Hosting Advice
My First Hosting Company Gave Me Headaches
I originally hosted my web site at a company that is a very good place to buy domain names, but whose inexpensive web hosting services turned out to be disappointing. Dealing with customer service was frustrating and the reps were sometimes clueless or difficult to understand. At times my web site’s pages loaded so slowly, browsers would time out. This is why good hosting needs to be your first priority and why I hope this page will help you decide to secure good hosting before you spend time, effort and money on a website. Even if you have time left on an existing hosting plan that is less than ideal, I would recommend foregoing the remaining time on that plan and changing to a good host before anything else is done.
So I Started Doing Some Research
I found that the majority of hosting services, including my original company, had both satisfied and very frustrated customers. There were a few companies that had consistently unhappy clients, and a few more that had virtually all happy customers. It was these latter hosts with the happy customers that I focused on, with one additional requirement. I also required that the hosting company use cPanel as the control panel provided to customers. I can’t emphasize enough how important I think this is. cPanel should be what any host you consider using provides their clients.
The highly rated companies had one thing in common, higher prices for their services. I understand perfectly the idea of getting what you pay for, but I am also a bit frugal. On my personal web site, I have put most of my efforts into content and administration, not focusing on income possibilities. I have been rewarded for legitimate original content and a vigilant approach to comment moderation and spam with great search engine results, lots of traffic, many loyal readers, and a Google page rank of 5, so I can’t complain. Still, the reality was that I wanted a decent hosting company that would not cost me several hundred dollars a year.
And Focused In On Two Companies
Eventually, my research narrowed it down to one company, HostGator. I also included BlueHost in the final evaluation because they seemed to be recommended by many WordPress experts. I ended up deciding on my own that BlueHost, although deserving to be considered, did not provide quite as good a hosting plan and did not have quite as good customer service as HostGator. Test calls to HostGator tech support found reps that were polite, knowledgeable, and very helpful. In addition, HostGator offers to transfer over your files from any previous host as part of signing up with them.
In the End I Decided on HostGator
After considering all angles, I decided to sign up at HostGator. I chose them for my hosting because they came out on the top of the list when compared to any other host. HostGator also makes it easy to decide what plan to sign up for by having a page linked right from their home page that does a feature and price comparison of all their shared hosting plans. As noted above, HostGator also includes a free transfer of site files from an existing host if you need that service. At only $7.95 per month for a three year plan, I believed I had found had found the perfect host.
Their Customer Service Has Been Fantastic
HostGator has live chat support that works perfectly. They have a great support area on their site and they respond promptly to on-line support tickets. When I have needed to use their toll free number to contact them, they are always knowledgeable, polite, and fast. Sometimes the support phone is answered on the first ring! The rep always gives you their name and once when I had to call back an hour later, I asked for the original support agent and was immediately transferred to him. If you do go into a queue to wait, you are told how many people are ahead of you and given an accurate approximation of your wait time. As calls are taken, your place in line and wait time are updated.
Still Happy After All This Time
I have been with HostGator for many months and I have been consistently happy with them. My choice was based on my own experiences and I am not the easiest customer to please. I also joined a referral program with HostGator, so if you do sign up using either the text link just above or the HostGator banner link at the bottom right of this page, you will get as good a price deal as you can find and I will be happy to communicate with you via email or on the phone to help you decide on the best plan for your needs and to get you through the sign up process. Then I also have a “cheat sheet” that I send anyone that signs up from this page that will help you navigate the configuration of your account and, if you are moving from another host, the transfer process. Of course you can also hire me to do the whole process, start to finish, for you by signing up for the “Hosting Plus WordPress” plan at the bottom of my installation plans page.
In the same way that I am very grateful to those of you that have used one of my Amazon links to shop for anything you get at Amazon, helping me to defray the costs of running my Healthy Living site, I will be very appreciative to anyone who clicks on the links on this page to sign up with HostGator.
Email Me If You Want Help Or More Information
If you do decide to use HostGator as a host, I think you will be very happy with their services. If you want further information about my own or my clients experience with HostGator, want to learn more about the specific hosting plan I use, or have any other questions at all, please email me and I will be glad to help. If you are hesitating because you concerned about technical issues, don’t worry. Email me first and then if you sign up through one of the links on this page, I’ll help you get going.
Thanks!
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