Confused about Web Hosting?

[Matthew]

I recently purchased a "Business Class Power Account" from Inmotion webhosting: http://www.inmotionhosting.com/hostingplans.html

Not trying to sell you guys a web host but share my experience of searching for a host with you. I found he process very frustrating as I came to realise that true "unbiased" reporting of web hosts is hard to come by and I'm not sure that I did actually find a non biased view.

I started with a Google search of "the ten top web hosts". You may find some interesting viewpoints on who's who in that list:

http://www.uk-hosting-review.com/?KID=52013112819171093&gclid=COisgMv-zp0CFVtm4wodhW6Zsg

http://www.best10webhosting.net/?u=uk

http://webhostinggeeks.com/

I won't bore you with anymore but you should get the idea that not all review websites are created equal.

So who can we trust?

Matthew

[David]

Finding the right web host is a minefield. The only way to do this with any certainty is by personal recommendation and even then there's an element of luck. Two people hosting with the same company may have different experiences. The vagaries and complexity of computer hardware and server configurations mean that things can and do go wrong but it's the speed and effectiveness of the response to these events that mark a good host - not how cheap or what features they offer.

I have hosted with Fasthosts (http://www.fasthosts.co.uk/), Supanames (http://www.supanames.co.uk/) and am currently with Clook (http://www.clook.co.uk/), all very different experiences.

Reading online reviews will give you only an idea of what's on offer but bear in mind that most review sites are sponsored by web hosts and any indication of quality will be suspect.

[Stewart]

I went with Clook based on some comments I picked up in the Forum - I'm quite happy, they're not the cheapest but they seem to respond really fast even with some of the 'numbty' questions I've been asking :-)

[Kris M]

Hey guys,

Can I just further promote the webhost ecowebhosting.co.uk. I have to say they offer an absolutely amazing service. Not only is the hosting cheap, but it's also environmentally friendly - they plant trees to offset carbon emissions.

The guy who runs it, Rob Percival, runs a few eco webhosting sites... and generally replies to queries personally within an hour or two. It also comes with lots of online applications to help develop / power your website.....

www.ecowebhosting.co.uk (http://www.ecowebhosting.co.uk)

NOW for the not so positive.... DO NOT PURCHASE YOUR SITE WITH UK2.NET - they charge you £25 to move your site away from them and their customer service is SHOCKING despite being UK based.

Kris

[Kris M]

Hey All,

I've just registered martini-meets under my ecowebhosting server. I must say I am STILL utterly impressed with the level of service provided.

Also, they're offering 20% off the first year of hosting at the moment. Use the voucher code ECOHOSTING (http://www.myvouchercodes.co.uk/outlink/2572/ecowebhosting.co.uk/25190) for the discount. I'm currently paying £3.99 a month for 3 domain names, 1GB server space and 10GB of traffic. Bargain!!!

Kris

[David]

That's a very good deal Kris. Definately worth adding this host to the list of "possibles" when looking for a good host.