HudsonMoon

Please only answer this if you are a web designer with lots of clients... I really need reliable opinions here...If you work for a hosting company - please don't bother...

I started building websites as a business about 3 months ago. I now have some happy clients and even a backlog of work. But my hosting company is killing me. I am using Anhosting because they were recommended by someone I really respect. I'm sure they used to be great but ever since they began offering unlimited everything for $6.95, they have gone downhill.

I really don't know where to start. I now know what to look for. I've read all that but I am so afraid of putting my trust and important jobs in the hands of another company I don't know. The webhosting reviews you find on Google are worthless. Every company has good reviews and bad. Anhosting says they are upgrading their servers....so what?

I am doing my job right. My sites work. But telling a client "the host server is down" works only 1 time. It doesn't matter that it is true. It is an unverifiable explanation. My hosting company is already doing damage to my reputation and if I have to speak to one more support tech that doesn't give a s%^&T about my predicament, I'm gonna pull my hair out.

Does anyone use a company that they are 99% happy with? I can deal with 99% at this point... There's nothing more important in this business than the host...

wetgravy

first off ... why are you hosting their site? I don't host for the reason you are describing to a dime. As for reliable hosts ... not likely. Most are bought and resold so many times it's unbelievable. The best example was a host that was literally down the street from me. I had fantastic service, great speeds, and was up 99.9% of the time (only down for them doing maintnence.) ... but .. they were bought out by a company that resold hosting companies. after the selling process my domain that i bought with my hosting there became in limbo since i own it, but it was registered through them and all the whois was in their name. after all that as well, servers were always going down, mail dissappeared before it got to my end, and they could never get php to work right. So after ... geez ... 4 years after i abandoned them for a series of hosts to do what i want 99% of the time ... i finally got my domain back (they didn't want to register it anymore and i wouldn't pay the $500 for a domain for my sketches) and i will never speak their name again.

First i would say, that if you are hosting your customers sites ... i hope they are paying for it. Second, if not, inform them that they will have to find their own host. and third if you do have them pay for it ... use a reseller account. that way you can split your hosting into accounts they can manage and regulate, as well as it will be less bitching on your end since you can say "your host is down, and i can't control things of other companies ... though if you want to change your hosting company, i am happy to assist you in the move to a new server." and you can charge a migrating fee for helping them move their site.

as for hosts ... there are a few i have my eye on that i might me moving too in the not to far off future;

http://www.ixwebhosting.com/index.ph...planExpertplan
this one popped out to me based on the amount of good reviews, and their plans are fantastic.

http://www.mochahost.com/index.php
this one as well had plans that are great, and their reviews were good too.



really ... you need to think of how many databases you need or will need, how much the cost is, and if they have all the server side things you need. there are also about as many web hosts as there are websites, so just check reviews, and always be prepared to move if things degrade. (think of it like an apartment.)

wetgravy

also i think i'm going to be migrating to ixwebhosting for their cronjob support, as well as their ability to provide streaming access (for youtube clones) as well as things that all hosts should do like .htaccess overrides and ssi

nbcda_creative

HudsonMoon, I felt the exact same way you did... We host for about fifty clients, and we had our share of TERRIBLE hosts... the worst of all being Webhosting Pad. After careful research, I started using Hostgator... I was very skeptical at first, but trust me, after about 5 months, I have had no problems. They are the only host that I have had a good experience with, and I've tried nearly all of them. And, no, I do not have referral code, and neither do I work for them. They are just a good webhost, that's all.

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Richardvd

unlimited Datatransfer and space is never possible. Choose for a hosting company with clear limiting values.

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Geodun1

100webspace.com has been my host for years, no matter what website I've made. They've only ever had one major server issue, and that was around a year and a half ago. (Maybe longer than that.) So far they are reliable, and are getting ready to implement dedicated servers, which should take the strain off their current servers. They offer cheap, affordable offers, with plenty of options to make them desirable and effective.

I honestly can say that I recommend them for their tech support though, whenever there's an issue, even with phpbb/joomla/etc., they go out of their way to help you. It's really a friendly community, and they're fast about fixing problems when they arrise.

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ian

nocster.com are not too bad for reseller accounts
serverbeach.com are good for unmanaged dedicated servers.
servint.net not bad for vps accounts

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conor

i find blacknight (http://www.blacknight.com) very very good. They have never had a server malfunction since i started with them a year ago. They have great email support which you can prioratise - ie. if its an urgent error they proccess it quicker and you get an instant reply. They have great tutorials, forums and support. They are cheap with good space - €45 a year and i think 10GB storage. They also have a great easy to follow control panel.

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mooseknuckle

Hi, I rent a dedicated server from lunarpages and I host many many sites there. They have not had any downtime that I experienced, they have migrated me from vps, they can help you resolve most any server question or problem, and if they want to charge me for help, I keep calling back till they get tired of it lol.

Anyway they meet with my approval. Here is a my affiliate link to them.

"Lunarpages Hosting"

Here is the same link, but if you click this one I don't get paid :-)

"Lunarpages Hosting"

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Thanks guys, I really love this web design forum!
Spencer

gileakh

From your post on this forum, I thought I may be able to recommend. I host all of my websites with hostgator

http://www.smartmoneymakingwebsite.com/webhosting.php ,This site is great, they offer 24/7 support with livechat and the livechat real pesons (technicians,

sales etc.) are highly capable and prompt on solving any problem that I have. They have free site builder and more. I really satisfied with this one. This

site may not be the cheapest but I think is one of the best out there especially their support