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Finding a needle in a host stack
How can you avoid the lurch and successfully land the right low-cost host your first time out? First, figure out exactly what you want your site to be, both now and in the future. Today, you may just want a simple site for your blog. In a year or two, as people flock to your site to read your brilliant observations, you might need to handle a lot more traffic. Or you might decide to sell T-shirts with your likeness on them, and you'll need some e-commerce tools. In any case, you need to think it through.

When you have a good idea of what you need from a host, it's time to hit the Web and start doing your homework. While you're at it, be sure to follow these simple rules:

Be realistic. Don't expect 24/7 service or maximum uptime with a supercheap hosting provider. "If you're looking to do some mission-critical e-commerce and think you can get away with spending $4.95 a month, you're deluding yourself," says Rawlson King, managing editor for the Web Host Industry Review in Ottawa. Supercheap hosting services are really for hobbyists or static and low-end e-commerce sites where a little downtime won't hurt and support needs are minimal.

Consider the source. Researching your options on the Web is always a good idea, but be careful whose advice you take. What seems like an impartial recommendation may in fact be an ad, says Andrew McMasters, president of FindMyHosting in New Orleans. McMaster's directory makes a small commission from customer referrals but does not accept advertising. "You'll find hundreds of sites that list the 'top hosting companies' where the No. 1 slot is the host that makes the biggest affiliate payout." That is, the order of listings does not always indicate quality.

Another pitfall to look out for is directories owned by the hosts themselves. For example, Webhosting-Directory.com is run by Tawi Del Bosque, the same folks who run FreeHostingWeb, which happens to be the first service recommended in the directory's Budget Hosting section. (Quelle coincidence!)

Ask around. A better source for the inside skinny on hosts is other folks like you. Post questions on forums such as those at the Web Host Directory or WebHosting Talk and check out user reviews at sites such as Web Hosting Ratings and Free-Webhosts.com. Check out the ratings at CNET's hosting guide or simply plug the name of a host into Google Groups and see what newsgroup denizens have to say about it.

Beware bogus claims. Any host offering "unlimited" bandwidth or disk space is just using a marketing ploy, says McMasters. "There's no such thing." Such offers don't necessarily mean a hosting company is dishonest, but consumers need to find out what the limits really are; for example, some low-costs hosts don't allow video or audio downloads due to bandwidth constraints or will restrict access to your site once you exceed bandwidth limitations.

Talk to the company. Even when looking for a low-cost host, it pays to call the phone number and talk to a real person to ask questions, clarify offerings, and find out about pricing. After all, if they don't pick up the phone to make a sale, how likely are they to do it when you have a problem?


Check out what your fellow Netizens have to say before you sign up. (click to enlarge) This is the closest you'll come to a hosting seal of approval. (click to enlarge)


"You can tell a lot from a company's responsiveness," says Shirley Gregory, senior analyst with the EBI Group in Navarre, Florida. "If they're not responsive to questions before you sign up, that's a red flag."

Quiz the host on what each plan offers, ask for references from other customers, and find out where the company is located. This info will come in handy if you have problems later. If you can't reach a live human, move on to your next choice.

Start out slow. If the host you like is a start-up with no track record, "don't commit to too long a service contract, especially at the start," advises Gregory. You may pay a little more for a short-term agreement, but you won't lose big if the host goes belly-up. If they insist on a long-term arrangement, tell them thanks but no thanks and go to the next host on your list.

Get assurances. Though there is no universally recognized Good Hostkeeping Seal of Approval, some third parties will intervene on your behalf if you run into snags. For example, nearly half of the 650 companies on FindMyHosting participate in the site's Hosting Assured program, which requires them to agree to a code of ethics and a mediation process for settling disputes. (McMaster says he's kicked out two hosts for not abiding by the rules, but he declined to name them.)

Have a backup plan. No matter which host you choose, you might find, a month down the road, that it's simply not a good match for you or your business, says Gregory. "It's always good to have a plan in place that lets you migrate your site to another host as quickly and painlessly as possible."

If possible, register your domain yourself, so you won't have difficulty transferring it later, and keep a backup copy of your site in case your host pulls a Houdini on you.

Still, the best strategy is to do your research carefully and make the right choice the first time out, advises King.

"If you select a bad host off the top, it will cost you money down the road because you'll have to sign up with another service, which means setup and transfer costs and possibly some downtime. It's better to make the investment into a credible host initially."