I have used over 5 web hosts in just a few short years, most of them were great during the beginning, but just a few months into the contract their services quickly took a turn for the worst. I have learned from my mistakes, and my current host is great. Here are 10 things you should look out for, so you don’t make the same mistakes.
Constant Excuses
If you host begins to give you excuses for everything that goes wrong, you should find a new host immediately. This is a sure-fire sign that they are going downhill. If you decide to stick with them don’t be too surprised to see your site getting 2%-10% downtime.
Blaming You
The way I measure a web host’s customer service is how well they help out their customers. Not only with server issues, but also with directory permissions, getting a small PHP script to work, etc. If your host blames you for every problem you have, then they have problems. Any company on the planet should try to help their customers and not blame them.
Hack Attacks
One of the most horrible thing that can happen with your server is a malicious attack. A good host should be able to handle them with relative ease and get your site(s) back up ASAP. However, no matter what protection your host has up, they can still be affected by them. If they are becoming a target for hackers, perhaps it is time to leave. Why put your web site data at risk?
Spam
A couple years back I never received any spam e-mail thanks to my old host’s spam filters. Sadly I was using too many resources and they didn’t offer any better packages for a reasonable price, so I had to find a new host. My new host (who I am no longer using, by the way) let every chunk of spam e-mail get through. A normal day was 200+ pieces of e-mail. It only took me 3 months to get sick and tired of their crap.
Package Upgrades
The host I mentioned above (under spam) had also upgraded the package that I used (same price, more features), but they didn’t upgrade my account, even after numerous requests. If you host tells you “you won’t get any more stuff” when you ask them to upgrade you, leave immediately. They don’t know what they are talking about.
Control Panel
I am a huge fan of the CPanel software. It is fast, powerful, and secure. Every host I have had that uses custom software was horrible. The best way to know if the control panel software is good is to try out a demo. Most hosts offer one, and if they don’t I wouldn’t sign up.
Resource Usage Complaints
There is no excuse for a web host to ban you if you get linked to from some popular site, like Digg. Although your resource usage may skyrocket, I know for a fact they can put two lines into their server config files to temporarily disable your site if it is using too many resources. There is no reason to delete all of your files, MySQL databases, etc, just because you are getting a lot of traffic.
A good host will ask you to upgrade to a higher package if you repeatedly get put on Digg, but they shouldn’t say anything if it is a one-time thing. Also, remember to let your host know if you get a sudden spurt in traffic so they know it isn’t an attack.
Overselling
A good way to check how many site’s are hosted on a single server is by going to domaintools.com. Unless you have a dedicated server, there will probably be hundreds of other sites on your same server. If your host is putting more than 1,000 sites on one server, that is a sign they don’t care about their customers.
If you are noticing a slowdown due to overselling, try asking them to move you to another server. More likely than not they will oblige, especially if your site uses quite a few resources (but not enough to warrant a dedicated server).
Please note, sometimes your host may have 700+ sites on a single server, but most of them are getting one or two hits a day so it doesn’t slow down the server any. The biggest threat is when you have 50 or so high traffic sites on a single server.
Deletes Files
If your host “mysteriously” deletes one of your files, you should take your business elsewhere. Files do not “mysteriously” get deleted, there is always a reason. The same is true if some e-mails “mysteriously” disappear.
Slow Service
The final sign that your host is going downhill is if their service becomes slow. I would have to say the most annoying thing is if your e-mail access is slow. E-mail is an important part in our lives, so it should be quick.
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