This is a continuation from web hosting bargains part 1, where I looked at some issues with choosing a web hosting provider. Finding the right host at the right price for your website has always been the case of caveat emptor. You need to understand and estimate your own needs, and then find the hosting company that is the best fit with technology, server location, support/management and budget..

For example,

• You are going to build a community website using open source scripts, e.g. a phpBB forums.
• Since you are too cheap to pay for advertising, there will be maybe 10-20 users/day at launch.
• You have no problem using FTP to install the script, and you can use cPanel to set the site up — but that’s about it. No command line stuff.
• $10/month is at most you are willing to pay.

Hmm. Pretty much standard stuff and most hosting companies should be able to handle these requirement. But which one?

Google Is NOT Your Friend

One logical step these days is — ask your friend in Mountain View! However it does not matter whether Google is omniscience, the search result pages can be manipulated by this wacky thing called “Search Engine Optimisation”. Because of the competitive nature in the web hosting space, the results when you search for terms such as “web hosting” are usually bringing out the hosting companies who have spent the most on SEO effort, but not necessarily the ones who excel in performance and reliability.

Web Hosting Review Sites Are Mostly Useless

There are literally hundreds if not thousands of “web hosting review” sites out there, listing out the Top 10 web hosting companies according to their “community reviews”. How genuine are those web hosting review sites? Far from unbiased. Some of them are set up by web hosting companies themselves. Many of them are actually set up by the affiliates, who shift hosting companies from positions to positions on their “top 10 list”, base on their current affiliation payout.

Again, what does it say about the web hosting companies that always get listed as the “top host”? Do they really have a great service? Or maybe they have really paid the affiliates well. Many web hosting companies are willing to pay up to USD$150 per customer, who might only spend USD$120/year on their hosting plans. Sometimes I wonder how much they pay for their servers and support staffs.

Use the Independent Forums Wisely

The best resources I found with researching for a web hosting company are independent web hosting forums that are not affiliated with any hosting company. Some of the best I found are:

• WebHostingTalk.com — probably the web hosting forums on the Internet today. It has a very strict rule on how hosting company representatives should conduct on the forums, and that all positive reviews need to be confirmed by the moderators. The Web Hosting Offers forums constantly have special promotions from various companies — one should never go out to get a US-based hosting plan without checking out the offers forums first.

• Web Hosting Forum at Whirlpool — you’ll know Whirlpool if you have been online for a while in Australia. It has great forums for consumer ISPs in Australia, but it also has a web hosting forum where members can talk about hosting and ask for advice. It might be regarded as the “whingepool” by those in the hosting industry, but from the consumers’ point of view it is a great resource. It also has a very strict rule on advertisement and companies promoting each other’s service. Post a question there if you would like to ask about Australia-based hosting.

• Web Hosting Talk Australia — a so-called equivalent of WHT in Australia, although personally I found they work quite differently. What has been amusing to me is the open bidding in the Web Hosting Requests forums. Just post your requirement there and ask for suggestions, and sooner or later you’ll see hosting companies start offering their services.

WebHostingTalk.com is probably the best forum you can use to do research on a specific hosting company. Use the search function there and read through the threads, then you shall be able to work out whether the said company is on the good or dodgy side. If you are not sure, ask a question and hopefully someone in the know will be able to help.

Google Can Still Be Your Friend, If You Ask the Right Question

One commonly used Google query to research on a hosting company is “<company name> sucks”. You might get interesting articles or blog entries — however those of them will be one sided view (rather than a discussion from two sides on those independent forums) so digest them with a grain of salt.

Communication, Honesty and Community

If you ask me what is the one most important thing to consider about web hosting companies, I’ll say it is “Communication“. Price is important, so are reliability and performance. However I think it is not worthwhile to go along with a hosting company, if they cannot provide speedy communication during disasters.

When my websites stopped working, I need to know what is going on immediately from my hosting providers, even if it is just a simple “something is broken, but we are working on it”. I hate it when the site just automatically cured itself and the host would pretend nothing has happened.

Of course, it also requires the hosting company to be open and honest. If there is something wrong, admit it and tell us what you have done to rectify the issue and to prevent it from happening in the future. In this day and age people demand timely and honest information, and good hosting companies should provide them.

Another sign for a good company is the communities around it. Basically you do not get fanboys to do support for you for free and be apologetic for your company on the public forums, if you have not done something great. It also adds another level of interactivity between the hosting company and its users. Usually I will look for hosting companies that have at least one of

• Customer forums
• Company blog
• Off-site status page/blog
• IRC/group chat

Again, it goes all the way back to “communication”.

So, Which Host?

It still comes back to the question, “why hosting company should I choose“? Depends, because everyone has different needs. I am also a bit reluctant to recommend hosting companies on my bargain blog because I know what suits me might not suit everyone. However, doing research is still the key. Use Internet forums and search engines, ask the right questions, look for vital signs, do a bit of reading and planning — and hopefully you too will find a hosting company that give you fast and reliable service that fit into your budget.

PS. Please try not to suggest hosting companies in comments.