Convinced that all web hosting providers suck? Tips on how to find a good hosting service.

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With the thousands of web hosting companies out there, it takes trial and error and even a little skill to find the best ones. Most unexperienced users often have to go through multiple hosting providers before they figure out how to spot the bad ones and how to spot the good ones. If you are convinced that all web hosting providers suck, this tutorial is for you.

Tip #1: Don’t be cheap.

When it comes time for someone to chose from the endless list of web hosts, a newbie will often try and find the cheapest hosting provider possible. People tend to think of web hosting providers as all being equal, with the only difference being the price and the amount of space and bandwidth that is included in the particular plan.

However, web hosting is just like any other product or service in the world:

• The amount you pay for your hosting plan is directly related to the quality of service you will get. The less you pay, the worse the service.
• It’s sort of like buying a new car - You wouldn’t expect to get a brand new Mercedes for the price of a Honda, now would you?
  

Tip #2: Testing the waters

One way you can get some sort of idea how a web hosting providers service is to test the waters before you sign up.

• Open up a ticket or send an email to tech support asking a couple questions. Perhaps something related to technical support - “Do your servers have the GD libraries installed?” - or - “Would it be possible to get PHP safe mode disabled on my account if I signup?” This is great way to tell how much a company values their technical support department based on how long it takes them to reply.
• Some web hosts offer free trials or money back guarantees - Try your web host out before having to signup for them. Just be sure not to transfer your live site over until you are sure they are a decent company.

Are your expectations too high?

This is what I think the number one reason why people think that all web hosts are bad. Do you expect 24/7 phone support for $4.99/m? Do you expect that service to be flawless for that same price? Should the plan come with 100GB of disk space and 1000GB of transfer? If this sounds like you and only want to pay $4.99/m for it, then be prepared to be let down. There would be no way for a company to turn any profit by providing all the above for $4.99/m.

In order to find a quality web hosting service, you need to be concerned with the service itself and not how cheap of a price you can get. Granted, there are some hosting services that can provide a decent service for at a low price. But for the most part, the amount you pay your web host is directly related to the service levels you receive.