Web Hosting

Free domains, unmetered bandwidth, only $1.99 a month!  These are all common sales pitches you see on web hosting sites.  So what you should believe, look for or avoid when choosing a web hosting provider?  Well, I have some pretty specific recommendations.

But first let’s cover the basic options you’ll get from any web host:

Dedicated Server – This is a server that can host thousands of web sites.  If you run a lot of web sites or need lots of power to run a single web site, a dedicated server is for you.  The server is all yours…the only sites on it are the ones you put on it.

Virtual Private Server – This is a dedicated server shared by just a few people.  It’s usually far cheaper than a dedicated server, but you don’t have total ownership control…there are a few other people sharing it with you.  Still you get a lot more power over lower costing options.

Reseller Account – This is a dedicated server where dozens or hundreds people buy “reseller” space on the server.  Then they turn around and sell portions of their space to other web site owners.  These resellers are basically acting like little web hosting providers.  But you can get a reseller account and not sell portions of your space…you can just use that space to power your own web sites.  This is a step below a Virtual Private Server but a step above regular web hosting accounts.

Web Hosting Account – This is what most people use to run their web sites.  For $10 a month or whatever you get a web hosting account.  In reality, you are renting a tiny amount of space on a dedicated server.  And there are often thousands to tens of thousands of other web sites being hosting on that same server.

So those are the basic account options you’ll be given with most web hosting providers.  But what about all the other stuff…bandwidth, drive space, scripts, databases, etc.?

Well…I’ll make it simple for you.  You want a web host that provides Cpanel access (or WHM access for reseller, VPS or dedicated servers).  You want a web host that provides unlimited MySQL databases.  And you want one that provides Fantastico.

Why all this stuff? Cpanel and WHM are the industry standard control panels for managing your web hosting account.  If you ever need to install scripts, etc. on your site, instructions will almost always be given using Cpanel or WHM.

MySQL is the industry standard database on the Internet.  Again, if you ever need to install scripts, a WordPress blog, etc., you’ll need a MySQL database.  And it’s nice to have unlimited ones, because it’s pretty easy to end up with dozens and dozens of scripts that require them on your site.

And Fantastico makes installing things like blogs, forums, CMS software and other popular, open-source applications easy…just click a button and everything is done for you.

But here is the #1 thing you need to have from any web hosting service you use.  Customer support.  By phone.  24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Only the best, most reliable and reputable web hosts provide this.

For example, if you’re on the site of a hosting provider, go to their contact page.  They should list a toll-free number for live, 24/7 customer support.  If they don’t, avoid them like the plague.

Why is this so important?  Well, if your livelihood depends on your web site…and it suddenly goes down for some reason…what will you do?  Call someone and immediately get it taken care of…or email someone and wait 4 days to get a response (if you’re email even works, since your site is down).

And all of this leads to the web hosting providers I recommend.

My top recommendation is LiquidWeb.  They are who I personally use to host all of my web sites.  Their customer support is world-class.  And I can’t tell you the number of times they have saved my butt.  My sites have (attempted) to be attacked and hacked more than once.  Each time, LiquidWeb called me before I even knew about it.

Plus, there have been countless times where I screwed up my own sites.  But everything has always been fixed with a simple call to them…even at 1:30 in the morning.

LiquidWeb is not the cheapest.  But if you don’t mind paying a little extra for peace of mind, they are my top recommedation.

Next is HostGator.  Throughout the years I’ve used them for standard and reseller web hosting accounts.  You get a lot of bang for your buck, they are reliable and I’ve never had any major issues with them.

The only drawback to HostGator is that a lot of Internet marketing types use them, so they automatically disable certain, popular Internet marketing related scripts from working on their servers.

And finally there is FatCow.  I haven’t personally used them, but I have friends who do (friends who run heavy traffic sites)…and they recommend them…so I am recommending them based on that.  Plus they include all sorts of freebies in their hosting plans.

So there you go.  If I wanted to, I could fill this page with web hosting providers you should avoid, but that’s not what this post is about.  It’s about the web hosting providers I recommend.  And now you know my top 3.

Disclosure - I’m a compensated affiliate.  I gave you my honest review and opinion on these products.  But I am also an affiliate of these products.  That means if you order a product using the links I supply,I will be paid a commission on the sale.