I am currently shopping for hosting service. I am looking for a reliable hosting package to host 4 websites. I like the looks of - http://ineedwebhosting.co.uk/ and http://www.clook.us/services/ -. Are there any negative issues regarding the two host listed here.
Any other hosting service recommendations?
What exactly is reseller hosting? What are the benefits of reseller hosting? Any benefits for shared hosting?
In addition, a future project may contain a CMS site using Joolma, WordPress or WebYep. Which host is better than the other when it comes to CMS content?
One concern I have is the UK hosting for I’m located in the States. Any issues with contact or service due to location/distance?
In addition, one of my sites will contain a Mal’s E shopping cart. Will either - ineedhosting or Clook - fully handle a shopping cart. This is where I need host reliability at its max!
-Dave
Either of these will handle shopping carts no problem and both probably offer their own carts that are available for clients’ use.
Main requirements from any host: Apache/Linux hosting, PHP and MySql, a good easy to use Cpanel (you can test drive ineed’s one) decent storage and bandwith and all at a reasonable price.
Advantage of ineed is that they are totally FW savvy but they do need to sleep so aren’t guaranteed to be awake when you are! But their response time is good.
I can’t really offer any information on the two listed hosts because I have no direct experience of them.
The way I see it there are two basic benefits of share hosting:
It tends to be cheap
Somebody else is taking care of the backend technical aspects
The disadvantages of shared hosting are:
Because it’s cheap the packages are often oversubscribed so you sometimes suffer from slowdowns or extended downtime often including loss of email as well. This may not be a problem for casual users but needs to be seriously considered for anybody with commercial objectives.
Somebody else is responsible for the security of the server and more than likely you have no idea what they are doing.
It’s possible to have problems with your email being blacklisted simply because somebody else on the same server was sending out spam.
Reseller hosting is more or less exactly what it says i.e. you have access to a server and the ability to sell hosting to others. Unless you intend to host other peoples sites and charge them for the privilege, effectively becoming a web host in your own right I don’t think this will be of interest to you.
Personally I have my own dedicated server. This is the most expensive option and the most complicated, but on the upside I am able to configure everything exactly the way I like including a mirrored RAID setup and regular backups to a remote server. Obviously this is a more complicated setup but if you are selling products on the internet with any level of seriousness I think it should be considered. This may be a step too far for you at this stage.
Regarding the location of your host I think it will make little difference in the case you mention but as a rule of thumb it is a good idea to have your server located within reasonable proximity to your largest number of visitors to avoid problems of latency and slow ping speeds. Some places around the world and certain data centres clearly have better network connectivity than others, so I would feel far happier having a server based in say Germany or Holland than some small country in South America.
I must say that Clook doesn’t seem that cheap for a reseller compared to ineed!
I’ve been with Clook (in the UK) for many years and they’ve been
ultra-reliable and very quick to deal with any problems or queries. I
recommend them to everyone (having had them recommended to me in the
first place). You can find a cheaper host but you won’t find a better
one (IMHO!).
Reseller hosting is more or less exactly what it says i.e. you have access to a server and the ability to sell hosting to others. Unless you intend to host other peoples sites and charge them for the privilege, effectively becoming a web host in your own right I don’t think this will be of interest to you.
I disagree with that. Since Dave wants to host four sites a reseller
package will be just what he needs. It doesn’t matter that he’s not
hosting for other people (although the option will be there). If
you’re hosting more than one site, even of your own, a reseller
package is usually the most efficient and economical option.
Most normal hosting packages allow you to host more than one domain. Some even offer unlimited domains so I can see little advantage of opting for a reseller package if that is your objective.
Not long ago, I was looking for hosting here in the USA as well. I
considered Clook since they had announced a US branch. I had heard of
their legendary customer service, so I gave them a call. When they
didn’t respond, I called again… and again… Not once did they call
back. As far as I can tell, they don’t exist at all – not my idea of
“legendary service”. Maybe they’re great for European customers, but
for the US, I wouldn’t waste my time (or money).
I’ve heard good things about I Need Hosting, and David Owen (their rep)
has been very active and helpful on this list. In the future, I’m
seriously considering transferring my sites to InMotion Hosting http://www.inmotionhosting.com/domains.php. They seem to cater more
to business customers, and have very good rates. Hope this helps.
I’ve been with Clook (in the UK) for many years and they’ve been
ultra-reliable and very quick to deal with any problems or queries. I
recommend them to everyone (having had them recommended to me in the
first place). You can find a cheaper host but you won’t find a better
one (IMHO!).
I’ll second that. I’ve been with Clook for a few years now, and not a hint of any downtime or trouble.
The difference between a shared hosting account and reseller hosting account would be that (in most cases) a reseller account includes an extra control panel which allows you to manage your sub-accounts and give each one their own unique control panel access. However, in some cases people prefer to host multiple websites within one shared hosting account as they are happy to use one control panel log in… which in some cases can be more convenient. It sounds cliche, but it really depends on your website or business model.
Richard - I’m sorry to hear of your experience (or lack there of) with our company. Please feel free to contact me directly should you wish to consider using our services again at some point in the future. I must point out that the only difference between our UK and US operation is the location of the physical servers and the currency that we bill in. Other than that, it’s all the same!
We are UK based and naturally work with a lot of UK users, but we do have users all over Europe, as well as Australia and the states. Our PRO-MULTI account is aimed at web designers with a number of hosting account they wish to run for a single annual fee so they know their cost from the outset. Unlike other mutli packages which share resources by sub-dividing a single account (thereby getting smaller the more you get), ours offer each separate account with its own individual resources. All there accounts are held and listed in the Customer Centre, so you can manage and access panels from a single point .
David Owen { Freeway Friendly Web hosting and Domains }
On 20 Jul 2010, at 22:29, Dave wrote:
In addition, a future project may contain a CMS site using Joolma, WordPress or WebYep. Which host is better than the other when it comes to CMS content?
I may take a look at your setup Dave. I’m happy where I am, but I might branch out a bit and test the waters. People seem to be really happy with your service.
I indeed use HostGator after somewhat of a disaster with GoDaddy. Not with forms or with security, but with how they constantly update their servers and it kept messing with my settings and it just got to the point where I said “I love the price, hate the service” and so I switched to HostGator and have little or no complaints. The little complaints I had were sorted out through their Live Chat service and I even called over there one time and got in right away. Everything works on there and I run my store using Mal’s, with a big switch coming up, and I am able to use PayPal with it and haven’t had an issue with them. Plus I’m on their shared hosting which guarantees 99.9% uptime and I haven’t noticed a slow down or any blacklisting. I will be upgrading to their business plan within the next few months and that still is about as cheap as I can find for unlimited anything.
Overall shared hosting is great for me and with an upgrade I will utilize multiple domains and all that good stuff.
Richard, have you switched to InMotion Hosting? Are they still at the
top of your list?
Hi Dave,
Things move pretty slowly around here, so I haven’t yet switched to
InMotion. They are still at the top of my list though.
I first started out with Pronic Solutions as my web host. I had TONS of
problems with then, including my domain registration, so I added
HaveHost (and registered a new domain with them. But, I’ll no longer
register domains with the same company that hosts my sites.). HaveHost
was down several times, which prompted me to do some serious research
for a reliable web host. That’s when I found InMotion. Currently, I
have the same website hosted with two different companies –
ridiculous, I know. For the last few months, everything has been
working in alignment with what I’m paying for, so I’ve not yet moved to
InMotion. I wish I could offer you more experience and info about them.