I just got a PM from a user here who was looking for a new hosting company. He said he was deluged by offers from companies, but didn't know what company to pick.

I've been using web hosting for many years (I started in 1996), and I've been through many good and bad hosting companies. Over the years, I've developed a hosting company "litmus test" -- something that ensures that a hosting company is decent. Below is my litmus test -- and it is also the list of advice I sent him to assist in his quest.

-----

Any host answering responding to all of the below advice honestly, in detail, and to your satisfaction will probably be a good one.

Good luck with finding a host that's right for you!

#1. Always contact the host before buying. Throw some questions at them. Make sure they don't get defensive, blow you off, or use bad grammar. This is key to understanding their support level.

#2. With regards to the above, see how quickly they respond. A lot of hosts may be slow to respond ("slow" being defined as more than 6 hours). Weed those out.

#3. If the price is too low, weed them out as well. Remember the old saying: "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is." As a general rule of thumb, any host under ~$.50/GB of transfer is probably too low. Hosts on the low end often can't support their customers well, and they may suffer from more frequent downtimes and outages.

#4. How many employees do they have? If it's just one, you may not get the support you wish to have 24 hours a day.

#5. What do they do if there is an outage? Do they notify customers? Do they give refunds for downtime?

#6. Request actual uptime statistics. If they refuse, cross them off your list. Good hosts make these available through their website or upon request. Uptime statistics should link to a third-party website, not to the host's own website. Anyone can say they have 100% uptime over the past few months; third-party verification will tell you for sure.

#7. Where are they hosted? Is there someone available there 24/7 to assist the hosting company? How fast can a reboot be performed?

#8. How long have they been in business? How many customers do they have? Are they incorporated/registered?

#9. Do they have testimonials available (with links to customers' websites so you can confirm that these customers are actually hosted with this company)?

#9a. Search for this hosting company on WHT (use that nifty "Search" button at the top of the page.) What do others say? Is the host an active participant on the forum? Does the host answer others' questions here on the forum as well? This will tell you a lot about the quality of the people at that hosting company.

#10. How many servers do they have? If they only have one, it may be overloaded... especially if they're claiming more than 100 virtual hosting customers or 20 reseller customers.

If you have anything to add, please post it below... I'm sure I've missed a couple good indicators! :)

-Erica

You are so smart baby~ :love:

Originally posted by YUPAPA
You are so smart baby~ :love:

Aww! I love you too!!! :D

Thanks. ;)

Great tips. I'd immediately add :

#9b. Who are their referrals/testimonials coming from? Are they people who need the same things you do? A random group of strangers singing praises isn't good enough. If you're looking for a host for your physician's referral service, you might not want to put much weight in the opinion of people hosting counterstrike servers.

renamed to 9b :)

Good list. :gthumb:

To expand on #5... an off-network emergency/status page is a plus, since it gives customers a way to stay on top of everything that's going on during a server/network outage, rather than being left in the dark (especially if the host's main site is unreachable).

All reasonably good points

However :D


#10. How many servers do they have? If they only have one, it may be overloaded... especially if they're claiming more than 100 virtual hosting customers or 20 reseller customers.


If they have one dual xeon P4 3.2 GHZ machine, it's going to handle a lot more than 100 shared accounts. Depending on the type of packages they offer of course.

One of the hosting companies I use has an off-site status page and emergency forum. Also part of my mboard serves as a back-up for a small hosting company too.

Originally posted by Eric Radtke
Good list. :gthumb:

To expand on #5... an off-network emergency/status page is a plus, since it gives customers a way to stay on top of everything that's going on during a server/network outage, rather than being left in the dark (especially if the host's main site is unreachable).

Some like to cram more then a 1000 sites per machine.

Adding: Stay away from hosts that heavily oversell.

Originally posted by Reality Hosting
All reasonably good points

However :D



If they have one dual xeon P4 3.2 GHZ machine, it's going to handle a lot more than 100 shared accounts. Depending on the type of packages they offer of course.

Probably the best guide I've seen in a long run. But if you aren't an admin with lots of experience you can't judge what a server handles. We have an old PIII Tualatin 1.4ghz box with 30 resellers and a thousand domains. The server load hovers around 0.4 and apache hasn't failed within living memory.

It's all about how you hone the server and weed out the resource hogs. :)

This (http://uptime.alertra.com/uptime2?id2=2718&id1=182893) is that very server. :)

make sure they have a phone number.

Anyone can list a phone number, What you want is a phone number that is first answered and helped by someone who knows what they are on about and not someones mum who didnt have a clue the home number was being used for a business.

ouch

if i had read this earlier .......................

Ya beat me too it Lawrence! :D My thoughts exactally.

Yes, those are very good questions. However, I would tend to think they violate some company policies. I mean some companies will tell how many customers they have at the current moment. While others would like to keep the information as a secret of the company. If a person collects this informtion about a company and he/she owns a company the information could potentially be used against you.

Okay let's keep this on topic. It is a good guide for the uninformed and I thank Erica for the time she took to post it :) :angel:

Originally posted by Kerry Jones
Yes, those are very good questions. However, I would tend to think they violate some company policies. I mean some companies will tell how many customers they have at the current moment. While others would like to keep the information as a secret of the company. If a person collects this informtion about a company and he/she owns a company the information could potentially be used against you.

That is precisely my point. Such things are a sales pitch for simpli.biz, who apparently does do that kind of thing. Also their opinion on domains per server is just that: their opinion. This 'list' is skewed to persuade the emailer to use the services of simpli.biz (as it should be). What's not right is posting it here, in a non-advertising forum, using the same form of persuasion.

And I love you too Eric.

Great 'tips' Simpli-Erica, especially for newbies ;)
(i believe anyone who got 2 or 3 bad hosts before are doing their best before getting 'burned' once again)

Well, I do agree that it's a fair guide in some respects and offers up some good advice, but then again it is the opinion of one host. Funny thing is, that host always has features that he or she posts. ;)

too much to read all 3 pages to see if this was added yet, but I would add:


* find out if their tech support is on site or remote.

Originally posted by Andrew
That is precisely my point. Such things are a sales pitch for simpli.biz, who apparently does do that kind of thing. Also their opinion on domains per server is just that: their opinion. This 'list' is skewed to persuade the emailer to use the services of simpli.biz (as it should be). What's not right is posting it here, in a non-advertising forum, using the same form of persuasion.

And I love you too Eric.

Simpli "apparently does do that kind of thing"? Yes, I believe we are a good hosting company. I created Simpli because I had a list like this already in my head from many past experiences and I wanted to create a company that matched my high standards.

I don't for a minute think that we are the only good hosting company out there and/or that we are the right hosting company for everyone. I posted this as a general guide. Lots of hosting companies meet these criteria, and as I said in my original post, any host answering these questions honestly will probably be a good one.

Now, I could have made this a hidden advertising post and "skewed" it toward Simpli by stating things that we had that other hosts didn't. I could have gotten really nasty and said that I believed that any host that didn't guarantee 100% network uptime wasn't a good host. Or I could have played the toll-free number card. But then it wouldn't have been a guide -- it would have been an advertisement. I know hosts that don't guarantee 100% network uptime who are excellent, and I know hosts that don't have a toll-free number that are excellent.

Sometimes, I just like to help other people. I want to see them make a good decision. That guy who PM'ed me yesterday asking the questions that prompted this post -- I could have just PM'ed him an offer and have been done with it. And sure, I sent him an offer. But I also wanted to make sure that he knew how to pick the right host (especially since he'd posted in the Shared Requests pit.) Wherever the people on this forum end up -- whether it's with my company, the company that hosts your websites, or anyone else's hosting company -- I'd like to make sure they're satisfied with their decision. That's where this list comes in. It is self-promotion only to the extent that we hold ourselves to the same high standards -- standards which, if you read my original post, aren't impossibly high to obtain. These standards don't require you to get a merchant account, have an active support forum, buy a toll-free number, or use only SCSI drives. They do require you to go to great lengths for your customers -- responding to sales requests quickly, notifying customers of outages, etc. There are many hosting companies that meet this criteria, and all of the commonly-recommended hosts on this board meet them.

It is my hope that any host not meeting these criteria would strive to improve their customer service until they do. It is also my hope that anyone using this as a guide finds a company they are happy with and that will be there for them in the long term. Those are my expectations for this post.

Originally posted by anon-e-mouse
Okay let's keep this on topic. It is a good guide for the uninformed and I thank Erica for the time she took to post it :)

Thank you.

(I have too many images in my post? I've never seen that error before.)

#1. Always contact the host before buying. Throw some questions at them. Make sure they don't get defensive, blow you off, or use bad grammar. This is key to understanding their support level.

Not necessarily. ~please VNPixel, do not take offense to this~ When I went to VNPixel's site after I had been offered services, I almost closed the page immediately as the grammar on that page is atrocious. If I read all the praise from customers (which were all accused of being spam messages by other WHT members), I wouldn't have purchased services. However, of the hosts that I have recently tried since moving on from Netacore.Com, VNPixel has been the only host that has given decent service (so far support is above and beyond... especially considering I don't have to use it --that's just my opinion of what *good* support is).

#9a. Search for this hosting company on WHT (use that nifty "Search" button at the top of the page.) What do others say? Is the host an active participant on the forum? Does the host answer others' questions here on the forum as well? This will tell you a lot about the quality of the people at that hosting company.

I'd recommend opposite. Posts and respectability in this place don't mean squat. In fact it's only more distressing to a client when they go with a "respectable WHT host" to find out the host well... sucks.

populus stultus forui viris indignis honores saepe dat

or in otherwords: let the WHT host buyer beware :D


Other than that... rock on! Thanks for posting the list ^_^

Originally posted by Simpli-Erica
Simpli "apparently does do that kind of thing"? Yes, I believe we are a good hosting company. I created Simpli because I had a list like this already in my head from many past experiences and I wanted to create a company that matched my high standards.


As did just about all of us. However, does that really mean that we all have the SAME idea of what that is? Or that there is only one way of doing things? Why do you think it's proper to advise newbies to look for things like testimonials with links back to sites, when many companies' privacy policies would strictly forbid this?

So, hosts who maintain strict privacy policies have a black mark on their record? Or they're harder to classify as 'good' because they don't meet the given criteria? That doesn't seem right at all.

Again, seems like a good thing for you to tell folks who are inquiring about your services, but not really a great thing to post on WHT as a 'rule'. (kinda reminds me of that dating book...'The Rules'. :D)



Now, I could have made this a hidden advertising post and "skewed" it toward Simpli by stating things that we had that other hosts didn't. I could have gotten really nasty and said that I believed that any host that didn't guarantee 100% network uptime wasn't a good host. Or I could have played the toll-free number card. But then it wouldn't have been a guide -- it would have been an advertisement. I know hosts that don't guarantee 100% network uptime who are excellent, and I know hosts that don't have a toll-free number that are excellent. [/B]

Yes, you could have made it much worse. You could have done all those things. Such lists, no matter who compiles them are flawed by nature. They can't possibly speak for every customer and every host.

When the list is compiled by a host him/herself, that just makes it more of a problem.

It is, IMHO, improper for a host to come here and create a list of guidelines on what people should look for in a web host, especially when that list is filled with things that the posting host provides, be it 24/7 support, t-shirts, an Olympic size swimming pool, toll free number, or testimonials. As a competitor, it is not your duty or place to be dictating such things either to the public or to your competitors on this forum.


It is my hope that any host not meeting these criteria would strive to improve their customer service until they do. It is also my hope that anyone using this as a guide finds a company they are happy with and that will be there for them in the long term. Those are my expectations for this post. [/B]

You're doing it again right here. You've just implied that any host who does not happen to conform to your little list (which includes a couple of highly debatable items) needs to 'improve' their customer service. Who are you to dictate how your competitors need to 'improve'?

I'm sorry, but I don't see this as 'helping' anyone.

i agree with andrew.

it is plain ridiculous for a host himself to compile a list of "guidelines" and post it on a board where many of his competitors do business on. ESPECIALLY with a very debatable list. such lists should ONLY be made by a hosting end user who does not own and is not affiliated with any hosting business. i consider any company that compiles such lists 2b very immature and unprofessional.

i do not operate a hosting business nor am i affiliated with any hosting company in any way. so the above is my opinion based on my own experience.

The list is hardly all-inclusive, but I think it does set out some good, practical, common sense suggestions.

If you want to criticize... sure, a 6 hour sales response is not crucial; most hosts will not divulge the number of customers they have (nor should they be required to); the lack (or abundance) of posts about a company on WHT does not have a direct correlation with the quality of the host; and 100 virtual hosting customers on one server is certainly on the low end.

The rest of the guidelines are right on target, IMO.

Originally posted by Andrew
...does that really mean that we all have the SAME idea of what that is? Or that there is only one way of doing things?

No. You're free to post your own list and/or add your comments here. I hadn't seen anyone do something like this recently, so I created my own.

Why do you think it's proper to advise newbies to look for things like testimonials with links back to sites, when many companies' privacy policies would strictly forbid this?

Have you seen the number of companies who copy-and-paste testimonials from other web hosting company sites? It's shocking. I agree with others on here who say that a testimonial without a site to back it up is pretty much useless. I wasn't the first one to state that on this forum, nor have I stated it the most adamantly.

As long as you ask the customer to post the testimonial on your site, I don't think this would be a violation of any company's privacy policy. If you choose not to do that, fine. But a lot of people won't hold worth in testimonials from "E. Dredger of Minneapolis, MN." Anyone can make those up, just as I made that name up.

It is, IMHO, improper for a host to come here and create a list of guidelines on what people should look for in a web host, especially when that list is filled with things that the posting host provides.

You're free to make up your own list. Like I said, no matter which host a person who reads this list chooses, I believe that by following this list, they will choose a good one. Don't let your cynicism get in the way of seeing when someone really is trying to help out other people.

Originally posted by Eric Radtke
100 virtual hosting customers on one server is certainly on the low end.

Just to clarify this one -- I was really pointing this suggestion more toward companies that only have one server. One server is fine when you're just starting out, sure. I understand that every company has to start somewhere. However, the single-server thing often scares me... I've seen companies that (unwilling to buy a new server since their cost projections won't allow it) cram everyone onto a single server, often making it overloaded.

This is probably the tip I posted that is most questionable. I am sure there are companies out there that are great and only have one server, but I haven't yet seen one. Usually, the good companies expand extremely quickly to more than one server. What I was basically saying with this one was "If they only have one server, beware -- they may not be willing to buy a second one once the first one gets full." The number of customers per server was more of an afterthought.

As for the other ones you questioned -- yes, some of these are subjective as well, but they come from my personal experience with other hosting companies. Not everyone may agree with them. That's okay -- I'm just getting this out there as a general list. :)

Originally posted by Simpli-Erica
No. You're free to post your own list and/or add your comments here. I hadn't seen anyone do something like this recently, so I created my own.

Have you seen the number of companies who copy-and-paste testimonials from other web hosting company sites? It's shocking. I agree with others on here who say that a testimonial without a site to back it up is pretty much useless. I wasn't the first one to state that on this forum, nor have I stated it the most adamantly.


Do you think that testimonials with domains and matching whois information can't be faked? If someone really wants to fake a testimonial, they'll fake it. C'est la vie. These are the times we live in.

Personally, I think testimonials are a whole lot of hogwash for just the reasons you stated. Either with or without a domain to 'back it up'. Useless isn't a word I'd use to describe them though. They're very useful: to the hosting company making them up/posting them.


However, testimonials aren't the real issue here. Your list is. Let's not forget that.


As long as you ask the customer to post the testimonial on your site, I don't think this would be a violation of any company's privacy policy. If you choose not to do that, fine. But a lot of people won't hold worth in testimonials from "E. Dredger of Minneapolis, MN." Anyone can make those up, just as I made that name up.



As long as I don't want to put testimonials on my site at all, I don't think it should be of any concern to a competing host. If I don't, according to your previous post, I need to 'improve' my customer service.

If Joe Hoster emails you and says 'Hey, I'm trying to choose between you and Andrew.', please feel free to malign us for our lack of testimonials on the site. However, to make it an item on a list, posted on a public forum, that is supposed to 'help' newbies figure out who is a 'good' host, is really not appropriate.



You're free to make up your own list. Like I said, no matter which host a person who reads this list chooses, I believe that by following this list, they will choose a good one. Don't let your cynicism get in the way of seeing when someone really is trying to help out other people.

I don't want to make a list! I wouldn't dream of doing such a thing. To me, it would be completely unethical, presumptuous and ridiculous to even consider the idea of posting a 'list' of what people should look for in a host. Different people need different things. It is most certainly not my place to decide what those needs are.

If you want to call me cynical, so be it. This kind of thing helps to rob this industry (and this forum) of the dignity that it is already quite short on.

If you can't take a step back and see how much of a conflict of interest it is for you to be posting such a list, then the solution isn't to change my cynicism. It's for you to take off those rose colored glasses and see things the way they are.

<edited for stupid mistakes, a choice word here and there, and missing bold tags :D>

Why are you all flaming Erica over something as trivial as this? She made a simple list that for the average, clueless user with 50 different offers WILL help them a little bit. Maybe not the entire list, but at least some of it will give them something to think about when they are talking to the hosts.

I really think you guys just need to drop the whole flame war that you've created here and just take a step back and say "Thank you" to Erica because she did a little bit to help out the average user here. Not everyone has as much of a clue as you guys when it comes to a host. This list is obviously for the little guy, not the experienced customer that has had "5 years experience" with various other hosts.

So, I think at this you guys should just leave this thread alone or start posting your own helpful comments and/or guidelines for the newbie users reading this forum.

Originally posted by 1stStrike
Why are you all flaming Erica over something as trivial as this? She made a simple list that for the average, clueless user with 50 different offers WILL help them a little bit. Maybe not the entire list, but at least some of it will give them something to think about when they are talking to the hosts.

I really think you guys just need to drop the whole flame war that you've created here and just take a step back and say "Thank you" to Erica because she did a little bit to help out the average user here. Not everyone has as much of a clue as you guys when it comes to a host. This list is obviously for the little guy, not the experienced customer that has had "5 years experience" with various other hosts.

So, I think at this you guys should just leave this thread alone or start posting your own helpful comments and/or guidelines for the newbie users reading this forum.

First off, this isn't flaming. This is a discussion.

Secondly, the day I thank someone for blatant advertising on a public ad-free forum is the day a skinny guy with horns in a red suit will remark about how deep the snow is. :D

Exactally 1stStrike. I was just about to post the same thing. I don't agree with everything on Erica's list, but I definately think Andrew is going a bit overboard with the attacks.

At least we don't see hundreds of first time posters exlaiming the wonders of Simpli.biz. :D

This isn't a flame, by calling it that you discredit Andrew's valid arguments against advertising in this forum. And it's foolish to think that this "list" would not profit Erica's company moreso than other (assumingly decent) hosts. It's like having Bill Gates give you tips on how to find the right OS for all your computing needs.

However, Erica seems to have had good intentions and the tips on the list which she provided could be very helpful to a newbie.

Now that both arguments have been made folks should just agree to disagree and move on.

I am sorry, but discussing the tactics as Andrew has done with Erica are not uncalled for at all. People seem quite often to forget that this is a public forum. Discussion is open to everything save what the mods think inappropriate. I don't see flamming in here, instead, I see a pretty good debate. I agree with Andrew in his viewpoint, although I do believe the intentions of the list were honorable and good. The list is helpful, but unfortunately can be seen as a bit biased.

This thread or any like it, as posted by any host, will always include features that perhaps others don't have. Just because the company responds a little longer with Sales doesn't mean at all that they're not a good company. Afterall, what does a very muddy reply in 4 hours mean against a clear and concise reply in 8 hours time? Quality of the reply is something to consider. I'd rather wait a little longer and know the problem is solved then spend just as much time emailing back and forth trying to get replies.

Information such as how many clients and so forth, as others have already said before me, is often part of a privacy policy. I think this can be scratched from the list. How long they have been around and where are they registered is good, however.

As has already been brought up, anyone can fake testimonials. It's pretty easy to get a friend of yours to sign up with his own website or just use his contact information. Same applies here on WHT. It's a sad sad thing to say, but it's hard to trust a good testimonial anymore. Many companies stoop very low in faking these.

If the company is present at WHT, that's great, but IMHO that's something that really shouldn't be considered unless it's someone who is obviously around a lot. That may help them, but I wouldn't base any part of your decision on how much they post at WHT.

A company can overload 10 servers just as easy as they can overload one. I don't really think the amount of servers a company has really proves much of anything besides size of the company. As others have stated, numbers also vary, but I'll leave that alone.

All that being said, I do agree with some points of the post. They can be helpful. I also see Andrew's side of it as well though.

I actually reported a few posts in this thread yesterday, just as a point to show that I wasn't talking about one person when I suggested something ealier this week. Some posts were removed, but a bigger broom was needed. Anyhow...

I DON'T think the intent was self-promotion, rather this list is simply one person's suggestions. As stated in the post, Erica has used various shared hosts for many years. (See quote below)
Originally posted by Simpli-Erica
I've been using web hosting for many years (I started in 1996), and I've been through many good and bad hosting companies. Over the years, I've developed a hosting company "litmus test" -- something that ensures that a hosting company is decent. Below is my litmus test -- and it is also the list of advice I sent him to assist in his quest.
I'm not going to pick it apart point by point, as I feel it's simply her list, but I don't agree with some of the points and suggestions she made. Everyone could come up with their own list, and every list would be different. If you don't agree, post it (as was said). No harm in that.


EDIT:
I had to edit this post to add DON'T, which I apparently forgot... "I DON'T think the intent was self-promotion..." -sorry Erica if you read this before the mistake was corrected.

Originally posted by Chicken
I DON'T think the intent was self-promotion, rather this list is simply one person's suggestions.

Honestly, I was shocked when I woke up this morning to discover Andrew's comments. I put my signature in this one not to self-promote, but to simply raise awareness that yes, I own a hosting company, and no, I'm not 100% unbiased.

Then again, who in this industry is? If you've been in web hosting long enough, you're eventually going to move on past shared. Then you get friends who host with you, and friends of those friends, etc. Pretty soon, you have to make the decision as to whether you seriously want to pursue hosting as a business, or whether you'd rather do something else and just host as a hobby.

Everyone who has made that decision is biased in some way. Every single person who has come to that point with web hosting already has guidelines like the ones I wrote. (I'm not arguing that they're the same ones I wrote; I'm saying that you have standards for the sort of hosting company you wish to deal with.)

I took a few minutes yesterday and wrote out my standards in a PM to a user. At the end of the PM, I mentioned that this might be useful in the Web Hosting forum. I thought about it for a while -- left it up on my monitor for a couple of hours -- and decided to post it. Why? Because I knew it would help people... and I knew it would stimulate some good discussion from others who didn't agree with my particular guidelines.

Unfortunately, this seems to have been turned into a debate over whether my post was a publicity stunt, where what I really wanted was for people to say something like "You know, I agree with your list, but I really think a host should also have xyz." Or "I don't agree with #9, and here's why." Those posts are incredibly useful to first-time WHT users. Now, not only do they have a resource from one user on what that person thinks constitutes a good web hosting company, but they also have debate, discussion, and further ideas to explore. More educated customers are better customers, and more people who make good decisions means fewer people who come back to WHT in three months with this icon (:bawling: ) on their posts, asking "Why did my host let me down?"

My intent was not self-promotion. I expected flames for stating what I did... but I didn't expect Andrew's comments. Though I do realize where Andrew is coming from, my personal feeling is that it's always going to be easier to flame someone else for standing up and stating what they believe than to state your own beliefs and be held accountable for them.

This is where I bow out of the discussion.

I actually think it was a good list and pretty comprehensive. Maybe Andrew's host does not meet your guidelines and that is why he is so ....annoyed?

Originally posted by qm8309
i agree with andrew.

it is plain ridiculous for a host himself to compile a list of "guidelines" and post it on a board where many of his competitors do business on. ESPECIALLY with a very debatable list. such lists should ONLY be made by a hosting end user who does not own and is not affiliated with any hosting business. i consider any company that compiles such lists 2b very immature and unprofessional.

i do not operate a hosting business nor am i affiliated with any hosting company in any way. so the above is my opinion based on my own experience.

You have to respect the thread starter! IS HERSELF not HIMSELF! :fork: The end users should review the guildliness because they have no experience on finding a good hosting company. :angel:

Seems like a pretty good list that will help out some people confused by the whole hosting thing to think in the right direction, even if they don't check off every point on the list & take from it what is valuable to them.

No way to tell if the intent was self-promotion, doesn't seem like it - but even if it was - so what? - She took the time to put together something useful - if she gets a few clicks from it - then great. There's nothing stopping other hosts debating the points and getting a share of the interest or even posting their own helpful lists :)

Sorry - I can't see anything unethical in that post

Well, Andrew actually PM'ed me to mention that I screwed up that phrase. I fixed it and the PM notification popped up. We ended up chatting and I think he just felt that some hosts can't meet some of the tips, and that due to that, it wasn't proper for another host to post such a list. That's his opinion. As I said, I don't think Erica's intent was self promotion, there are sure to be people who will disagree with that. Onto other things...

I said I wouldn't pick apart Erica's tips one by one, but she seems open to other opinions on the matter so I'll simply offer my take on them. This post will be merely that, I won't offer any additional suggestions or points. I also want to point out that I won't say that anything below will ensure that a hosting company is decent, it's just a few of my thoughts about her 10 tips.
Originally posted by Simpli-Erica
#1. Always contact the host before buying. Throw some questions at them. Make sure they don't get defensive, blow you off, or use bad grammar. This is key to understanding their support level.
I don't think it's necessary to always contact a provider before buying. I feel that you could do your homework and research a provider via other methods, and get references from people you trust as to who they use. If you do contact them, making sure they, "don't get defensive" or "blow you off" is certainly something you'd note. "Bad grammar," could be attributed to a number of things, one being that English is not the first language for the person who responded to your question (if you contacted them in English for example). Many adults display poor grammar, and sometimes quick emails and posts aren't spell checked. It's not a report that you're turning into your boss or a college paper. Only you can determine just how important grammar is, and how that relates to offering quality hosting services.

I also don't think one can be assured that pre-sales questions are, "key to understanding their support level." In fact, pre-sales questions may be handled by one group, while support could be handled by another group of in-house or foriegn, out-sourced people (who may have little to no experience, grasp of the language, nor control over the provider's services).
#2. With regards to the above, see how quickly they respond. A lot of hosts may be slow to respond ("slow" being defined as more than 6 hours). Weed those out.
I feel the person looking for hosting should define "slow" and that some may find 6 hours too long, while others may feel that 12 hours is fine. Also (as I mentioned before), you may be dealing with two separate groups of people (pre-sales and support). Pre-sales responses might be faster or slower than support responses, and it might be a good or bad day or week.
#3. If the price is too low, weed them out as well. Remember the old saying: "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is." As a general rule of thumb, any host under ~$.50/GB of transfer is probably too low. Hosts on the low end often can't support their customers well, and they may suffer from more frequent downtimes and outages.
I don't agree with putting a dollar amount on what is too low, but will say that you should decide what you feel is reasonable. It's completely subjective and I wouldn't let price be the #1 determining factor. Don't try to "save a few bucks" only to be scammed and end up having to cut your losses and sign up somewhere else. In the end, you'll pay more than if you didn't try to "save a few bucks."
#5. What do they do if there is an outage? Do they notify customers? Do they give refunds for downtime?

#6. Request actual uptime statistics. If they refuse, cross them off your list. Good hosts make these available through their website or upon request. Uptime statistics should link to a third-party website, not to the host's own website. Anyone can say they have 100% uptime over the past few months; third-party verification will tell you for sure.
Many hosts boldly display phrases such as: 99.9% Uptime Guarantee! on their sites, but it's more complicated than that. "Downtime" and "uptime statistics" can be misleading. The network may have been up 99.9% of the time, but Server#4 may have ben problematic and up only 92.3% of the time. You may not get a refund, depending on how the provider calculates downtime, or you might only get a small amount (a percentage of your monthly fee based on the minutes down).

Third-party services have their own problems and the only true guage of uptime is knowing 1) the uptime of the network and 2) the uptime of the server you'll be on. That type of information is only available from the server logs but I suppose you could use third-party stats as a rough estimate.
#7. Where are they hosted? Is there someone available there 24/7 to assist the hosting company? How fast can a reboot be performed?

#8. How long have they been in business? How many customers do they have? Are they incorporated/registered?
I'm skipping #7, as this post is already too long. All companies will not tell you how many customers they have. Often this is considered private information. Incorporation is one business formation type, but there are others. Many hosts that are highly regarded were registered as Sole Proprietors for some time (FutureQuest comes to mind).
#9. Do they have testimonials available (with links to customers' websites so you can confirm that these customers are actually hosted with this company)?

#9a. Search for this hosting company on WHT (use that nifty "Search" button at the top of the page.) What do others say? Is the host an active participant on the forum? Does the host answer others' questions here on the forum as well? This will tell you a lot about the quality of the people at that hosting company.
Testimonials aren't as valid in my opinion as actual referrals from people you know or talk to (ones that you approach). Search everywhere you can if you're blindly picking a provider. I don't feel that it matters if they're an active participant on any forum. If you do see that representatives post, it's not a bad idea to note their behavior (good or bad).
#10. How many servers do they have? If they only have one, it may be overloaded... especially if they're claiming more than 100 virtual hosting customers or 20 reseller customers.
Again, not information that every host will offer if asked. If they have one server, it might be overloaded... however it might not be overloaded.


As I said, all this is just my opinion and I don't feel she was wrong ([i]her tips are her tips), however I did disagree with some of it and/or thought expand upon some of the points.

Originally posted by Simpli-Erica
More educated customers are better customers, and more people who make good decisions means fewer people who come back to WHT in three months with this icon (:bawling: ) on their posts, asking "Why did my host let me down?"



As someone who is an end-user, I have to say this list is very helpful. Particularly since I can't find my own list I created 3 years ago when I was looking for my first host and "interviewing." ;)

Is her list self-serving? To a degree, of course. Hell, I'll probably contact her about hosting services now. Truth is, any host who hangs out here with a sig is serving themselves, while at the same time serving the community. ANY host who spends time here and helps others, makes themselves look good. And I think we all know, this is how a host can maintain a profile to gain new customers. Othewise, I doubt half the hosts would be here if they didn't generate business BY being here. This is how I found my first host, who has served me well in all this time.

While I don't know any of you and haven't been on this board for close to 2 years, I think the best response Andrew & some others should have given (like Chicken does above here), would be to post their own lists, OR addendums/comments to Erica's list. Because THAT is what is helpful to end-users like me.

This end-user's perspective? I come here looking for help/advice/information, and hopefully finding a host (quickly) who will serve me for years. Many years. I don't have the time to spend reading disagreements between hosts. (Although there always will be disagreements such as these, and quite frankly, how hosts deal with these disagreements tells me a lot about them.) I have a business to run, and the quicker I find the info & help I need, the quicker I can get back to my business.

So... my suggestions to those of you who disagree with Erica's list, is to comment on her list, not disagree with her having posted it. This is what helps end-users out the most.

Thanks.