Hosting Advice Sought

[Jimbob]

Can anyone offer me some advice on what to look for when deciding which host to go with?

What hosts have a good reputation and that you would recommend.

Cheers.

Jimbob

[StephanieCordray]

I thought about answering this but I would be speaking from the perspective of a hoster and I didn't think that would be appropriate. I'm sure you'll get some really good answers soon. This is a great group of people here.

[ian]

The things I look for are.
1. Price, disk space and data transfer allowances, php/mysql, dedicated ip address.
2. Years they have been in business and reputation.
3. Do they have a support forum, how many members do they have, what do existing customers have to say.
4. Do they own and run their own servers/data center, and have dedicated server plans, so there is room to grow.

[crazykid48x]

Go to buildtolearn.com. Its the best free hosting you'll find on the net. You have to post 50 times on the forums to get hosting but dont worry you can do that in 3 days.

[zkiller]

Originally Posted by crazykid48x

Go to buildtolearn.com. Its the best free hosting you'll find on the net. You have to post 50 times on the forums to get hosting but dont worry you can do that in 3 days.

lol... 3 dyas...

[ian]

or 30 minutes in z posting time........

[ehostingcomplete]

Yahoo offer free hosting and you dont have to post 50 topics on a forum .
Personally, dont use free hosting space.

There are many decent hosts around, 1&1, but you have to pay yearly.

[webfeat]

When looking for the right host for you, keep these points in mind:

1) Don't assume the lowest price is the best deal. Would you walk into a shoe store and buy the cheapest pair and assume they were the best for you? Probably not. The shoes would probably fit, but maybe wouldn't wear well as a better brand at a higher price.

2) You're really buying a service. You expect your host to offer space, email accounts, databases, etc. They may lure you with huge amounts of space but you probably don't need it, so don't fall for it. You're really buying their knowledge and reliability to keep your site online and running smoothly.

3) Ways to test their support - drop them an email with a list of questions and see not only how long it takes them to respond, but also the quality of their response. Not all hosts are "people friendly", although they try. It's important to know the kind of host you're dealing with before signing up.

4) Try to get a list of 4 or 5 sites they host. Visit the sites, observe the loading speed and perhaps drop them an email to inquire of their host's services.

5) Web hosting is one of those businesses where you've got companies run by 1-2 people anywhere up to full-blown corporations employing hundreds. Each variation has it's strengh and weaknesses so you need to decide what works best for you. Smaller companies can be more personal in their customer approach and often the larger hosts can offer more features for a lower price.

Just some things to consider.

Thanks!
Anthony