I’ve seen a lot of downright hatred towards Web hosting companies — especially on forums — which offer “unlimited” Web hosting plans. I think some of that criticism is a bit unfair. And while I know it might make me the bad guy to some, I think it’s time for a reality check for some of those folks.

So today let’s talk about “unlimited” Web hosting, why some people despise the concept, and why I think that’s a little bit silly.

Criticisms of “Unlimited” Web Hosting Offers

Most of the criticism I’ve seen about “unlimited” Web hosting offers interestingly hasn’t come from customers using these plans. Most has come from other Web hosting company owners who are in direct competition. And that’s a part of my issue. There are ulterior motives — complaining when you don’t like a competitor’s marketing tactics.

Credit: BigStockPhoto.com

That said, I have also seen criticism from some customers who had accounts suspended or who were charged more for exceeding resource limits in some way. However, in every case I’ve seen like that there was an issue of the customer not bothering to read the terms they agreed to or not bothering to track their own usage stats in any way, which is why the suspension or charges came as a surprise. But we’ll get to that issue shortly.

And that about sums up the complaint — the packages are marketed as “unlimited” (usually unlimited storage space and / or bandwidth), but you might not be able to use those resources in an unlimited way because there are limits on other things (like limiting you to a certain percentage of system resources at any given time). In other words, you’ll meet those limits before you can really take advantage of “unlimited” storage space for example. And because you can’t technically have unlimited space on a drive with a set limit, these hosting companies are always technically overselling the physical space available.

“Unlimited” Web Hosting is Not for Everyone

Now, don’t get me wrong. I do understand the criticisms. But I also understand the concept of target markets, I’m smart enough to read the fine print to know what’s involved with my hosting accounts, and I know that “unlimited” Web hosting packages aren’t ideal for everyone. And that’s okay. I don’t expect every webmaster or blogger to find unlimited accounts appealing. I highly doubt the Web hosting companies do either.

Credit: BigStockPhoto.com

They’re focusing on a very specific target market. That generally includes new site owners or owners of small sites and blogs who really aren’t doing anything terribly resource-intensive. This is why overselling (in my experience with larger unlimited hosting providers at least) doesn’t usually cause a problem. You do have unlimited space when you look at it in terms of space you actually need. If you operate under the terms of the hosting agreement (don’t use it as a personal backup service or run particularly resource-intensive scripts for example), you can use all of the space and bandwidth you want without ever running into trouble.

I’ve used several Web hosting companies in the past, including HostGator — one of the bigger hosts offering “unlimited” packages. I’ve hosted dozens of sites (including reasonably successful ones) on a single shared hosting account. I’ve never been asked to pay more for resource usage issues. And I’ve never had problems accessing things because of someone else’s overwhelming resource usage on the server. That’s the reality for most people I know using shared accounts. They go in with the understanding that it’s not all about them, and they’re bright enough to know they can’t expect the world for next to nothing.

That’s an important consideration for some site owners and bloggers too — price. Price doesn’t really bother me now. I’d pay whatever I had to pay to keep my sites active and running properly, and they earn far more than enough to pay for themselves. But when someone’s just starting out (and when I was starting out), price matters. Perhaps they’re playing with their first site to see what they can make of it. Unlimited hosting and that dreaded overselling allows a company to keep prices low — lower than if they allocated a very specific amount of space (used or not) to each customer. Clearly that upsets other hosting companies which can’t then compete on price. But for many customers — those who really don’t need a lot of resources — it’s much less of a “bad” thing.

Marketing isn’t “Evil” (And Fine Print Isn’t Lying)

Look. I come from a public relations background — an honest and transparent public relations background at that, not the hyped up spin-central variety. I’m a big fan of transparency. And yes, I wouldn’t mind seeing some of these “unlimited” offers being a bit more transparent. But even though marketing might be PR’s “evil twin,” it’s really not evil.

Calling a plan an “unlimited” hosting plan is really nothing more than creative branding / naming. As long as there’s an unlimited aspect to it, it’s not really dishonest. More importantly though, as long as the terms are clearly laid out for customers before they sign up, it then falls on the customer to know what they’re getting into.

If plans were marketed as something they weren’t — called “unlimited” when no element whatsoever was unlimited by the hosting company — I’d call that false advertising at best. And I won’t say there are no “unlimited” hosts doing this. Just not the ones I’ve done business with.

What really irks me though is when I see other hosting company reps bashing the “unlimited” hosts because they don’t like the marketing strategy, when their own marketing strategy seems to be to attack competitors. Instead, if they kept the focus on the customer and how they can benefit them, they wouldn’t come across as quite so whiny — the main reason I won’t do business with companies pushing their own service that way.

Here’s what it comes down to for me. If you’re a hosting company, focus on your own services and customers rather than negative campaigns against others. If you’re a hosting customer, exercise due diligence — research reviews and read the terms of use — before signing onto any hosting relationship. And if a Web hosting company does come along offering “unlimited” hosting ask yourself what’s really unlimited, what’s not, and how you would use that account. If it doesn’t sound like a good deal to you, you do have other choices. On the chance that you see someone promoting truly false advertising where accounts are being limited without those other limits laid out in the terms and conditions, then by all means report them or expose them. There’s no excuse for that. I’d just like to see more transparency all around — not just from the hosts with “unlimited” offers, but equally from the hosts bashing others for their own interests rather than for the consumer’s.

Do you have any experience with “unlimited” Web hosts? Have you had any problems, or has it worked out well for you so far? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

Credit: Fotolia.com

What happens when your website’s brand becomes stale? What if you face and overcome a PR nightmare, but your brand image remains tarnished, making it difficult to fully regain former trust and standing in your industry? What if the scope of your website or company narrows or expands and your current brand doesn’t reflect those changes? It might be time to rebrand your website.

Rebranding your website can involve many things — from changing your design or color scheme to overhauling the entire identity of your site. Let’s focus on the latter, when you’re considering a full name / domain name change.

Dos and Don’ts for Changing Your Domain Name

Here are some basic dos and don’ts if you’re considering changing your site’s domain name.

• DO make sure the new name is brandable (for example, it should be easy to remember).
• DON’T change domain names on a whim. Have a good reason to do so before putting visitors through that kind of confusion.
• DO redirect all links under the old domain to the proper pages on the new domain so you retain all links and visitors don’t face endless 404 error pages.
• DON’T wait until the change to tell people. Promote the new brand name heavily in the weeks leading up to the change. Remind people to change bookmarks, let them know emails will be branded differently so you decrease the number of people who unsubscribe, and you can even let visitors get involved by running polls to choose the best of several domain name options. Giving people advanced notice gives you a chance to address any potential problems or rethink your plan (think about Quickster’s failure before the Netflix DVD brand switch even happened).
• DO secure social media profile handles to match your new brand name before you announce the official name change to prevent name squatters from getting them first (or to make sure they aren’t associated with people that could tarnish the brand name — again think about Quickster and the Twitter handle concerns).

One of the biggest challenges you’ll face when you change your website’s branding is maintaining awareness. If you follow these tips you’ll make sure the switch doesn’t come as a surprise to your regular readers or visitors and you can maintain consistency throughout your entire online presence.

Have you ever changed your website’s brand? Have you merged two or more sites under a single brand name? Tell us why you chose to rebrand your website, how the changes went, and what you did to make the rebranding less stressful on your site visitors. Share your tips, thoughts and stories in the comments below.

Credit: Fotolia.com

The first round of renewals for .co domain names has come and gone. While we haven’t quite seen the next domain gold rush yet, these domains have gotten a bit of attention. And whether you already have .co domains or you’re thinking of registering one, there are some great ways you can put them to use.

While the .co extension technically represents Columbia, the similarity to .com has landed it international interest. If you’re considering domains with this extension but you aren’t sure how to use them yet, why not try one of these ideas?

1. Custom URL Shorteners

If you want a shorter version of your domain so you can create branded short links for use via social media, .co domains might be able to help. I set my own up last week with a three-character .co domain to tie short links for all of my sites to my primary business brand. Much larger companies have done the same. For example, two one-character examples are g.co (owned by Google) and t.co (used for Twitter’s short links).

2. Community Sites for Your Brands

The .co extension can represent several things, one being “community.” Whether you want to launch a forum or your own niche social network tied to your business (but not integrated with your main site), a .co domain could be a good solution. In many cases you’ll be able to use the exact branding of your main site, just with the different extension.

3. Corporate / Company Websites

Larger businesses could also use .co to represent “corporate” or “company.” Sometimes it’s a good idea to separate the consumer side of your website and your corporate site (whether public or for internal use). For example, you might sell your products on your primary .com domain. You might have a second site that includes corporate background (like executive bios, the history of the parent company, your online press room, and investor relations information).

Many larger companies already do this, but their domains are branded in slightly different ways if they want to stick to .com. The .co extension feels like a natural fit for these types of sites, leaving the .com version of the same domain for consumer use and losing no branding potential in the process.

These are a few examples of how you might actively use a .co domain name for your company. But sometimes it’s just as important to have the domain even if it’s inactive. If you’re concerned about brand protection, you might want to register the .co version just to protect your trademark from domain squatters and others. Do you have other ideas for how .co domains could be used successfully? Share your ideas in the comments below.

Credit: Fotolia.com

Whether you’re happy with your existing hosting company or you’re looking for a new host, it’s a good idea to choose one where employees communicate effectively with customers. One way some hosting companies are interacting with customers these days is through Twitter.

Hosts use Twitter in a variety of ways, some of which might be important to you and others that might not. Let’s take a look at how hosts are using this social media tool, a list of hosts actively using their Twitter accounts (as of the time this article was written), and how you might get better customer support using Twitter yourself.

How Hosts are Using Twitter

Here are three ways some Web hosting companies are using Twitter to offer value to customers like you.

1. Support representatives monitor Twitter and respond to questions and complaints customers post about their services.
2. The hosting company posts updates during downtime — like maintenance schedules and updates or details about ongoing recovery efforts when they’re experiencing problems. The idea is to keep you informed without every customer having to individually call or email them. You can get updates on Twitter in real time instead.
3. They post special offers, coupon codes, or announce other deals for current customers or those looking to sign up for a new hosting package. This can be especially useful if you’re planning to leave your current host or you’re looking for service renewal specials.

20 Web Hosting Companies Actively Using Twitter

Here are 20 examples of Web hosting companies you can find with an active Twitter presence.

1. 1&1
2. A2 Hosting
3. A Small Orange
4. BlueFur
5. Blue Host
6. Dotster
7. DreamHost
8. FatCow
9. Go Daddy
10. Host Gator
11. Host Monster
12. InMotion Hosting
13. iWeb
14. LiquidWeb
15. Lunarpages
16. mediatemple
17. Namecheap
18. Netfirms
19. Rackspace
20. SiteGround

Get Hosting Support Via Twitter

On numerous occasions, I’ve received better support from hosts on Twitter than I did through other means. That’s because no one wants to see negative information about their company posted to someone’s network. It hurts their reputation.

That’s not to say you should complain just to complain. But if you have a serious problem and the host’s support people aren’t proving very useful, take it to Twitter. Briefly post about the problem, and make sure you include an @reply to the company account so they see your tweet. You might even include your ticket number if you have one.

Not every hosting company using Twitter monitors the account for support requests. And some hire social media people who have no real authority to deal with your support concerns. But at the very least, they can forward your information to the best person to address the problem.

Will it always work to complain about your host on Twitter? No. But in my experience, they do tend to reach out. In situations where the host does not, I’ve connected with other customers having similar issues, allowing us to compare notes that have helped to resolve widespread issues when we can reach support reps through other means.

Is your host on Twitter? How do they use their account, and how would you like them to use their account if you would prefer they do so differently? Have you ever used Twitter to get better customer support from a Web hosting company? Tell us how you did it in the comments below.

Many Web hosting companies you commonly see advertising target smaller site owners with shared hosting packages. But what happens if you need to host an e-commerce site or large corporate Web presence? Then you turn to dedicated or cloud hosting solutions. Cloud hosting gives you the benefit of greater reliability by letting you host multiple virtual instances in case one system goes down. But not all cloud hosts are created equal. When your business and customers depend on your site’s reliability, you need top notch solutions and support. That’s what Rackspace is known for.

Features

Here are some of the features of Rackspace’s cloud hosting packages.

Control Panel: You can control your sites through the Rackspace Cloud Control Panel.

Uptime: Rackspace offers a 100% network uptime guarantee.

Support: Rackspace is probably best known for their 24/7/365 “Fanatical Support.”

* Prices are starting rates for the lowest level of resources available, and are based on estimates of 730 monthly hours of service. You can customize the package based on the resources you need. There is an additional $100 monthly account fee (regardless of how many servers you have) and a fee of approximately $100 per month per server if you need managed cloud hosting.

Rackspace Pros

One of the biggest benefits of Rackspace hosting is their support. You commonly hear the phrase “you get what you pay for” when it comes to cheap Web hosting and poor support. Corporate clients and serious webmasters can’t afford to risk it. And that’s where hosts like Rackspace come in. No matter what day or time it is, a knowledgeable support rep will be there to make sure your site stays online and your business keeps on running smoothly on the Web.

Not only can cloud hosting keep you online more reliably than a single server, but Rackspace’s cloud hosting solutions are fully scalable to meet all of your hosting needs. And if you aren’t comfortable managing your own cloud hosting service you can pay a bit more each month to have their experienced technicians fully manage your servers for you.

Rackspace Cons

Rackspace’s only real issue is that they’re one of the more expensive hosts around. They simply aren’t meant for most budget site owners. But like we already noted, “you get what you pay for.” So if you want the best support and reliability, it’s common sense to know that you’re going to pay a premium for it.

In Conclusion

Rackspace isn’t the right host for everyone. If you’re just looking for a place to host a new blog for example, a shared hosting package elsewhere is a more economical option. But if you need serious hosting for a larger corporate presence or high traffic site, their cloud hosting (managed or not) might be one of the most reliable options available.

*Information in this review was valid at the time of writing – June 23, 2011.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. The author is not directly compensated by the inclusion of these links, and earns the same regardless of writing a positive or negative review. Web Hosting Directory prides itself on providing objective information and hosting reviews to help readers choose the best hosting provider for their needs.

Credit: BigStockPhoto.com

Not long ago I wrote a post here in defense of unlimited Web hosting companies. I wrote that post while I was a relatively happy customer with an “unlimited” shared hosting provider for a few of my blogs. Wow, how quickly things can change.

I’ve since decided to leave that host for other reasons related to shoddy tech support. I went through the process of changing Web hosting companies only to end up with even worse support from another unlimited host. And this new host has changed my views on “unlimited” hosting plans quite a bit.

Why My Views on “Unlimited” Hosts Are Changing

Credit: BigStockPhoto.com

My initial shared hosting account didn’t lead to problems with resource usage with twice the sites on the account that the new one has. Fortunately service hasn’t been cancelled, but I was told within my first week that CPU usage was high and I could see the absurd throttling going on. Tech support couldn’t tell me what was really causing the CPU problem. They just told me to decrease the size of my database. As I mentioned in the recent tech support post here, I did that — decreased it by 60%. And the throttling issues got worse (after that and other optimization).

In my previous post my biggest defense of the “unlimited” marketing tactic was that it isn’t technically false advertising if it’s in the fine print, and it’s every customer’s responsibility to read that. I do read it. But here’s the thing. Knowing the limits is rather useless when the “unlimited” hosting company doesn’t give you an easy way to track the usage and how it’s calculated (if they give you any way at all).

That’s what happened in this case. I could view the throttling, but I couldn’t get information on the actual supposed CPU usage issue. Nothing was showing up as strange in my logs. And tech support was beyond useless at figuring it out on their end.

The Host’s Target Market Issue

Credit: BigStockPhoto.com

I also mentioned something else in my previous defense of “unlimited” hosts — that they target a specific market, and many webmasters simply aren’t in it. For the sites I was hosting there, I was though. The site was far too small still to justify dedicated hosting for it. And the blog platform tech support was trying to blame (which was already heavily-optimized for the record) is one that they specifically advertise their ability to host. Now that’s when I cross the line from looking at occasional consumer ignorance and start questioning the ethics of a company’s advertising.

So I’m sorry to anyone who read my last post on unlimited hosting who might have felt the blame was wrongly placed to some degree. It was. While those views were my own and I stand by much of what I said about consumer responsibility, they were also based on an unlimited host that didn’t go out of their way to cause customers grief (at least not in my first five years with them). Apparently, as I’ve learned the hard way, there are others that do make consumer education difficult whether intentional or not, and in the end there is absolutely no excuse for that. At this point I’m comparing new dedicated servers to get my last few shared sites away from shared hosting. While I can’t say everyone should do the same, and I’m sure it will have its own problems, I hope you’ll consider all sides of the “unlimited” hosting debate before jumping into an offer that looks too good to be true.

Lunarpages is a popular Web hosting company featuring solutions for everyone from a first-time blogger to those with a need for a dedicated corporate presence. With plans ranging from $3.95 per month for basic shared hosting to $149 per month for managed hosting of your dedicated resources, there’s bound to be a package that fits both your technical requirements and your budget.

Features

Here’s a quick breakdown of some basic, but important, features offered by Lunarpages Web hosting:

Control Panel: The Lunarpages Control Panel (LPCP) is the default control panel installed, but cPanel is also available.

Uptime: Lunarpages claims 99.9% uptime in the “technology” tab of their offer details, but their uptime is not listed as guaranteed.

Support: The hosting company has over 120 support professionals to help you if you need them. However, their website notes that their “24/7/365 award winning support” does not include phone support (see the “cons” below for more information).

† Prices per month may be based on long-term contracts. Please review the offer details from LunarPages before committing to any purchase to clarify billing and pricing policies for individual Web hosting packages. Additional resource upgrades may be available for an added cost.

+ Your ability to host unlimited domains may be affected by limitations of your control panel.

Lunarpages Pros

The biggest upside of Lunarpages Web hosting has to be the diversity of their plans and pricing structures, meaning you’re bound to find a package that suits your needs. The fact that you have the option to use cPanel is a plus although it would be nice if it were the default (and there is no clear information on their offer pages telling you whether or not there is an additional fee to have cPanel installed for your hosting account).

Another feature that is both on the pro and con list is the availability of “unlimited” features. Starter plans are not based on any kind of unlimited resource. You know exactly what you will have allocated to your account. Higher level plans are another story however, and will be discussed below.

Lunarpages Cons

There are also some downsides to Lunarpages Web hosting packages. First, some shared plans feature “unlimited” resources. As you probably know, no such thing truly exists. Before you could use any “unlimited” resource at a truly significant level you’re likely to run into other resource limits put in place. So don’t rely on unlimited resource promises if you know you have a high traffic or otherwise resource-intensive website.

Then there’s the issue of Lunarpages using their own control panel. It would be ideal if cPanel were the default as they’re a leading option and one you’re likely to be familiar with already. Again, while you can apparently request cPanel access, it’s unclear from their website whether or not there is an additional charge for this.

I noticed that Lunarpages is also trying to sell domain registrations to their customers at an exorbitant $19.95 fee. I can’t imagine justifying that in today’s domain market, making that a definite downside. You can avoid it by registering your domains elsewhere or taking advantage of hosting packages with Lunarpages that include free domain names (but those are free only during your first year according to the fine print on the offer page).

Another downside to Lunarpages hosting is the very limited nature of their telephone support. Personally I find it misleading as a hosting customer when companies claim 24/7 support but are only available 24/7 via email or support tickets. A claim of 24/7 support, in my opinion, should mean you’re available to answer questions immediately at any time of the day or night when your customers need you — not a few hours later when you happen to respond to their tickets. If you’re content with email and support tickets, you might not consider this a downside. It’s also important to note that while the company takes on U.S. east coast and UK customers, those customers can still only reach them on the phone from 7am – 7pm Pacific time (meaning a problem occurring in the morning may not be addressed until later in the day, which could affect your traffic or income during a busy traffic time for you should your site happen to have problems).

In Conclusion

While Lunarpages Web hosting has its benefits, overall I’m not impressed compared to some other options available. The lack of immediate support is a huge downside in my opinion. I also don’t appreciate seeing hosting companies that appear to gouge prices on domain registrations, especially if they target beginner-level customers who may not know better.

However if you already have your own domain name(s), are located near the U.S. west coast, or don’t mind the support limitations over the phone, go ahead and give Lunarpages a shot and you can share your personal feedback here using our rating system and comments.

*Information in this review was valid at the time of writing – June 20, 2011.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. The author is not directly compensated by the inclusion of these links, and earns the same regardless of writing a positive or negative review. Web Hosting Directory prides itself on providing objective information and hosting reviews to help readers choose the best hosting provider for their needs.

Credit: BigStockPhoto.com

I’m becoming a bit of an unwilling “expert” at switching Web hosting companies lately. I left Host A and split those sites between Host B and Host C. I’m already having problems with Host B and considering finding yet another host. Oh, the drama of it all makes my head spin.

Sure, there are good aspects of changing Web hosting companies. I mean, you might be moving sites to have access to more resources or because you’ll get better customer service somewhere else. But there are plenty of downsides to switching hosts too (as I’m so frequently discovering). Here are five of those downsides to switching Web hosting companies — things you might want to consider before making a move of your own.

1. Changing hosts is time consuming.

I personally had a lot of sites to move, and I still haven’t moved a few of them. So changing hosts was extraordinarily time consuming for me (and having one account split between two new hosts meant the new host couldn’t just do a full import for me like they offered). I doubt this is uncommon in today’s age where people seem to have ever-growing stables of websites to their names rather than just one. If you do have only one, this might not be a big issue for you. Paint me green with envy.

2. It can cost you money.

Credit: BigStockPhoto.com

Obviously it’s going to cost you in the sense that you’ll have to lay out money with a new hosting company. But if you’re an independent professional like I am it can cost you in other ways. For example, I lost $2000-3000 during the week I handled most of my site moves — income that would have come in from additional client work lined up which had to be postponed until that drama was dealt with. I opted to take the solo route because of the complicated nature of the split I was handling. Of course I could have hired a professional to come in and do it for me, but that would still cost more money, and I’d still have to take time away from client work (losing even more) to fully explain how the site split had to happen. Have you personally had other costs involved in changing hosting companies?

3. You might not get what you expect.

Let’s say you wanted to switch hosts for better tech support (like I did). Sadly it doesn’t matter how many referrals you’re given — things can still go wrong. That’s what happened to me with Host B. They came highly recommended by trusted colleagues, and yet it took less than a week for them to completely screw up and show their incompetence. Unfortunately there’s always a risk that the situation will be worse rather than better, so don’t jump to change hosts just because your current one upset you once or twice. Most probably will.

4. Downtime sucks.

No one wants their websites to experience downtime. And if you really know what you’re doing you might be able to avoid it. But with changing hosting companies comes the risk that your site will go down for a at least a little while as you hash out any last minute problems with the migration.

5. SEO pitfalls are a possibility.

This is another potential problem with switching Web hosting companies that probably won’t affect most of you, but it could affect some people. If you keep your site as-is during the move, you probably won’t see drops in search engine rankings. But what if you decide to “clean up” your files and structure a bit in the process? If you make any changes to how your site is set up during that file move, your old URLs might no longer work, causing you to lose the corresponding backlinks and search engine rankings. If you decide to do this, only do it when you have enough time to create the necessary 301 redirects for all of your moved or renamed files and folders at the same time to avoid the problem.

Fortunately not all of these downsides of switching Web hosting companies will be reality for all customers, and many are situations you can fix on your own. But in the end remember that your Web host is like a second home for your business — sometimes a move is for the better, but there are always risks. So try to minimize the number of times you have to switch hosts.

Credit: BigStockPhoto.com

As a website owner it might be one of your biggest fears — clueless tech support reps through your hosting company. After all, there’s plenty that can go wrong with your Web host. You need to feel confident that their tech support can answer your questions and address any problems that come up.

Sometimes they can’t. Every once in a while you’ll come across tech support reps who either don’t understand the problem or simply don’t know what they’re doing. I want to share a recent experience with a tech support rep in the latter group, and then discuss some tips on what you can do if you get one of these nightmare tech support reps handling your problem.

A Recent Experience With a Clueless Support Tech

Credit: BigStockPhoto.com

I recently left one Web hosting company for two others due to growing tech support problems. One of the new companies (which shall remain nameless) almost immediately started giving me grief. The account seemed to be getting limited. I called to enquire about the problem and was simply told that my database was too big. Now I’m not completely new to Web hosting. I’ve used shared and dedicated options alike. And I know enough to know that this particular database was actually quite small compared to sites I’ve run with bigger databases and fewer resources allocated.

So I asked the rep specifically what the issue was. He couldn’t tell me. He couldn’t find anything terribly abnormal when he looked at the stats. So he just threw a bunch of general ideas at me. I humored him. This was for a blog. So I disabled the majority of plugins. I optimized and repaired the database at his suggestion (it was already optimized, but that’s beside the point). I even eliminated a core function that I don’t consider optional and cut the database size by a whopping 60%. And as I expected, it didn’t fix the problem of the account being limited regularly. Actually, it was being limited more often after the optimization.

Still, tech support was clueless. The best they could suggest was to upgrade (of course) because the modest blog is apparently above their ability to host on a shared server. (Like I mentioned, I use both dedicated and shared hosting options for different projects, and this one is nowhere near ready for dedicated.) So frankly, I give up. I decided that if I continue to see this problem presenting itself after another few weeks have gone by, I’m going to switch hosting companies again. If you want to tell me I’m overusing resources, you have to be able to tell me A) what those resources are and B) how they’re being overused. When you cannot verify it when you check it yourself, and you can’t offer any explanation beyond “upgrade,” you’re an incompetent fool who shouldn’t be working in tech support.

Fortunately this kind of thing isn’t the norm in my experience, even if support hassles seem to be more frequent lately (among multiple companies).

What You Can Do If You Get a Clueless Hosting Company Support Rep

If you ever find yourself in a similar situation where it’s clear the support rep just doesn’t know what they’re talking about or they seem completely incapable of answering your questions or addressing your issue, here are some things you can do:

1. Call back at another time. Preferably call back during a different working shift to increase the chances that you’ll get a different support person. Oftentimes this is enough and the other support rep will be fully capable of helping you out.
2. Ask for a supervisor. You’ll get sent to a level 2 tech support rep, maybe someone higher up the chain, and maybe even the support manager if the problem is serious enough. If the level 1 rep can’t help you, someone else up the chain probably can.
3. Turn to social media. I’ve had a lot of luck getting better support from companies like Web hosts via Twitter. Like most companies they don’t want people sharing their horror stories with the masses. I’ve found they’re pretty quick to see the issue, contact you, and fix it when you take it to Twitter. Other social media outlets might be equally effective. Of course you should try to work it out by calling or emailing support before you rant about the issue publicly — just my $.02.
4. 

   Credit: BigStockPhoto.com

   Switch hosts. Yeah, switching Web hosting companies can suck and be a royal pain in the ass. But sometimes the last resort really is your best option. Not all hosting companies have a customer-oriented culture where good support is a priority. Hopefully you’ll know this in the beginning, but even highly recommended hosts can sometimes have issues. The new host I mentioned earlier for example was recommended by several colleagues. They had no problems with the host. I almost immediately did. Even with an otherwise decent company, there will always be some unhappy customers, and sometimes that unlucky person will be you. If it is, it’s a good idea in the long run to leave and find a host you’re happy with.

What about you? Have you ever had to deal with a downright incompetent tech support rep with your hosting company? How did you deal with it? Did you go above their head? Was it an isolated incident that another rep was able to fix? If you’ve been lucky and haven’t had any issues like this yet, how do you think you’d deal with it if you did?

Review Summary

HostGator is my host of choice for shared Web hosting plans, and I’ve been recommending them for years. The resources allowed on their shared plans are more than adequate, you can host as many sites as you want on a single account in most cases (saving time on site administration), and Cpanel proved to be remarkably easy to figure out even when I was still a new webmaster learning the ropes. Their support staff is usually quick to answer the phone, they’ve always been delightful to work with, and there are rarely any issues they need to fix (I usually contact them when I manage to screw something up; not them). If you’re interested in shared hosting, I can wholeheartedly recommend them.

Features

HostGator offers a wide array of features that would be of interest to any webmaster. Here are some of the basics that apply to all of their shared hosting packages:

Control Panel: Cpanel (Note: VPS hosting comes with Virtuozzo Power panel, and Cpanel / WHM are optional features, at an added cost.)

Uptime: 99.9% uptime guarantee

Support: Email ticket support and 24/7 live chat and phone support

The following chart will give you a deeper look at some of HostGator’s Web hosting packages so you can compare them side-by-side before signing up.

† Available with both Linux and Windows operating systems

HostGator Pros

Whether you’re a complete Web hosting newbie just looking to launch your first blog (where they offer one-click WordPress installations) or you’re an experienced pro at the webmaster game, HostGator has something for you. They offer industry-leading features, a well-known control panel option, and fully-managed VPS and dedicated packages for those who need more resources but who don’t want to be bothered with server admin.

Shared hosting users can save money by opting for longer-term hosting contracts instead of paying monthly. With the Hatchling plan you can pay as little as $4.95 per month, $7.95 per month for the Baby plan, and $12.95 per month for the business hosting plan (based on three-year commitments).

All packages offer access to their SiteBuilder tool and instant backups, making it easy for even beginning webmasters to setup and protect their own sites. Unlike some other hosting companies, HostGator also doesn’t charge a setup fee so you can pay for the first month and get started right away with no extra charges. Some other hosts also charge extra for things like email hosting. HostGator offers unlimited POP3 email accounts hosted for free.

Do you plan to host several database-driven sites? It’s not a problem with HostGator. Fantastico and instant installation options (such as for WordPress) make it easy to set your sites up. You’ll also have access to an unlimited number of MySQL databases, even with the smallest shared hosting package.

HostGator Cons

Some advanced users frown on any Web host offering “unlimited” resources of any kind. That’s because they don’t agree with the marketing tactic of overselling. Therefore I’m considering that a con for the purposes of this review. That said, in the 5 years or so that I’ve been hosting some of my sites with HostGator (shared plan), I’ve not once had a problem resulting from overselling. The fact is that many webmasters don’t come close to using the full resources available to them, and it’s therefore not caused any problems. However, if you choose to go the shared hosting route, you need to understand that it’s a possibility.

I rated their pricing at 4 rather than 5, simply because you can get similar advertised resources for less. However, that doesn’t mean a slightly higher price isn’t worthwhile. For example, the cheaper option might be a less reliable host so you’re paying less, but also getting less despite what’s advertised.

If you need private SSL for your e-commerce site, or a dedicated IP, you’ll have to use the business shared hosting account or better. The Baby shared plan has both available for an extra cost, but the Hatchling plan doesn’t offer either.

In Conclusion

I give HostGator a huge thumbs-up. If you’re looking for a new Web host, consider HostGator and sign up today.

My review is based on my own experience or evaluation. Not everyone’s experience will be the same. Have you had a different experience with HostGator? Please feel free to share your own review in the comments.

*Information in this review was valid at the time of writing – April 1, 2010.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. The author is not directly compensated by the inclusion of these links, and earns the same regardless of writing a positive or negative review. Web Hosting Directory prides itself on providing objective information and hosting reviews to help readers choose the best hosting provider for their needs.