You get what you pay for.

[Artashes]

Unfortunately, in the last few years there been a lot of companies that do not live up to at least basic industry standards, some were found to be engaged in fraudulent activities, dishonest marketing and so on.

So if you are looking for a hosting company - the one good thing I've learnt is to never make sudden decisions - never hurry to sign up.

Instead - test the host you like:

- Email with questions (regarding their service packages, the number of clients they have, how long have they been in business, how many employees they have, etc) - see how they respond and how fast they answer.
- Check their Terms of Service - see if there are any hidden fees and charges.
- Go to the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.com) - search and check their profile. Better to think twice if they have a negative profile.
- Ask the web host for 2-3 references (usually their clients) who could vouch for their service.
- Go to popular web hosting forums (webhostingtalk.com being one) and search for their profile and user feedback there, too.

Most importantly, remember the golden rule: If its too good to be true - it probably is.

Don't fall for very cheap or "unlimited web space or unlimited transfer" claims because it is not possible - check www.unlimband.com. Most often companies state the real resource limitations in their Terms of Service. However, if they don't - better e-mail them and ask.

So, if you are on the lookout, beware of bad boys. I know its very hard to tell if the company is good or bad just by visiting a site, but with a little research/homework, you'll be right on the way to find a good company to work with.

Just remember that you get what you pay for. This is especially true for the extremely competitive industry such as web hosting with tens of thousands of companies fighting for your business.

Hope this helps.

[Canadian]

I agree 100%. I've been burned by bad hosting experiences more than once now. You DO typically get what you pay for.

Looking for a host, you need to set your priorities, when I was new to host searching, I had price as my top priority..WRONG (at least for me)

#1 priority for me = Support.

You may have found a host with amazing plans and amazing features/control panels etc..but if there is no one there when you need support the most, it means nothing to have all that.

Look for places that offer "24/7" support. A lot of places say that, but all they actually mean is that you can EMAIL them 24/7, but it still doesn't mean they'll get back to you within a desired timeframe. 24/7 EMAIL support just doesn't cut it, unless their saying they'll respond under 4-5 hours.


If they have 24/7 phone/chat support, are the reps outsourced or are they in the same building as the servers?


How much to spend? If your site is personal, (photo album etc) of course it won't be a need for 99% uptime etc, but let's say you look at a plan that is $65/month...if you ask yourself if your business can make at least $65/month by having a website, then it's already worth it. It's simply not worth going with a $12.95/month account to try and save a few bucks.


The host I'm with now offers simply outstanding support, with live 24/7 phone support, I've even chatted with reps @ 4am, and the support is not outsourced.

[Artashes]

Yes, 24/7 support is very important. Thank you for bringing that out.

I would also not base my decision solely on pricing. I can afford paying a reasonable price, but for they better have a mix of products, services and support that really works.

[kunta]

Yea support is good but only needed if your web host goes down or something doesen't work. In a good web host everything works most of the time so support is there but not needed.

Good features are nice to have especially for ecommerce sites. If your web host provides them for free, use them.

[Equinox]

Support is always a PLUS, but only to an extent. If you think about it, when things go wrong, yes they will need to be fixed, but a crappy set-up will always be a crappy set-up...thats plain as day.
I know I'm the bane of Artashes life in this way, but I use Globat.com for many of my sites, who are renound for their 'interesting' support services. They have their problems on the help-desk side (I admin), butthey make up for it by barely ever letting me down and causing me to need to speak to them.

You need to decide what is on your priority list (and sure Support is important), but many hosts who are getting into the 'Live Chat Support' scene, tend to me more trouble than much else. Usually the Support Consultant is busy doing too many things to actually really help you out and you (more often than not) end up having to send off a support ticket.

Thats just my opinion, but I dont mind having to wait a few hours for a response over a PHP or database issue and the money that hosts are saving on Illustious Support measures, could be put to use on refining they're services...

Just my $0,02...Equinox