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  1. #1

    My hosting shortlist - which to choose?

    Please help this newbie with a decision to make.

    I'm moving an existing non-Wordpress site to a WordPress platform.
    I'll use Genesis (parent) + Dynamik (child) themes.
    I need a sandbox or something like it to make the required WP changes and test them before I go live
    I'll have a list I need to mail out to
    There will be e-products for sale so I'll need some e-commerce
    My current visitors are about 45% USA, 35% Australia, 20% rest of world
    Estimated traffic: up to 1000/day uniques but could be more (would be nice)

    I plan to set up a second site in 12 months time
    After 2 years I will sell the original site and keep just the second

    Things I'm thinking about:
    Location of servers - probably USA is best all-round
    Speed - LiteSpeed seems like the way to go - my site will be focused on mobile traffic
    Ease of selling Site 1 without disruption to Site 2 - I have to be able to make a clean break with something a buyer can just take over. WP Multi-user? Separate cPanels look to be getting pricey
    Emails per hour - for when I mail out to my list
    A safe place to test - this is my first WP site and I'll be optimising for mobile
    And especially - reliability and service

    Here's my shortlist:

    Stablehost
    MDD
    Veerotech
    Hawkhost
    Crocweb (but Canadian servers???)
    Geekstorage

    I'm leaning towards the smaller providers for the more personalised service - perhaps I'm wrong

    I would truly love feedback - experiences, opinions and whatever knowledge is out there. I've been researching this for days and would like to finally make a decision.

    Many thanks

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
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    130
    Quote Originally Posted by forelle View Post
    I'm leaning towards the smaller providers for the more personalised service - perhaps I'm wrong
    The list itself is good but the best way to get a more personalize service is to look for bad reviews in your hosts list and see how the companies handled problematic customers. Take into account that you may one day be a problematic customer yourself.

    Remember that this forum is filled with profit motives (obviously and nothing wrong with it) so you will see people vouching for X company here and there, however true professionalism can only be legitimately tested in the worst possible scenarios.

    Good luck.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Cusco Perú
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    531
    Hi, my experience with crocweb.com is good.

    I have previously worked with innohosting, your connection speed is good from latin america, then I go to crocweb and connection is the same from latin america.

    I change, for the price difference.

    Crocweb =

    LiteSpeed Web Server
    Pure Solid-State Drive Storage
    CloudLinux Operating System

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
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    Everywhere
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    696
    If I were you, I'd add InnoHosting to the list. They're really good and they use a quality datacenter in LA that has good speeds almost everywhere. We've been a reseller of them and we couldn't be more happy

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
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    Australia
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    Quote Originally Posted by forelle View Post
    Ease of selling Site 1 without disruption to Site 2 - I have to be able to make a clean break with something a buyer can just take over. WP Multi-user? Separate cPanels look to be getting pricey
    I definitely wouldn't use a single WP install in this case (WPMU is now built into Wordpress core). As a minimum I'd suggest a separate add-on domain with a second WP install, but to transfer that you'll need to make a file archive and database dump and copy both to a new account.

    Better would be 2 separate cPanel accounts or a reseller account (allowing you to create your own cPanel user accounts). Then you could just give the new owner full access to the account, or a full backup. But you're right - separating the websites will cost you more. You'll need to decide whether it's worth it.
    Chris

    "Some problems are so complex that you have to be highly intelligent and well informed just to be undecided about them." - Laurence J. Peter

  6. #6
    Hi Noobs - Reviews - yes I agree that tough issues are a good way to sort out the good from the rest. I've read hundreds and that's how I've got to this short list. There were lots more originally. And every single host has some negative reviews. These are the ones that seemed to handle issues the best.

    CircuitoX - thanks for your feedback on the connection speeds for Crocweb. Their location would be the only real question in my mind about them, otherwise they seem pretty hard to beat in terms of value for money.

    AcclaimedHost Alan - I looked at Innohosting after reading your post. I cannot find any mention of LiteSpeed so I'm guessing they aren't using it. Not being able to see that rather basic bit of information put me off them a bit. I accept that it could be just me and it might be obvious to others, but there you go, that was my reaction.

    Foobic - I've decided that the reseller route is too expensive for what I need. I'll find some sort of workaround for the website sale issue - probably along the lines you suggested with an addon domain.

    Has anyone had experience with Geekstorage? I'd like to hear more about that.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
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    5,079
    Quote Originally Posted by forelle View Post
    I've decided that the reseller route is too expensive for what I need. I'll find some sort of workaround for the website sale issue - probably along the lines you suggested with an addon domain.
    Fair enough on budget, but then definitely use an add-on domains rather than doing it as a single installation.

    Also, cPanel will (by default) try to put add-on domains as a sub-folder of the main site's directory. You can overrule on that, and you definitely do not want the two sites tangled up with each other. But you should ask hosts before signing up that you'll be able to have the add-on in a separate folder; some hosts enforce an option within cPanel that forces you to have your add-on domains as subdirectories of the main site. (I never understand why they do that - but check to be safe).
    Not as active on WHT as I used to be, but still drop in and receive email notifications from here.
    My personal blog site: https://www.oakleys.org.uk/blog

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by forelle View Post
    AcclaimedHost Alan - I looked at Innohosting after reading your post. I cannot find any mention of LiteSpeed so I'm guessing they aren't using it. Not being able to see that rather basic bit of information put me off them a bit. I accept that it could be just me and it might be obvious to others, but there you go, that was my reaction.
    You're right, they don't use LiteSpeed, sorry for overlooking that. They use Apache with the Varnish Cache (which I have found to perform just as well as LiteSpeed in my experience). If LiteSpeed is an absolute must, I know that EZPZ uses LiteSpeed.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    WWW
    Posts
    751
    I suggest to you Crocweb
    ADELINAhost (Established 2012)
    Shared Hosting - VPS - Dedicated Servers in more than 10 locations
    https://www.adelinahost.com

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    4,685
    If you are running multiple separate sites, I highly recommend getting a reseller account instead of shared hosting for better isolation and resource management.

  11. #11
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by forelle View Post
    A safe place to test - this is my first WP site and I'll be optimising for mobile
    And especially - reliability and service
    This is a very important point. Some have mentioned a reseller account and I will also add why this would be best;


    - If your just getting into WordPress, you have a higher risk factor of being exploited by overlooking simple security measures. It's nothing to be afraid of and no site is 100% secured. Just be sure to research and be proactive about WP security...do not leave it up to the host.


    Quote Originally Posted by forelle View Post
    Ease of selling Site 1 without disruption to Site 2 - I have to be able to make a clean break with something a buyer can just take over. WP Multi-user? Separate cPanels look to be getting pricey
    - a reseller account might seem pricey, but the overall benefits are worth it.



    Quote Originally Posted by forelle View Post
    I need a sandbox or something like it to make the required WP changes and test them before I go live

    - you can use a separate domain (if you chose) for your sandbox. This can be done with a single account too, but I will explain more further down.



    Quote Originally Posted by forelle View Post
    I plan to set up a second site in 12 months time
    After 2 years I will sell the original site and keep just the second
    Quote Originally Posted by forelle View Post
    Ease of selling Site 1 without disruption to Site 2 - I have to be able to make a clean break with something a buyer can just take over.

    - Selling the site in the future when it's more involved will be much easier. Separate installs will allow you to hand over the site when it's time. A multisite will have to be deconstructed and reassembled. It's not as difficult as it sounds, but it's a few extra steps that can be eliminated.


    Quote Originally Posted by forelle View Post
    Emails per hour - for when I mail out to my list

    Talk to your potential host about this. Most shared/resellers have a daily limit. Usually for shared, it could be in the range of 200-500 a day. If you have a bigger list, then you will either need to use an external mail service or email sending service.


    A few extra points for your decision...

    - make sure you have a few security plugins in place. A good set to start with; Better WordPress Security and WordFence.
    - a reseller account will keep both sites separated
    - ...and if an exploit should occur with one site, it will/may be limited to that account/site
    - Multi-User has a few flaws when it comes to security...stick with single installations



    Quote Originally Posted by OakHosting_James View Post
    Also, cPanel will (by default) try to put add-on domains as a sub-folder of the main site's directory. You can overrule on that, and you definitely do not want the two sites tangled up with each other. But you should ask hosts before signing up that you'll be able to have the add-on in a separate folder; some hosts enforce an option within cPanel that forces you to have your add-on domains as subdirectories of the main site. (I never understand why they do that - but check to be safe).
    Add-On's are useful, but as we know, one bad exploit, and everything within the account could be in danger. Seen too many accounts with 50 add-ons and all of them exploited.

    Forcing an add-on as a sub-directory...does sound odd.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
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    5,079
    Quote Originally Posted by 48-14 View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by OakHosting_James View Post
    Also, cPanel will (by default) try to put add-on domains as a sub-folder of the main site's directory. You can overrule on that, and you definitely do not want the two sites tangled up with each other. But you should ask hosts before signing up that you'll be able to have the add-on in a separate folder; some hosts enforce an option within cPanel that forces you to have your add-on domains as subdirectories of the main site. (I never understand why they do that - but check to be safe).
    Add-On's are useful, but as we know, one bad exploit, and everything within the account could be in danger. Seen too many accounts with 50 add-ons and all of them exploited.
    Just to add: I'd agree with everything 48-14 said on that.

    I was only telling you how to use add-ons because you sounded like you'd ruled out a Reseller set-up. If you were going to avoid a reseller account (or, two separate shared accounts), then you'd have to use add-ons and you'd want to do it right.

    However everything that 48-14 (and others) have said about the advantages of a reseller account are absolutely spot on. If you can stretch the budget, do it that way.

    Quote Originally Posted by 48-14 View Post
    Forcing an add-on as a sub-directory...does sound odd.
    I know that Bluehost do it, from working on someone's site on there.

    Why they do it? No idea.
    Not as active on WHT as I used to be, but still drop in and receive email notifications from here.
    My personal blog site: https://www.oakleys.org.uk/blog

  13. #13
    Thank you all for the help you're giving me. While I've been working my way through your replies at least one answer has emerged.

    There's general agreement that a reseller account is the best way to go - but I don't want to spend that level of money right now. But I can start with a single account, check that the various things you mentioned (such as being able to use a separate folder and not be forced to use a sub-directory for a second site) are ok and move up to a reseller account when I put the second site on. If, for some reason, the budget still doesn't stretch to a reseller account there's Plan B to fall back on. So that one's sorted.

    Security - yes, I've been doing some reading around that and I'll certainly pay attention!

    What about opinions on the various hosting companies?

    Stablehost
    MDD
    Veerotech
    Hawkhost
    Crocweb (but Canadian servers???)
    Geekstorage

    Any strong feelings? I anticipate needing a higher than normal amount of help at the front end while moving to this new platform. After that, based my last 5 years experience, it should be just now and then given a reliable provider.

  14. #14
    Well, so far both Crocweb and Geekstorage have come back and said no to separate folders, an addon site has to be a subdomain. I'll check out the others . . .

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
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    Quote Originally Posted by forelle View Post
    Well, so far both Crocweb and Geekstorage have come back and said no to separate folders, an addon site has to be a subdomain. I'll check out the others . . .
    Woah - don't misunderstand them.

    Add-on domains have to be subdomains. (example2.com will also be available as example2.example1.com).

    But that is not the same thing as having to host subdomains out of a subfolder. (So that if the files for example1.com are found in a directory named public_html, the files for example2.com would then have to be in public_html/example2).

    Having add-on domains as subdomains is not a problem, and is not what I was warning you about. Having them as subfolders is a problem.
    Not as active on WHT as I used to be, but still drop in and receive email notifications from here.
    My personal blog site: https://www.oakleys.org.uk/blog

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