The Ultimate Shared Hosting Checklist
11 Jul
I was looking for a decent webhost and I forgot a few things that I was supposed to check for. So I thought why not make a list of things that we should all look into before choosing a webhost. Lets call it the ultimate shared hosting checklist.
Well we all know the basics. See how much space and monthly bandwidth you will get. Don’t forget email accounts and databases. You know the usual stuff. So lets move on to the more important ones.
Are they overselling?
Oh please don’t go with a overselling webhost. Chances are you’ll be hosted on a oversold piece of shit if you go with them. So how to tell if they’re overselling or not? Well is it too good too be true? Are they giving you 500GB or 1500GB of space and 100TB bandwidth for just $5? That’s overselling my friend.
And you won’t even need more than 2-10 gigs of space. Trust me. And for bandwidth I would go with like 50-200 gigs (just so it can handle traffic spikes).
Are they a reseller?
Most resellers are fly-by-night hosts. They take your money and they go poof! Say goodbye to your money and files. You don’t want that to happen. And even if they are a reseller check how long they have been in business.
The database size limit
This is very important if you plan to host a forum or a database-based site. I’ve looked around and most big webhosts have about 100MB limit in a shared environment. 100MB should be good enough for a while. Like if your site grows you’ll probably move to a VPS or a dedicated server.
Number of concurrent users on a database
Oh yeah this is 100% geeky thing. Its the number of database connections being made at the same time. This is really, really important if you have a forum (especially if its running on vBulletin). Now the limit ranges from 10-250 depending on the webhost.
Just call the support people and ask them about it. Most hosts don’t have info on it on their site. You might also wanna check their AUP (acceptable usage policy).
Reviews! Good or bad?
I would do a quick Google search and check for some reviews. Now don’t fully make your decision based on the reviews. Some might be fake (like written by a competitor). More important is word of mouth.
Type of support available
Most hosts do have a support number on their site and offer 24/7 email and/or live chat support. But how long do you have to wait till you get help? Here’s the mini checklist for support.
- Call support and see how long you have to wait till you talk with someone. You might get a host that puts you on the line until you hang up or just take messages.
- Email support with a few questions. Like concurrent users, database limits, etc. See when you get replied.
- Yep you got it! Use the handy live chat. See how long do you have to wait till a rep. gets on the chat and see how professional they are (like the replies and stuff).
Big fish or small fish??
I don’t care if some new host is giving an awesome deal, I would always go with a big host with a good reputation. Wondering why? Well you’ll be hosting your files and databases there. How do you know if they follow the privacy policy? How can you be sure that they won’t download your files and databases and make a clone or sell it somewhere? The list can go on and on. But you get my point, right?
Using a big host always makes me feel safe. I’m not saying that something like this is never going to happen on hosts like GoDaddy, MediaTemple, DreamHost, etc. But if it happens then you can at least sue their ass. They won’t just go poof unlike the small fishes.
UPDATE (July 25, 08): I listed down “5 Great Shared Hosting Plans“. Check that out.
I think that’s it. If I’m missing anything then please let me know. Thanks for reading guys! And don’t forget to subscribe to my feeds or via email for more like this.
Big fish or small fish??
You mean basically go with a blue chip company because they won’t want to get sued so will stay loyal.
Nice post.
Don’t get me wrong but I don’t think a company like GoDaddy or HostGator for example would steal your files and ruin the reputation they earned over the last few years.
And even if they do by any chance they won’t close down their whole business like those fly-by-night hosts. You’ll get a chance to take legal actions.
BlueHost oversells. They offer “unlimited” bandwidth and space. However, they’ve been in the business for quite a while now, and they have pretty good reviews. Their customer support is also top class. Meh. I’m happy with them.
But for those of you planning to run a heavy traffic website, do NOT consider ANY shared webhosts. A dedicated server is in order for you.
@Aleks: Yeah BlueHost does oversell. But there are 2 types of oversellers.
1. Using a cheap server with okay specs or a reseller hosting.
2. Using their own server(s) with pretty good specs
BlueHost falls under #2. But when you start to get a decent amount of traffic you’ll get banned for some stupid reason. If you feel that BlueHost is good for you then stick with it.
I agree with all your points and one host that stands out for me is WebFaction ( http://www.webfaction.com ). They are particularly good with support and speed/stability of the servers.
Hmm WebFaction looks good. They don’t seem to be overselling. Looks like a good host. I never heard of them though. lol
I started using hostgator for my personal sites, thinking they were too cheap to be true and didn’t want to dump clients there. After a couple years, the service has been great – occasional (2-3 a year that I noticed) outages lasting up to 30 minutes which is no big deal. Customer service chat, phone, email has always resolved / answered my questions quickly. I’ve been moving some clients there lately to pear down their hosting costs and have had no complaints…
I think hostgator is the best hosting in the web. Most popular blogs/website/forum were hosted there.
@Hussein: HostGator is NOT the best host. They are one of the biggest oversellers on the web. They are only good for low to decent traffic sites.
Hi nice post, i read your blog from time to time but i was wondering something. I also run a blog on a similar topic, but i get 1,000′s of spam comments and emails every day does that happen to you.. Any ideas to stop it? I currently have commenting disabled but i want to turn it back on.. Thanks!
What is captcha code?, pls provide me captcha code codes or plugin, Thanks in advance.
gr8 resrch bro?
Super-Duper site! I am loving it!! Will come back again – taking you feeds also, Thanks.
Man, I can’t believe I didn’t know about this blog! I’m working my way through the archives starting from the beginning. Just wanted to say keep up the good work!
Technical support have me by way of any problems which i have. It would take a couple of calls to have someone with the knowlege to walk me through my problems. But no complaints. They were very helpful and persistent. Significantly better than my previuous web host.
I went from an alternative internet hosting company when the fees doubled. I got just a little leery because price tag below almost all of the other providers. I was pleasantly surprised that the support, features and support have been just about all much better than the old provider.
relating to chosen this web hosting service .we saw it is good host if you want to set up a large web-sites but the problem is a bit high price.i hope they’ll lower the hosting prices.
I am incredibly pleased with our choice of web hosting. Fast and professional customer care, plus a hassle-free to navigate web builder has me very happy with my selection to choose them.
This is always helpful