Review of Affordable Web Hosting Services
We have used many hosting companies over the years. From cheap web hosting to business web hosting. Some have been great and reliable. Others have tricked us with offers of free web hosting only to be followed by additional fees for what everyone else includes in their base pricing. Our web hosting reviews typically include the following:
- Review of their technology. What versions of software are they running? Current, fully supported versions make things run so much smoother. How old are their servers. (three years is considered old) Those old boxes can run for years. A basic hosting plan can run great on an old server. However, websites with newer graphics, databases or heavy processing requirements will bog down quickly.
- Support - Support- Support. We expect to be able to talk with a real person at some point. A quality outsourced call center can be fine - if it's knowledgeable and responsive. We make phone calls and test their processes.
- Remember, you CAN host a website developed in Front Page on a Unix server. That's our vision of cheap web hosting. You dont specifically need a windows hosting provider. Just be sure they offer Front Page Extensions.
- Connectivity. Whether in house or at a remote data center, we like to see multiple connections to independent internet backbone providers. A back up power supply or redundant utility connection also helps with site continuity.
- We surf the industry forums. There are several that discuss the state of various hosting companies, current technologies and the latest tech issues. If a company had a history of upset users we blacklist them immediately.
- Size does NOT matter ! We have personally visited small hosting companies with less than 3 employees and major providers with offices the size of a grocery store. They all serve a particular niche. Often, the smaller guys can provide extra customized services at very good hourly rates. Larger providers can offer greater bandwidth that major websites may require.
- Domain name registration is best kept updated with a current e-mail address. Most web hosts offer domains and allow you a convenient control panel to manage both the domain and hosting services.
