Insight into 475 hosting companies from thousands of user reviews
Many hosts will tolerate mistakes; some will eventually run out of patience. Break any of these rules and you’ll most likely be looking for new hosting in no time at all. 1. Illegal Content Illegal pornography, illegal gambling, stolen content: no host will tolerate them. Not only will your host give you the boot, you’ll […]
We’ve already talked about warning signs when buying a hosting account. Now, let’s look at the pitfalls of buying a domain. Domains are usually significantly cheaper than hosting accounts, but we tend to buy many more domains. It doesn’t take long for domain name ownership to become expensive. So how do you avoid getting burned on […]
Hosting companies often boast about their datacenter facilities. In the blurb on the website, you’ll sometimes see the facility’s tier mentioned. You might notice terms like top tier, or tier 3, usually presented without clear explanation. So what does this tier system mean – and what’s so great about a tier 4 facility? Understanding Datacenter Tiers Every […]
Every byte data on the web also exists in a physical location. The cloud is a method of duplicating those bytes in multiple physical locations. But they still exist somewhere. So does location really matter in web hosting? Does Closer Mean Better? The location of the data – in other words, the server – matters, […]
cPanel is probably the most popular web hosting control panel in the world. It’s reliable, affordable, secure and intuitive. It’s also packed with useful features. Here are five useful cPanel tricks to try on your site. (Remember: your host may use a skinned version of cPanel, so you may have to hunt for these options […]
When you buy hosting, you normally get support as part of the deal (unless you’ve bought an unmanaged hosting plan). But sometimes, there’s no need to rely on support. Here are three things that could happen often – and might be easy to fix. 1. Site is Down First, be honest: did you do something? […]
Fundamentally, all content delivery networks (CDNs) operate in the same way. Content is served to visitors speedily from various locations, depending on their proximity. However, to the webmaster, CDNs vary massively. Types of CDNs There are two different types of CDNs: push and original pull (or simply ‘pull‘). Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Some […]
Do you know your host’s uptime guarantee? Is it 99%? 99.9%? Or maybe even 100%? In practical terms, it doesn’t actually matter. Hosting companies make a big deal about uptime guarantees. But they rarely compensate customers if they break them. Uptime guarantees are attractive when used in a marketing pitch, but even the best guarantee won’t […]
For many IT users, platform is a matter of preference. The same is true of hosting control panels. There are fans of different packages, and some people always argue about the pros and cons of each. Often, your choice will come down to your own personal needs. If you just want straight answers about the […]
As our hosting reviews prove, web hosting is a competitive industry. Some marketing tactics might bend the truth slightly. Some hosts go as far as to mislead, although thankfully they are rare. But even misleading statements are worth looking out for. Here are five examples of promises that might not be all they seem. 1. […]
June 1st marks the beginning of hurricane season for the east coast of the United States and the Gulf of Mexico. As a New Orleanian, this day means a lot of things to me. It’s a chance to check and make sure my insurance information is up-to-date, a chance to catalog my personal items, to […]
So you want to buy an SSL certificate, or move away from your host’s shared SSL certificate, but you’re intimidated by the prospect of having to install a certificate on your server. Don’t be. If you have CPanel/Web Host Manager (WHM) running on your server, installing a custom SSL certificate is actually very easy, and […]
In order to move files to your web host, you’ll need an FTP application. On Macs, Cyberduck is a well-rounded FTP client, but it can be patchy at times. Panic Software has developed Transmit, a $29.95 FTP client that we enjoyed using. About Transmit FTP Transmit is an FTP client primarily, but it also supports WebDAV and Amazon […]
Most web hosting providers will ask you to sign a contract. Have you checked the terms of yours? Here are five terms that could trip you up. 1. Types of Content Allowed Check what types of content your host will allow. No reputable hosts will allow illegal content, but they may allow adult content, controversial […]
Free web hosts are handy, but free services aren’t always useful. For most people, a regular hosting account provides everything they need – but at a cost. So what if you need help with the price of your hosting plan? 1. Use a Coupon Coupons aren’t just for grocery stores. Web hosting is a very […]
