When you are starting out with a website, one of the decisions that you’ll need to make of many will be: choosing a host company. There are many, many, many options out there for you. How do you know which one to choose? Which hosting reviews and websites can you trust? After all, host companies all offer the same product, finding specific value in how this product is delivered is where it counts.

GODADDY? BLUEHOST? HOSTGATOR?

These are likely some of the larger names out there. Many people will recognize these host companies or will have seen various ads promoting their services. Seems reputable. Seems like the best option. Right?

Wrong. Run. Run far and fast and run away from these ‘big namers’. I have personally used all three of these companies, and regularly work with others on behalf of many of my clients. Unfortunately, they are truly sub-par with the service and quality I’ve come to expect. Besides the usually higher price points, their user dashboards are poorly designed and their account support and tech support is lacking. Bluehost is known to be a bit more affordable…but you get what you pay for. Server speeds are usually slower and all around it’s just a terrible experience. I would not recommend any of these companies for any reason – ever.

HOSTING REVIEW WEBSITES

You can find plenty of reviews for hosting websites. But it’s hard to know which ones are legitimate. Sometimes positive reviews can even be compensated. Before settling with my current host company, I had tried various other providers. Most require an annual commitment, and each time, after the year was up, I was ready to look for another host. I did this for a couple of reasons: 1) Being in the industry, I needed to know what companies I could confidently recommend for clients. 2) I just wasn’t happy with the host company in terms of value and support. I am happy to say that I’ve been hosting websites with SiteGround, my personal recommendation for about 5 years now and I couldn’t be happier.

I found SiteGround by reading independent host reviews. Some sites that I would like to recommend for this are:  Web Hosting Geeks , Who is Hosting This, and Hosting Facts. These sites are chock full of reviews, stats, and independent study to help you to decide on the host that best fits your needs.

Outwit Trade also has a great summary on SiteGround with reviews that feature the pros and cons of customer experiences. You can read more about it here: SiteGround Reviews. 

CREAM OF THE CROP

From my own experience as well as those from countless others, there seems to be a clear indication of the companies that consistently rank well among consumers and business owners alike. SiteGround and inMotion come highly recommended through customer reviews and independent study. Chris from HostingPill also provides a great article on his experience with SiteGround.

I was recently introduced to a relatively new company : FastComet. FastComet has only been offering their hosting services to the public since 2013. But customer satisfaction ratings are consistent and very positive. They seem very well suited for an individual with limited tech experience and require an affordable host. An independent study from 2017 does show that server times could improve, so hopefully this is something that they will invest in.

IN CONCLUSION

Regardless of who you decide to host your site through, there are common factors to consider. Server speed, cost, tech support, customer support, and of course uptime. Do your research and place your trust in the company that will fit your needs.