Over the recent weeks we’ve been dealing with various website hosting server issues such as websites being hacked, having to update to the latest versions of PHP, and monitoring uptime.
This has led us to deal with a number of different hosting providers and so we felt the need to write something about our experience.
At StudioRav we have a mix of clients who use our own hosting provider or their own – for example, Fasthosts, Hostgator, GoDaddy and others.
Many people choose their website hosting companies without taking into consideration a few important points.
From our experience just because a company is more well known it doesn’t mean they are going to serve you better.
So what should you look for when choosing a website hosting company?
Good Support is Vital
When everything is running well you probably won’t think much about your website hosting company.
However, when things go wrong with your website then very often you need support from your web hosts.
We have noticed that many larger companies such as Hostgator and GoDaddy lack the excellent customer service we have found from smaller hosting providers.
Complicated ticketing systems, waiting for ages in chat queues or speaking to tech support who don’t know what they are talking about are some of the issues we have found.
If your site is hacked or you are having SSL issues, or whatever it may be, it is vital that your website hosting support guys actually give you the correct advice.
We’ve seen on many occasions that the web support guys we’ve been talking to haven’t really understand our problems or dealt with them in the right way.
So, always ensure your website hosting company support staff know what they are talking about!
An Easy to Manage Control Panel
As mentioned above, when things are going well you won’t spend much time talking to your website hosts.
When the website is compromised or you need to add new features to your server account then a simple to use control panel can save so much time.
We’ve found Hostgator control panel to be particularly unresponsive and even Fasthosts is a little slow.
Check that your web hosts control panel is simple and intuitive and not dated!
Can you Actually Build a Relationship With Them?
One of the most important objectives at StudioRav is to build good relations with our customers and suppliers.
By working together, and building good relations, we believe we can offer a superior service than just a part-time contractor.
Understanding each others business, having a history of resolving problems, and working together for mutual benefit (rather than just money) are key considerations at StudioRav.
So even with our website hosting companies we consider can we actually build a relationship with them.
Choose a web host who will support your company on a personal level.
Our recommended website hosting provider: BigWetFish
Get your website hosted by BWF for a superior service you can rely on
We’ve been with the BWF guys for nearly 10 years and their level of support and assistance is second to none.
These guys are based in Northern Ireland and they have consistently provided StudioRav with a high level of support and advice on a range of server and tech related issues.
Whereas other providers charge you for SSL certificates, BWF include them as standard with Let’s Encrypt.
We’ve also had experiences where the BWF team have helped us get PHP mods installed for free, whereas others like GoDaddy where charging upwards of £75.
We met with Stephen and his team recently and they are genuinely nice people who are always happy to help clients build and grow.
If you are looking to get your website hosting done by the right company choose BigWetFish.