What do you look for in a hosting provider

[temi]

I would like to compile a list of features people look for when shopping for a web hosting company, here are top five on my list:

* Uptime
* Server response time
* Data centre location (this is important for SEO)
* Support dept skills
* Prices

post your own top requirements please.

 

[espmartin]

My list agrees with Temi. I would suggest that everyone research (reads, "Read The Fine Print!")
the hosting Uptime guarantee. I had a host that had advertised 99.999% uptime, but
when my site was down for 5 days, they said their uptime was for the server itself
that my websites was on, and not my pages being up themselves...

 

[temi]

I like it when people tries to wriggle out of promises, I take it you have moved your site away from them

 

[espmartin]

Check this thread out Temi and all:
Cancelling Account Procedure suggestions - HostNine Community Forums

I have started reseller hosting elsewhere, but I STILL can't cancel with Hostnine!
I've opened a trouble ticket and used the online cancellation form on their site, but
guess what? I still have an active account!

Man, I feel like a hostage!

 

[vicdigi]

I host with 1and1. Many people have slated them all over the world but the only thing I can only really fault them for is having a poor call centre.

All else with 1and1 is grand.

They offer very cheap domains and extremely cheap hosting with all the necessaries included in the hosting plan. Plus free domains!

An excellent Control Panel where I can control all websites.

 

[temi]

I have never used 1 and 1 but I think their support was okay on the one occasion I had to deal with them on behalf of a client

 

[Meti]

I usually set high requirements on web hosts, that's why I prefer to go with more expensive hosts rather than a few bucks a month.

- Uptime
- Support
- Speed
- Datacentre (Depends on which sites you plan to host; perhaps if you target visitors in the US, you may want to host your web site in the US)

- Meti

 

[SkinnerW]

I host with 1and1. Many people have slated them all over the world but the only thing I can only really fault them for is having a poor call centre.

All else with 1and1 is grand.

They offer very cheap domains and extremely cheap hosting with all the necessaries included in the hosting plan. Plus free domains!

An excellent Control Panel where I can control all websites.

I will post detailed review of this provider in Hosting review forum but I do agree with you - they are probably one of the largest (if not The largest) hosting providers and very reliable...

 

[bochgoch]

Uptime
Speed
Stature of the hosting company (I don't use small hosts who could go out of business at any time, I stick to the big-boys)

and Data-centre geographic location for certain sites

 

[temi]

I don't use small hosts who could go out of business at any time, I stick to the big-boys)

I quite agree with you on this point, I have had problem with using the small boys ages ago when the hosting industry was still young.

The big boys can be a BIG PAIN as well when one takes over the other.. for example Webfusion, Host Europe, Pipex, Magic Moments all that lot, they all seem to belong to the same company now but there was a time when it seem to be the fashion for example , I think Host Europe took over Magic Moment and a few others, another one took over Host Europe and then Pipex tool over that other one... big big chaos on the period when they integrated one company to another and change policies etc etc

And when you ring you hosting company say its called host A, then the phone is answered in the name of Host B, who you deliberately avoided when shopping for hosting, you are then told ahhh, we have taken over Host A, you are now our customer

 

[arunpattnaik]

Uptime
Support

These two are most important for me. I prefer hosts with live support system. and i hate to see my sites down. Grrrrr.... I hate byethost for that matter. lol