The Warning Signs of a Bad Web Hosting Service

As well as knowing what types of features and information to look for when browsing web hosting services that will improve your business, it is important to know what warning signs you should avoid.

Most people looking for a web hosting service are not familiar with what to expect and rely heavily on user reviews and online searches for their information. This short guide will aid you in how to critically evaluate a service before it's too late.

How do they handle billing and payments?

There are several things to consider on how a web hosting service handles billing and payments. The first is whether or not they offer adequate customer support: if the service is unwilling to provide support in the event of a problem or payment, you can guess that they're not holding a lot of respect for your time and money.

Other considerations play more into personal preference: do they have automated or manual billing and payment options? Do you have a preference in this regard? Do they provide notices when they're deducting payments from your account? Do they collect extra charges for unknown services without proper invoices? Be sure to check on their policies on these issues; each services differs in the way they handle billing and payments.

Server Down Time

Check user reviews to see how they've experienced down time, the duration, and the way in which the service handled the problem. Although most services report 99% up-time, services aren't always as honest as they should be. Furthermore, most services don't calculate scheduled maintenance downtime as part of general server downtime, so user reviews will give you a more accurate idea of what to expect.

Incompatibility

There is something to be said for web hosting service specialties – many services will specialize in hardware and software as well as the type of features, such as RAM, processing power, and disc space. So, for instance: if you're running on a Mac and the service specializes in Linux, it may be wise to search for a more compatible web hosting service. Likewise, if you're using the service to support a blog or ecommerce site, or anything with rich content, like videos or interactive content, you'll need more data space and RAM.

Usability

How easy is it to use the service? Is it meant for internet savvy web developers, or for someone with less experienced, and therefore requisite of more accessible features? And where do you fall on that scale? Do you need a beginner's platform, or something more advanced and customizable?

Illegitimate Charges

Many services offer basic plans with the possibility to upgrade and add features. Nevertheless, there are some services that take advantage of their client-base by charging for services that should really be free. For instance, SSH and FTP services are almost always free of charge for web hosts. This is because they are extremely simple to set up and maintain – and therefore regular, free features for most web hosting services. If you find a service that's trying to charge for these, or any other seemingly basic features, you may want to keep looking.

After You've Signed Up

Once you've already signed up, during the first few weeks, keep an eye on how things seem to be running. Check your website at various points of the day, particularly during peak hours, to note if and how well the server is running. Peak times are generally the most important and will really test the durability of a server.

If you happen to incur any problems, also take note of how well they handle the issue. Services that have 24/7 technical support, well trained technicians, and a compassionate ear are much easier to work with than those who don't. Poor technical support is a sign of disrespect that is intolerable in a market with so many options.