If you have noticed some changes in the site's performance over the past few weeks, it is because I outgrew my old web host, Bluehost. I was on a shared server, which meant that I was sharing a single server with hundreds of other websites.
Normally, this is okay. But when you have as much data as I had, things get a little tricky.
So I've made the switch to Host Gator. I'm slowly (very slowly, I'm afraid) moving each of my websites over. Host Gator support thus far has been out of this world. They're good. I could–if I wanted–even have them move my stuff over for me. But I like to do a lot of this stuff myself plus I'm getting a feel for how it all works.
I got a VPS hosting account, which means that I pretty much control my server. While it's not a dedicated server ($$$), it is pretty close.
Plus, I can now resell hosting to my clients, which makes things a lot nicer. And my clients can have their own cPanel and do their own thing–if they want.
The nice thing for my customers is that if they have a webhosting issue, they call me. I know to a lot of you that sounds like a major headache waiting to happen, and it could be.
But in all honesty, I'd rather take care of my customers than let somebody else try. And like I said, support at Host Gator is beyond reproach. However, I like talking with my customers and helping them solve problems.
So I'm okay with them calling me. Plus, if I get stumped, I know I can call Host Gator and get the situation resolved quickly and easily.
Look for some announcements in the coming weeks about new service offerings and my experiences with the new host.
I didn't realise there are so many different places to host websites. Try this
http://www.thespiffysite.com
Hi Judi–Yeah, that webhost is GREAT–it comes up as a “page not found.” I have ZERO confidence in it right now. I suspected you commented just to get the backlink. However, when the backlink doesn’t work, what’s the point? Reply back and I won’t mark your comment as SPAM. Otherwise, to the trash heap it goes.
Hi Bill,
We've been with West Host for years and going to move away from them soon. Our busiest client site has been down 3 x's since August. They used to be far more reliable and I will say the customer service continues to be very good. Never had to call customer service before!
How did you check the reliability and customer service of Host Gator?
What was your criteria for picking a host?
Cheers, Karen
Hi Karen 🙂
My criteria was based off peer reviews and what others in my social circle had to say with respect to different hosts. The “host with the most” was clearly Host Gator. So far, so good.
All web hosts tout their uptime, “unlimited” this and that, awesome customer care, etc. That stuff is easy to fake. But real people in the business recommending one host nearly unanimously spoke volumes to me.
There were two things I wanted: Reliability and customer service. Other “nice to haves” were VPS (my own virtual private server–it’s not a dedicated machine but acts like one for far less cost) and the ability to resell hosting. All in all, a great value and the customer service has been awesome.
Plus, for all my sites, page loads are far superior, which is a ranking factor for Google, not to mention that customers/visitors obviously like faster page loads than slower ones 🙂
Best of luck on your choice. IMHO, you cannot go wrong with Host Gator.