Over nine years ago, I wrote this blog about why choosing decent web hosting is so important. Almost a decade later, that advice still holds true. Funny how some things don’t change.
This past month has been a nightmare dealing with web hosting providers, which got me thinking back to that article and why choosing the right hosting company is still so important.
I had three different hosting experiences – one bad, one frustrating, and one surprisingly good. So, let me share what happened (and hopefully save you from similar headaches).
The first incident involved a client who wanted to migrate their site to IONOS. Simple, right? Wrong.
From the start, their support was a nightmare. Different team members contradicted each other constantly. One day, SSL certificates were free; the next, they weren’t. It was impossible to get a straight answer, and what should have been a simple migration turned into days of back-and-forth frustration.
The next incident was another migration, this time with 123 Reg. At first, everything went smoothly. The live chat support was helpful and the migration was done in a day.
Then, a week later, the site disappeared with no warning or explanation. When we contacted their support, some reps denied ever hosting it, insisting the client’s site was actually on GoDaddy (it wasn’t). It took invoices as proof before they admitted the mistake and turned the site back on.
The final incident restored a bit of my faith. I had a manual migration to do with Fasthosts and, honestly, didn’t expect much. I’d previously (unfairly) lumped them in with other budget hosting providers.
But they actually impressed me. The support team was quick and knowledgeable and this migration was a breeze.
Key lessons from a month of hosting hell
After these experiences, I’ve walked away with a few key takeaways:
🔹 Avoid cheap hosting. It might save you money upfront, but poor support, slow speeds, and unreliable service can cost you far more in lost time, stress, and even business. Plus, cheap hosting often lacks essentials like server-side backups.
🔹 If you’re working with a web designer or developer, ask for their recommendations. We’ve been through this before. We know which hosting companies are reliable and which ones will leave you pulling your hair out.
🔹 If you must use budget hosting don’t take the first price. Check if their prices are locked in (some lure you in with a cheap first year, then hike prices). Also, don’t be afraid to haggle – you’d be surprised how often you can get a better deal.
🔹 Test their support before you commit. If you can, reach out to their support team before signing up. See how fast they respond and how helpful they are. When something goes wrong, you’ll want a company that’s ready to help.
My hosting recommendation
As for me, if you want reliable, fast, and hassle-free hosting, I always recommend Cloudways.
They aren’t the cheapest, but their dedicated servers are significantly faster than shared hosting, and their support is excellent. I haven’t had an issue in over five years and recommend them to all my clients.
What about you?
If you’ve ever had a hosting disaster, I’d love to hear about it so drop your story in the comments below.