Help, Advice and Recommendations To Help You Find The Most Reliable And Best Value Web Hosting Companies.

This page is concerned with web hosting services and the importance of selecting the right web host for your website.  If you do not yet have a website, you may wish to read the 'How To Make A Website’ page first, which covers the various options available for getting online, including a website creation option that also includes hosting. If you know how you are going to create your website, or you already have one, then read on to find out more about website hosting and how to select the best web host.  If you understand the ins and outs of hosting and want to go straight to the list of recommended hosts, click here.

Any website needs to be hosted on a server or servers (big computers), and there are now thousands of companies that specialise in providing this service.  These companies are known as web hosts.  The server is where your website is stored and where all visitors to your site will be directed if they choose to view your website.  If the server is unavailable or there is a fault or virus on it, no-one will be able to access your site, so you must select a company with a decent track record of reliability, and a guarantee that their servers are going to be fully operational for the vast majority of the time.

Review Web Host – How To Select A Web Host

One of the advantages of websites is that they are available 24 hours a day all around the world, so the reliability of your web host is vital in ensuring that your site is always online.  You should not select a web host that does not offer at least a 99.9% uptime guarantee.  Even that guarantee means that your site could be down for nearly 10 minutes a week, so you wouldn’t want to settle for any less.

The most important consideration in finding a good web host is to check up on the experience of lots of actual customers.  What the company says on their own website is never going to be anything other than positive spin.  If the majority of people who have actually tried them think they are rubbish, then that is something you need to know.  I have already done the research to come up with a list of the top ranking web host companies in terms of customer satisfaction.  No web host will have 100% positive feedback, but the list I have compiled below are the cream of the crop in terms of having all received consistently positive feedback from their customers.  This list is the result of trawling forums and web hosting review sites, only choosing those web host companies with the best customer satisfaction feedback, then looking at whether the packages they offer provide good value for money.

Review Web Host - How Much To Pay

Prices for hosting websites varies enormously, but paying more does not necessarily mean you get better service.  Most web hosts offer a variety of packages, tailored to the needs of different people and organisations.  It is perfectly reasonable that a package designed for the needs of a large business will offer a lot more and cost a lot more than one for a single personal website.

I have concentrated on the hosting packages geared towards personal or small business websites.  Most of the hosts in my list of top ranking web host companies will also offer more expensive options for larger businesses too.  The web host companies recommended below are chosen because they have at least one very reasonably priced hosting option.  There are lots of cheap web hosts, but a surprisingly large number of them are either very unreliable or they put severe restrictions on how large or busy your website can be.  For example, I used a host called IX Webhosting for some time because they were cheap, but the unreliability and appalling customer service made it a very false economy.

The information below shows that you can choose from a range of reliable hosts and have as many large, busy websites as you want for under eight dollars a month.  There are reliable packages from as little as three dollars a month if that is what suits your needs.  I would advise against paying up front or advance fees for a web host if they do not offer at least a 30 day money back guarantee, otherwise you may lose money if you experience problems.  All of the top ranking web host companies listed below offer at least a 30 day money back guarantee, some of them considerably more. 

Review Web Host - Bandwidth And Disc Space

Two of the most fundamental things you need to consider when selecting a hosting package are the bandwidth and disc space included in the plan.  Disc space is the amount of memory given over to hosting your web pages, so relates directly to how large your site can be, how many pages and graphic files, etc.  Bandwidth is to do with how much traffic your site gets and is a measure of how much information is downloaded from your site over a period of time.

There are a great many stories out there about web hosts taking websites off line without reference to the webmaster, because they went slightly over the bandwidth limit.  All of the hosts selected below have inexpensive packages with unlimited disc space and bandwidth, which removes this concern.  Having said that, what ‘unlimited’ really means is unlimited for what they consider to be a normal website on that hosting package.  Some hosts will define what they mean by unlimited, and specify certain types of site that they do not consider to be covered by this definition, such as those involving gaming or huge image galleries or audio/video streaming. 

Review Web Host – Whether To Choose Linux or Windows

When you look at the hosting plans offered by web hosts, you will often see a choice between Linux hosting or Windows hosting.  There is a common misconception that if you have a PC using Windows then you need to choose a Windows hosting package.  This is not the case at all - this is just the operating system for the hosting servers. Because we are all familiar with Windows from our PCs we tend to gravitate towards that as the better option, but in many ways Linux is better.  It is very reliable and it is cheaper.

The reason Linux (or Unix) is cheaper is that it is open source, so there is no cost for the software, unlike with Windows.  Apart from the difference in price, the only other differences are about compatibility with certain software.  You may choose a Windows package if you want to integrate a website with a Microsoft Access database for example.  Linux will be fine for the vast majority of needs, but visit the web host site for further information, or take it up with them direct if you still have queries. 

Review Web Host – Does It Matter Which Country Your Web Host Is In?

All of the following recommended web hosts are based in the US.  The beauty of the internet is that it makes very little difference where your website is hosted.  The ones below just happen to be in the US, but they are chosen because of what they offer, the cost, their reliability and, most importantly, customer satisfaction.  US based servers are generally acknowledged as the best for any website aimed at a world-wide audience.  Technical support may be sited as a reason for a certain geographical location, but with many now offering live chat, and most initial enquiries being dealt with by email, this should not be a major concern.  All of the web host companies in the list have a good track record on customer support.

Review Web Host – The List of Recommended Web Hosts

Top Ranking Web Host Companies – FatCow (Top Recommendation)

Top of the rankings in terms of customer service, Fat Cow is an even more attractive prospect at the moment as they have a special offer on which makes their package one of the lowest cost ones too!

Unlimited Disc Space and Bandwidth (they provide a full explanation of what they mean by 'unlimited')
$66 per year ($5.50/month equivalent) This is a special offer - usual price $88
30 day money back guarantee
Free domain name
Unlimited number of domains hosted
99.9% uptime guarantee
Now ten years old and well established as one of the best value and most reliable web hosts.  For excellent value hosting and lots of cow puns, visit their website here.

Top Ranking Web Host Companies – Omnis Network

Unlimited Disc Space and Bandwidth
$5.95/month
30 day money back guarantee
Free domain name
Unlimited number of domains hosted
99.9% uptime guarantee
Another host with an excellent track record – they have been in business since 1999.  Check out their website here.

Top Ranking Web Host Companies – Arvixe Web Hosting

Unlimited Disc Space and Bandwidth
$7/month (also an option of just $4/month for a package with reasonable limits on disc space and bandwidth) 
An impressive 60 day money back guarantee
Free domain name
Unlimited number of domains hosted (or up to 6 on the $4 package)
99.9% uptime guarantee
If you are just starting out, the $4/month package is hard to beat.  If you know you will want to set up more than one website you may be better going for the $7 option.  View the Arvixe Website here.

Top Ranking Web Host Companies - JustHost

Unlimited Disc Space and Bandwidth
$3.95/month
Excellent money back guarantee applies at ANY time during your agreement
Free domain name (or package with three domain names for $6.95/month)
Unlimited number of domains hosted
99.9% uptime guarantee
Offices in UK and Australia as well as the US, so you can select the region you are in from their home page.  Be aware, however, that the servers hosting your account are still in the US.  Check the details on their site here.

Top Ranking Web Host Companies – Inmotion Hosting

Unlimited Disc Space and Bandwidth for business accounts (from $6.95/month)
$3, $4 or $5/month for personal accounts (with limits on disc space and bandwidth)
30 day money back guarantee on personal accounts, and 90 days on business accounts - far better than most.
Free domain name
Single domain for personal accounts and up to six domains for business accounts
99.9% uptime guarantee
Been around since 2001 and accredited by the Better Business Bureau.  Find out more on their website here.

Top Ranking Web Host Companies – Host Gator

Unlimited Disc Space and Bandwidth
$4.95/month for a single domain
$7.95 for unlimited domains
45 day money back guarantee
99.9% uptime guarantee
Based in Houston and in operation since 2002, Host Gator are now one of the world’s biggest web hosts, hosting over a million domains.  Good value with a strong money back guarantee.  See their website here.

I hope the above information helps you to select a web host with a bit more confidence.  If you have not yet got a website, you may wish to read the ‘How To Create A Website’ page, which includes information on inclusive packages which include hosting, design, search engine optimization, etc.