Web Hosting?

[BobV55]

I thought I'd put this out and see which web hosting those with web sites use, and how they like them.

My hosting with Go Daddy is due to expire in a couple weeks, and their level of customer service and retention (when it comes to discounts and renewal incentives) leaves a LOT to be desired.

Am hoping others might have a better alternative to suggest....thanks in advance!

 

[Gravity Jim]

Well, if you're expecting them to cut their price at renewal time like the cable guys, my host isn't going to do that... but I use DreamHost, which has been extremely reliable and is right now replacing all their server drives with SSDs. I dig them. If you sign with them, tell them I sent you: I think they have a referral program.

 

[BobV55]

Thanks, Jim...I'll have a look at them next. If I do go that route, I'll give them your site as the referral.

 

[Gravity Jim]

Just use my e-mail...

jimb@gravitymusic.com

... in the appropriate field on the sign up form.

 

[BobV55]

Got it. As I look at them, the reviews are highly favorable...the only dissenting comments I see are that they don't use cPanel for maintenance, as most hosting companies do, and that they don't offer phone support. The upside to email support, of course, is that it helps keep prices a bit lower.

 

[DJ X]

Bob, how many visitors do you have daily and how much is GoDaddy charging you? Do you serve large files?

 

[BobV55]

Hi DJ X - Not nearly as many as you do here in general, Go Daddy is $108/year for their Linux hosting, and the downloads available are generally not larger than 150 MB in size. In general, not a lot of traffic or bandwidth, which is why I was looking for a less expensive alternative.

 

[DJ X]

Bob, I used to use a hosting company called A Small Orange, based in North Carolina, and it only cost $15 for 6 months for the "tiny" plan. No phone support, but you couldn't beat the price. My sites eventually outgrew them, but it was great for a couple years.

They have since been acquired by a bigger hosting company, and I haven't done business with them in almost three years, so you might want to check out user reviews.

 

[BobV55]

Thanks DJ X - took your advice and read a number of user reviews, and there's a disconcerting theme about frequent outages and downtime lately. Price is good still, however, averaging less than the norm that I'm seeing overall.

 

[Gerk]

With web hosting less expensive honestly typically means either lack of support or lack of uptime, or worse, both. There's no free ride when it comes to hosting unless you get really lucky. I have my own dedicated colocated server these days for that very reason.

 

[BobV55]

Gerk, that's exactly what I'm seeing as I wade through a sea of customer reviews....who needs the internet, anyway? Bring back the old BBS list!

 

[Gravity Jim]

DreamHost has been rock solid for me, and support has been excellent despite not having phone contact.

 

[BobV55]

Jim, I may well be calling them after work today to set up hosting and to transfer my domain before it expires...will use that email of yours when I do.

 

[Gerk]

Gerk, that's exactly what I'm seeing as I wade through a sea of customer reviews....who needs the internet, anyway? Bring back the old BBS list!

Yes but regular email is soo much better than FIDONET mail was! And Google ... dunno how we lived without it back then. Although some of the door games were quite fun

 

[DJ X]

Jim, I may well be calling them after work today to set up hosting and to transfer my domain before it expires...will use that email of yours when I do.

It's actually not necessary to keep your domain at the same place where you host the site. GoDaddy just happens to do both domains and hosting, but most domain registrars are not very good hosts, and vice versa.

I can recommend NameSilo if you need a new registrar. It's about 9 bucks a year for a dot com, and they include free WHOIS privacy, so your email and mailing address will be protected from scammers.

 

[BobV55]

Wow, that's about half of the Go Daddy cost for domain renewal, as WHOIS privacy is an additional $9/year on top of the renewal fees!
I am going to save this, along with the Dream Host info, for next year...my wife, having watched me fall asleep in the chair while reading hosting reviews more than once, took it upon herself to call Go Daddy with my account info, and badger them into giving her a reasonable discount, with which she renewed both domain and hosting for a year, calling it an early Christmas gift.
I appreciated her doing it, so I haven't spoiled it by telling her I didn't want to remain with them, but will plan on a Dream Host/Name Silo switch before they both expire next year.
Thanks very much to all for your very helpful input!

 

[DJ X]

Where do I get a caring wife like that. Recommendations welcome.

 

[BobV55]

Oh, it took me a couple tries before I got it right, much like just about every track I record!