Suggestions for finding web host?

[dsliesse]

I'm not really asking for suggestions regarding hosts here -- just for review sites or other information that might help me make an intelligent decision.

I'm a one-person business (organized as an LLC), and I also have a domain for my family. I'm growing disenchanted with my current host, and want to explore whether it would be worth changing. So far I've only found one review site that seems to be completely independent and objective, but it hasn't been updated since 2008!

If it makes any difference to this particular question, I have a few decades in the software field, though I'm fairly new to web programming. I did create my site by writing CSS and HTML scripts in Notepad, so if a review is oriented toward techies it's not a problem.

Any suggestions to help with my search would be greatly appreciated!

[DonH.]

A caution on webhost review sites. I have yet to find one that is truly unbiased. All that I have visited are marketing sites for one or a few hosts. The reviews are often written by host employees, as are the comments. The more sites that you visit, the more you will see either the same review or a slight variation on multiple sites. The same goes for any supposed user comments.

[mandarin]

One of the bigger sites that might be worth a look is Web Hosting Talk.

There are alwso some very good forums at SitePoint.

[Backspacer]

I am also very interested in this question.

Long ago I used to be with SiteHosting.net. They got bought and went to H***. I switched to Aplus.net who was the best rated ISP at the time. What a shining star of quality they were! Then they got bought and went to H***. Is this a trend? It looks like switching to the best is a bad idea. How does one find the upcoming new company which is likely to provide good service for 6 or more years before they get bought and go to H***? I need a new web hosting provider and would like one I can stick with for a while.

I, too, have started to notice that the rating sites appear to be biased. I see the recommendation for Web Hosting Talk. How do I know that they are truly unbiased?

I could really use some help here. I've got a few commercial websites, a few non-commercial ones, a few speculative ones (not domain name squatting, but domains I bought for people with the intention of building them out, but didn't end up doing it) and a club website. There are forums, blogs, a CMS, photo galleries, email lists and forwarders, etc., etc. Right now the club is getting ready to fire me if I don't do something. The effort to change all of these sites will be extreme and I can't be trying out this provider and that until I find a good one.

If anyone knows of a top quality, new and upcoming, full service shared hosting provider, please feel free to name names!

Thanks, --Brian

[Paul T]

I don't think you can really expect much from a cheap commercial host. I always make sure the domain name is registered independently so I can control the DNS entries, then I can change hosts at will - allow a day for the changeover. Apart from that ensure you have a full backup of the web site and any database.

cheers, Paul

[Backspacer]

Changing hosts is a huge ordeal. I'd prefer to find a good one and keep them until they spiral out of control. I think "cheap" is the problem. It seems to be the only word that anyone in this country knows anymore. It isn't really cheap if you are not getting good service for your money. I want a shared hosting service because they generally come with all the utilities and functions that I need. I always get the highest level (usually the "enterprise" plan or something like that.) I have looked at virtual servers, but a service with similar capabilities to the shared "enterprise" type account costs many times more money and they require that I do all of my own system administration which I don't have time to do. There must be some middle ground. I'd happily pay a premium for a reliable shared hosting service that actually worked as advertized. That's really all I need.