Having worked with several web hosting companies, we decided to tell others about our experiences. Most web hosting (especially low end hosting) is what is called shared hosting. This basically means that your website is on a server with (usually) thousands of other websites. So depending on how busy the server is, your website could be very slow or even non-responsive one day and reasonably fast on other days.
The main problems with most web hosts are:
- Slow speed
- Low reliability
- Inferior customer service
- Poor tech support—Either in responsiveness or competency
Frequently Asked Questions
What is web hosting?
Simply put, a web host is a place (server) which stores your website 24/7 so that anyone can view it and use it at any time.
Why can’t I host a website on my own computer?
There are several reasons, but the most important is security. A website is a way to interact with the outside world and they can interact with you so web servers must have a very high level of security.
Other reasons:
- You would have to leave your computer on continuously
- You need to have specialized automated backup systems
- Web hosts offer redundancy in case a hard drive goes down – there is at least one backup hard drive that is always operating.
- If a web host takes a server offline for maintenance, it is usually scheduled between midnight and 4AM their time.
Recommendations for End Users
Avoid signing up for web hosting, email accounts or gimmicks when you buy your domain name (URL).
Work with a webmaster to set up hosting using a web host they are comfortable with and have experience with.
