling what they can
handle and before you know it, the site gets slower and slower.

3)
Are they the real host or just an affiliate in disguise?

Check to see if their from address when (and if) they reply to you
is the same as the site offering the hosting.