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  1. #1

    Questions to ask prospective web hosts

    Does your web host provider offer personal tours of their datacenter(s)?

    Do they feature online tours?

    How long have they been in business?

    Are they members of the BBB?

    What level of security do they employ?

    What is their uptime?

    Do they offer a Service Level Agreement?

    What are their Terms of Service?

    Do they have a money back guarantee?

    Do they offer managed services?

    Are their technicians certified?

    Are they a one-stop-shop?

    Do they offer control panels, and which ones?

    Do they offer both Windows and Linux solutions?

    Do they charge setup fees?

    Do they have failover bandwidth?

    Do they offer BGP bandwidth?

    Do they offer cross-connects?

    Do they offer live chat support?

    Do they offer 24/7 phone support?

    Do they offer live event monitoring?

    Do they offer disaster recovery plans?

    Are their plans scalable?

    Will they customize a plan for you?

    Will they provide references?

    I’m sure there are many many more questions you may think of, but these are a great place to start. Finding the right provider with whom to entrust your data requires some forethought and research. Don’t over think the entire process. Search the Internet for positive / negative reviews, narrow down your list and then call each prospective vendor.

    Gauge which provider best fits your business model. How important and relevant are each of the above? Assign a value to each, total the numbers and compare vendors. Often, the correct match jumps of the page and hits you square in the forehead. Often the offer seems too good to be real - for instance, an offer of unlimited bandwidth on a VPS. That’s just not realistic given the cost of bandwidth to the vendor.

    I would recommend assigning a heavier weight to a disaster recovery plan. And also to their technical expertise, as it directly relates to the level of service you can expect to receive from them.

    You’d be amazed how many hosts do NOT offer phone support, or only during business hours. Uptime can be verified to some extent as there are sites that monitor hosts, but those do not necessarily monitor every router - so the numbers can be misleading. If your prospective host publicly lists anything less than 99.99% uptime, I’d recommend looking elsewhere. Downtime can cost thousands in lost revenue and disgruntled clients.

    Do you recognize their references? Are those references credible?

    Even if your application doesn’t fit a plan you see featured on their website, call and ask them if they’ll customize a plan for you. You may be pleasantly surprised.

  2. #2
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    Wrong forum, can a Mod move this? But definitely some great questions in there. However, the first one might not be possible for some hosts, especially if they co-locate and don't own their own DC. Also, the BBB is only in America. I don't believe a similar scheme exists in the UK.
    Last edited by FS - Mike; 06-17-2009 at 11:30 AM.

  3. #3
    interesting questions..Lets see if anyone responds.

  4. #4
    This list can be shortened in several times. It is too long to ask all these questions.

  5. #5
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    Holhostcom, welcome to WHT

    Unfortunately, I have to slightly disagree with some of this. If you are running a major corporation then perhaps all the above would apply, but the simple truth is that most hosts are basicly the same these days. The primary differentiator is the level of service. There is only one way to really know whether that is going to be up to your standards: try it out. In the end, it is a lot less time-consuming than to ask all those questions over and over.

    I am only posting this because, as a host, it is quite time-consuming to answer a lot of questions when most of those questions are already answered on the site. If you are in the market for a new host, and you are reading this, please please please do not go to the Live Help of every host you can find and ask all these questions unless you know what you are really asking and how it relates to your specific needs. Even then, please read through the site first, as most hosts will answer most of these questions right on their site.

    Personal Tours of the Data Center
    Since hosting is a service-based business, it is generally believed that having to operate one's own data center takes away from a company's focus on service. If a host uses an existing data center, they can instead focus on their core service. These days, a host does not need to own a DC in order to have control over their servers. In fact, many of the most well-known and well-liked hosts use an outside DC. So I would not put any weight on the answer to this question.



    These questions probably don't need to be asked, because the answers should already be easy-to-find on the host's site.

    Are they a one-stop-shop?
    Do they charge setup fees? (not necessarily a bad thing, btw.)
    Do they offer a Service Level Agreement?
    What are their Terms of Service?
    Do they have a money back guarantee?
    Do they offer managed services?
    Do they offer live chat support?
    Do they offer 24/7 phone support?
    (good question, but it is not necessarily a bad thing if they don't, or if they charge extra for it in order to keep prices down for the customers who do not require it. There are many other posts on this topic, so I won't go into it here.)



    These questions shouldn't be asked because a lot of hosts are notorious for stretching the truth. The answers to these questions would be better discovered on your own.

    What is their uptime? (just use a 3rd-party monitoring service, there are tons of them.)
    Will they provide references? (why not just read reviews?)



    These questions should not be asked because they are not specific enough, or because they relate to the DC.

    Are their technicians certified? (Which techs? Their support techs? or the data center techs? If DC, any reputable DC they might be using will have certified techs on staff. Just ask them what DC they are using, and go to the DC web site to get your answers.)

    What level of security do they employ?
    Do they have failover bandwidth?
    Do they offer BGP bandwidth?
    Do they offer cross-connects?




    This question should be asked not of the host, but of yourself, before you even start looking for a host.

    Do they offer both Windows and Linux solutions? Why would it matter? Do you need Linux or Windows? If you don't need Windows, would it hurt to have a host that doesn't offer Windows? It might even be better to have a host that specializes in one or the other, because then their full focus can be on the technology you will actually be using.



    GOOD QUESTIONS

    Do they feature online tours? (My only thought on this is that most host's online tours are going to be of the data center, so it is probably easier just to go directly to the data center's web site and get it directly from the horse's mouth.)

    How long have they been in business?

    Are they members of the BBB? (While a seal is nice, the lack of one does not indicate that a company is any less reputable. For example, we used to be a member, but it seemed like the BBB was just charging an arm and a leg and not really providing anything in return. I have zero complaints, and I don't need to be a member of the BBB for anyone to see that. I am sure the same goes for thousands of other hosts who are not listed with the BBB or the dozens of other "trust-enhancing" options out there. These things don't make much of a difference for companies that get their customers from referrals and who are focused on long-term business relationships.)

    Do they offer disaster recovery plans? (Yes, it is good to make sure they have plans in place to handle various types of disasters. I am not sure if they should necessarily publish those plans, however.)

    Are their plans scalable?
    Will they customize a plan for you?




    QUESTIONS I WOULD ADD

    How much disk space, transfer, and cpu/database-interaction does your site really need? (ask this of yourself before you even start shopping around. Hint: 90% of sites use less than 1 GB of space, and if you are starting out you should not have any problem at all with cpu or transfer.)

    What steps do you take to ensure good server performance and page-loading times? Will my site still load quickly 6 months from now (again, this is something you just have to try out for yourself to really know for sure.)

    Do you disable my account if I reach my monthly transfer limit, or do you charge bandwidth overages? If you charge extra, what is the overage rate?
    Last edited by everity; 06-17-2009 at 02:18 PM.
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  6. #6
    By the way, in most cases you will manage to find a lot of answers directly at hosting company website.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by holhostcom View Post
    Does your web host provider offer personal tours of their datacenter(s)?
    Are you talking web hosting here? If so you need to lay off the grass. Most web hosting companies haven't even visited their data centre Not like they are going to arrange a tour for a $10 per month client either.

  8. #8
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    If your prospective host publicly lists anything less than 99.99% uptime, I’d recommend looking elsewhere.
    That level of uptime is still not that common and not as easy to achieve consistently in the typical hosting environment. Most sites, I would argue, don't actually have such strict uptime requirements anyway. If you can lose thousands of dollars due to a few hours of downtime, then it's perhaps time to consider a more dedicated hosting solution anyway.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by ldcdc View Post
    That level of uptime is still not that common and not as easy to achieve consistently in the typical hosting environment. Most sites, I would argue, don't actually have such strict uptime requirements anyway. If you can lose thousands of dollars due to a few hours of downtime, then it's perhaps time to consider a more dedicated hosting solution anyway.
    Would have to agree. Most uptime quotes aren't worth the paper there written on. Actually I would say that no-one can provide any uptime guarantees on shared. Few even do it for dedicated servers. Most uptime is related to Network Uptime.

    Maybe its an issue with the webhosting world that there are just too many cheap providers promising the world. The buyers expect the world for $10 per month. Funny we have $5K a month clients who expect less than some $10 per month clients - though not in terms of uptime. Higher end clients tend to understand business value. Consumers unfortunately don't.

  10. #10
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    I would also add this question: can you provide hardcopy full-site backups (i.e. on CD/DVD) on request (perhaps for a fee)? As much as AventureMedia completely sucked in terms of dealing with clients, they DID have this feature and it rocked.

  11. #11
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    Seriously I think providers should also have a list of questions for their prospective clients. To make sure they are a good fit. Barriers to someone signing up are often a good thing.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ultima VPS View Post
    Seriously I think providers should also have a list of questions for their prospective clients. To make sure they are a good fit. Barriers to someone signing up are often a good thing.

    I agree....especially when clients want to do things on their websites that hog resources for other users on shared boxes!

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    Just while we're on the topic....here are some point-form questions I've jotted down, since I am now in the market for a new provider:

    - How long have you been in business? Do you have references, i.e. current clients that can vouch

    for you?

    - CPanel account??

    - What versions of PHP and mySQL do you run?

    - total access via FTP?

    - domains and subdomains - how many?

    - mySQL databases - how many are allowed? and is there a size limit per DB? phpMyAdmin?

    - Can you CUSTOMIZE PHP settings for me? i.e. memory_limit, filesize limits, etc?

    - I run Invision Forums software which requires PHP5's memory_limit to be set to 128MB. If I

    cannot modify this myself, I need to have things like this modified on an as-needed basis.

    - Filesize limits? I need to be able to handle very large files, some of which are a bit over

    200MB! I do not want restrictions on the size of files on my own webspace!

    - Can you furnish me with a hardcopy of a full backup of my site on request?

    - Support options? 24/7 phone support? Guaranteed response time via support ticket?

    - Are your plans scalable, i.e. if I want to buy more disk space, bandwidth, etc?

    - Can you help me migrate my previous full-site backup file on to my new webspace?

  14. #14
    How many web hosts are going to answer a hundred questions for a $ 10 shared hosting account? Many of the questions seem a bit overkill to me.


  15. #15
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    Or you can just take a few minutes and read the host's site, where most of those questions have already been answered.

    Most of the questions seem to be just for the sake of asking questions. Plus, anyone that needs anything beyond the basics that almost every host offers, will likely already know what they want to ask.
    Last edited by Mike in FL; 06-17-2009 at 06:07 PM.

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by liquidfractal View Post
    Just while we're on the topic....here are some point-form questions I've jotted down, since I am now in the market for a new provider:

    - How long have you been in business? Do you have references, i.e. current clients that can vouch

    for you?

    - Filesize limits? I need to be able to handle very large files, some of which are a bit over

    200MB! I do not want restrictions on the size of files on my own webspace!

    - Can you furnish me with a hardcopy of a full backup of my site on request?

    - Support options? 24/7 phone support? Guaranteed response time via support ticket?

    - While how long someone has been in business can to *some* extent tell you whether they have a business plan that works or not - this does not necessarily correspond to a host's qualifications or level of service/support. There's enough examples of ones that's been in business for a fairly long time, and yet offers extremely poor support response if you actually get trouble.

    Also keep in mind that everyone has to start out somewhere, so a new host does not have to mean a bad host. I'd perhaps dare saying the reversed is often true, because less clients means more time for you.

    - Filesize limits: by this, do you mean PHP upload limit? If you need to transfer files as large as 200MB+, it would be advicable and much more efficient to use an FTP solution. (FTP file to server, then process)

    - Why on earth would you need a hardcopy (I presume you mean disk or simialar media) of your site on request? If you are moving hosts, it would be quicker to merely transfer the files directly between the old and the new. I'd say being able to provide a backup which is available from the web or via FTP should be more than sufficient.

    - 24/7 phone support and guaranteed response time: I assume you are in the marked for business hosting and willing to put your wallet where your demands are? I mean, for personal/budget hosting this would in my opinion be completely unreasonable. I don't see why someone paying.. say.. $10 a month should expect support outside more reasonable business hours. If you submit an issue at 2 am, surely a support reponse and resolution early in the morning (after 7-8am) would be more than sufficient? I think a lot of people put their demans too high for this particular point.

  17. #17
    From a providers standpoint, if we're asked if "Do they have a money back guarantee?" when it is clearly stated on our website, we usually tell that customer that we believe that we go seperate ways, as 9 times out of 10, a customer who asks regarding if you have a money back guarantee, will be sure to terminate their account the day before their out of the "money back guarantee" range, and request a full refund.

    /Our personal experience 9/10.

  18. #18
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    Some great points...

    Quote Originally Posted by Ultima VPS View Post
    Seriously I think providers should also have a list of questions for their prospective clients. To make sure they are a good fit. Barriers to someone signing up are often a good thing.
    I absolutely agree. Some customers are a great fit, some would be better served by hosts specializing in one area or another. I have recommended other hosts to potential customers on several occasions.


    Quote Originally Posted by Mike in FL View Post
    Or you can just take a few minutes and read the host's site, where most of those questions have already been answered.

    Most of the questions seem to be just for the sake of asking questions. Plus, anyone that needs anything beyond the basics that almost every host offers, will likely already know what they want to ask.
    I could not agree more.


    Quote Originally Posted by Shoel View Post
    ... Why on earth would you need a hardcopy (I presume you mean disk or simialar media) of your site on request? If you are moving hosts, it would be quicker to merely transfer the files directly between the old and the new. I'd say being able to provide a backup which is available from the web or via FTP should be more than sufficient.
    Agreed


    Quote Originally Posted by AquariusADMIN View Post
    From a providers standpoint, if we're asked if "Do they have a money back guarantee?" when it is clearly stated on our website, we usually tell that customer that we believe that we go seperate ways, as 9 times out of 10, a customer who asks regarding if you have a money back guarantee, will be sure to terminate their account the day before their out of the "money back guarantee" range, and request a full refund.

    /Our personal experience 9/10.
    Personally, I've noticed this is true more often than not. Still, there are a few who have good intentions and end up staying, they just want to cover their bases before signing up.
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  19. #19
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    I think a 30-day free trial is better than the 30-day guarantee, for both parties
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    Quote Originally Posted by Collabora View Post
    I think a 30-day free trial is better than the 30-day guarantee, for both parties
    A 30-day free trial, if by that you mean trial without any form of payment in advance, is much more prone to abuse. Receiving a payment means that a) anti-fraud checking can be done more easily, and b) you have funds to hold back in case of abuse, giving an incentive to use the service reponsibly and follow your TOS. A real money-back guarantee gives the user an opportunity to change their mind if they are not happy, yet provides some security to the host. To the end user it should mean no difference as long as the host keeps their end of the deal.

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shoel View Post
    A 30-day free trial, if by that you mean trial without any form of payment in advance, is much more prone to abuse.
    The consensus here is that 90% of the ones that accept the guarantee offer is abusive or a waste of time. Not a very good sign.

    Receiving a payment means that a) anti-fraud checking can be done more easily, and b) you have funds to hold back in case of abuse, giving an incentive to use the service reponsibly and follow your TOS.
    I don't know how the server knows you are holding back funds so it can heal itself, but suspending an account will work here -- better than holding back a couple bucks.

    A real money-back guarantee gives the user an opportunity to change their mind if they are not happy, yet provides some security to the host. To the end user it should mean no difference as long as the host keeps their end of the deal.
    This is true -- not arguing with the reason to give the guarantee. But consider the free trial...you will probably get more signups since customer can sample service without paying and by the time he/she remembers to cancel the term will be over, or he won't want it to end if some serious work was done, or he/she needs more time. Now you have a good solid paying customer who might have went somewhere else if not for the no-cost, no-risk free trial.
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  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shoel View Post
    - While how long someone has been in business can to *some* extent tell you whether they have a business plan that works or not - this does not necessarily correspond to a host's qualifications or level of service/support. There's enough examples of ones that's been in business for a fairly long time, and yet offers extremely poor support response if you actually get trouble.
    I agree, but I think it's a good indicator, even if it isn't failsafe.

    Also keep in mind that everyone has to start out somewhere, so a new host does not have to mean a bad host. I'd perhaps dare saying the reversed is often true, because less clients means more time for you.
    Sure...until they start overselling or simply gain more clients through doing good business. And I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, given that I have been with a couple of fledgling companies (even if the last time I did so was several years back).

    - Filesize limits: by this, do you mean PHP upload limit? If you need to transfer files as large as 200MB+, it would be advicable and much more efficient to use an FTP solution. (FTP file to server, then process)
    the software I use offers that option as well. But there are times when I upload from locations that don't allow an FTP client to be installed (i.e. institution-controlled computers).

    - Why on earth would you need a hardcopy (I presume you mean disk or simialar media) of your site on request? If you are moving hosts, it would be quicker to merely transfer the files directly between the old and the new. I'd say being able to provide a backup which is available from the web or via FTP should be more than sufficient.
    I agree, but this option is (was) used for personal backup. As it happened, the provider also offered "services" (such as the FTP option you mentioned) that didn't end up working.

    - 24/7 phone support and guaranteed response time: I assume you are in the marked for business hosting and willing to put your wallet where your demands are? I mean, for personal/budget hosting this would in my opinion be completely unreasonable. I don't see why someone paying.. say.. $10 a month should expect support outside more reasonable business hours. If you submit an issue at 2 am, surely a support reponse and resolution early in the morning (after 7-8am) would be more than sufficient? I think a lot of people put their demans too high for this particular point.
    I agree to a point. But when I think of that, I guess what I had in mind was more along the lines of getting people to commit to what is posted on the website. Some people ALSO want to be told there is 24/7 service or whatever happens to be posted on the website. Is it already there to be read? Yes. Are you repeating yourself? Probably. But I think what has to be kept in mind is simple psychology; people obviously aren't always going to go to the logical sources for information, which is why information is always best repeated and reiterated in different forms.

    [rant]It's also important to keep in mind that you may be dealing with potential clients who are coming from bad experiences with other providers and who aren't necessarily going to go solely from what they read on a website. They DO want to hear it "from the horse's mouth", even if it's just some unknown person typing on the other end of a support ticket or chat window. These things matter, because people aren't rational beings. Does it change the statistical chances of getting burned? Nope. But it makes people feel better...perhaps especially the people who are looking for packages in the low-medium range who aren't so experienced but have enough knowledge to not go with cookie-cutter Mc1&1 sites.[/rant]

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Collabora View Post
    The consensus here is that 90% of the ones that accept the guarantee offer is abusive or a waste of time. Not a very good sign.
    What? I am fairly confident the general consensus here is that offering trial of a service without taking payment without doubt generates the highest amount of time wasters and dodgy clients. Actually having to pay for something is an extra threshold (both for kids and people with dodgy intentions), and gives you an extra tool to check whether the person is serious or not. I.e. a fraudulent transaction would rise the flags.

    Quote Originally Posted by Collabora View Post
    I don't know how the server knows you are holding back funds so it can heal itself, but suspending an account will work here -- better than holding back a couple bucks.
    I'm sorry, but that makes no sense to me. What are you talking about? The server knowing? Healing itself?

    The type of abuse we are talking about is typically spammers, fraudulent websites, or even people who will attempt to use as much bandwidth as possible just to cost you money during the free trial you so naively gave them.

    If they have to pay you money in advance, and the decission on whether or not to give a refund rests with you, that is an extra incentive to use the service in a legal manner abiding by your TOS (and common sense). If they misuse the service, they do not get their money back unless they are successful in a dispute with your payment processor or the creditcard company.


    Quote Originally Posted by Collabora View Post
    But consider the free trial...you will probably get more signups since customer can sample service without paying and by the time he/she remembers to cancel the term will be over, or he won't want it to end if some serious work was done, or he/she needs more time. Now you have a good solid paying customer who might have went somewhere else if not for the no-cost, no-risk free trial.
    Getting business at all cost is not necessarily the target of all hosting businesses. With todays slim margins, you don't want problematic clients who will only stay for a short period of time before filing a chargeback, or waste valuable time [and money] over nothing. The general consensus is that people who would go elsewhere without a free trial, is usually not worth keeping.

  24. #24
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    On the issue of free trials, I believe they can attract good clients, but you have to properly vet them to discourage problem customers.
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  25. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Collabora View Post
    I think a 30-day free trial is better than the 30-day guarantee, for both parties
    A quick search here on WHT will return horror stories of hosts who have offered web hosting as a "free trial", and did not collect billing information. I am pretty confident most of them will be collecting payment information and doing 30 day back guarantees for now on

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