Sunday, October 2nd
2022 Web Hosting Company Reviews
Interserver
- cPanel hosting
- eCommerce
- Free website builder
- Cloud apps
- Non-profit hosting
- Student hosting
- Domains
- Private email hosting
- Cloud hosting
- Storage
- Dedicated hosting and co-location
We were, unfortunately, unable to fully review InterServer because the website seems to be broken and lacking crucial information. For a company founded in 1999, with BBB accreditation and an "A+" rating, this is a bit of a jarring experience.
Missing Price Details
For example, we found it impossible to scope out the details of the renewal pricing on their Standard plan. The asterisk next to the price on the home page led us to believe there would be renewal pricing increases. But the asterisk didn't have corresponding clarification information further down the page or anywhere else that we could easily find.
Forced signup
After an unfruitful search for this information, we were forced to go through a signup process in an attempt to see what the renewal price would be. This was not buyer-friendly as it required us to go through extra steps for basic data. We also were forced to choose whether we wanted to register a domain or if we had a domain already.
Be careful what information you share
It's usually not a good idea to let a prospective hosting company know what URL you intend to register unless you're prepared to follow through with it on the spot. That's because some hosting companies have been known to monitor this information and, if the domain isn't already registered, and you don't happen to register it right away, they'll register it and sell it to you at a higher price when you do come back to it. It's a way for less scrupulous hosting companies to make money from the perceived value of the domain.
Broken Signup Process
Furthermore, the "Register a new domain" option didn't work at all. When we clicked the "Continue" button, nothing happened. And we were using popular and updated browsers in our tests.
It was only when we chose the "I already have a domain" option that we were able to proceed. But we were still forced into a transaction we weren't ready to commit to when it asked for us to register for a new account before revealing full pricing details.
Interserver hosting costs
Interserver offers the following web hosting plans:
- $2.50 per month for Standard
- $8.00 per month for ASP.NET
- $9.95 - $19.95 per month for Boost plans
- $19.95 - $69.95 per month for Reseller plans
No Pricing Without Completing Sign-Up
This is a pretty bizarre turn for a company we once rated our highest pick because of its pricing packages being simple, affordable and without any "gotchas" at renewal time. We can't even tell now whether the price we saw on the home page would be the same price at renewal without fully signing up and paying for the plan.
Poor Performance All Around
The performance of loading Interserver's own home page was pretty poor at 755 milliseconds for the first byte to load in the browser. Add that to the nightmarish process of trying to get reliable information on costs, and you'll see why we recommend that you avoid InterServer at this time and look at other choices in the hosting industry instead.
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The 14 Best Web Hosting Companies
Which Web Hosting Service is the Best?
Having a website is a necessity for anyone who wants to communicate with a regional, national, or global audience. Whether it's a website for brand awareness, eCommerce, media, services, writing, or a hobby, every site needs to be hosted somewhere. Since the web began, thousands of hosting companies have arisen, flourished, and disappeared. How do you know which companies available today will be around as long as you plan to have your website online? And, how do you know what features to look for?
For starters, be aware of your budget and what hosting companies charge. Don't be lured in by apparently low-priced plans without first reading the fine print. Many companies attract website owners with seemingly impossibly low fees only to jack up the rate at the time the hosting plan is renewed. Some offer a single rate regardless of the billing period. Others offer discounts based on whether you pay monthly, yearly or multiple years in advance. Yet others offer more advanced capabilities depending on the size and needs of your website and audience.
Web Hosting Company FAQ
- Fast Time to First Byte (the time it takes for the web server to deliver the first byte of data in a request)
- Free SSL certificates that automatically renew
- Focus on security and performance so that an attack or spike in traffic on another unrelated site on the same server will not adversely affect your site
- Included Content Delivery Network (CDN) to duplicate your content closer to the geographical location of your visitors for faster content delivery
- High availability (typically 99.99% uptime) so that you have as little downtime as possible
- Backup and restore capabilities, preferably included at no additional cost
- Maintenance package if your site uses a content management service like WordPress
- Easy access to support via chat, email, and phone in case of problems or questions
Continued from above...
When considering features, make a list of what you really need, what would be good to have, and what isn't very necessary. For example, do you need a plethora of themes to choose from in a do-it-yourself direction, or would you rather have a web designer create a custom design for you? Do you need a high-availability, supercharged dedicated server or just a bit of space on a shared server? Do you plan to develop your own code or do you need a professional developer for that? If you don't have a domain, will the host sell you one? If you do have a domain, how hard is it for the host to transfer it and also migrate your existing site? If you need email, eCommerce, advertising, and search engine optimization (SEO), be sure to list those as well.
Something people almost never think about is security and performance. Most like to assume that all hosts are secure and provide fast page load speeds. But that isn't always the case! This is especially a problem when a host charges very low prices for marginally capable plans. Those services are not likely to be secure or fast. Beware of shared hosting, which means your site is among hundreds or even thousands of others housed on the same server. In a shared server, when someone else's site is compromised or has a problem, it puts your site at risk.
Finally, look at a hosting company's reputation. This is not just about how many years they have in business. It's a combination of longevity, how they treat customers, how many complaints are logged, and how many of those complaints are directly answered by a representative of the company. Ask other website owners, web designers, and developers if they like or dislike a hosting company you're considering. Most of them will be able to share good and bad stories about any hosting company.
When evaluating your list and narrowing down your choices, consider these factors:
- Features. Which features does the web host offer and do you need all the features or just some of them?
- Cost. How are the hosting costs structured? Will there be monthly subscription cost hikes after a certain period of time?
- Reputation. What are people saying about the web host online? Is the web host going to shut down or change names soon, and are they engaging in shady practices that can hurt your brand?
- Security. How many security incidents has the web hosting company experienced? Are there widespread complaints of site outages? If so, how quickly and to what extent were those issues addressed?
- Performance. Are websites generally faster or slower on one web hosting service compared to its competitors? Does the web host offer plans that handle increasing numbers of visitors or sudden traffic spikes with more ease?
- Customer Service. If you experience problems with your website, what are the contact options for getting support, and how responsive are they? Are support representatives courteous and helpful, or are they rude and condescending? How long does it take to fix problems?
TopConsumerReviews.com has created a list of the most popular or prominent website hosting providers to guide you in your research. We hope this information makes it easier for you to choose the best web host for your business that will make your website engaging, performant, affordable, and secure.
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