Whether you are new to websites or a seasoned website owner, web hosting is something that always seems to be on your radar. There are so many different options out there that it can be dizzying to sort through them to find what you need at the cost you can afford. We get to talk with Eric Dye about what makes a good web hosting service and even offer up some options you may want to check out.
Web Hosting Tips
While it could easily be a three hour discussion on what makes for a great web hosting service, the experiences we have had with different companies, and all the pro tips we have, we have condensed some of the best parts into three specific points for you.
- Some of the Basics with Web Hosting
The question you need to answer is what kind of traffic you plan to have? This important because if you are first starting off, your strategy will be different than if you hit Churchmag numbers. Another huge pro-tip is to never take the annual plan because it will lock you in when your website may need to go to a different company or plan. Finally, understand hosting terms. A deluxe package may not be what you want, but you also do not want to be stuck with a basic platform that you have to pay for upgrades every couple of months. - The Most Important Feature To Pay For
Bandwidth, disk space, and the number of databases you can have are really not something worth concerning yourself about. Instead, you need to understand that the CPU power that they give you is vitally important. If you get 600 viewers in a 20 minute time span because your daily blog post just went live, that impacts processing power. So do not fall for “unlimited bandwidth, unlimited databases, and unlimited storage” because those features are actually common. - Two Great Solutions
Eric’s top two picks that he would have you check out with are MediaTemple and WPEngine. The first option is great for people who want options and still need that power behind it. It’s great if you plan to have multiple websites but does require you to know your stuff. WPEngine is perfect for that single WordPress blog.
Eric Dye Link Dump
- EricDye.it
This is Eric’s personal blog where he can point you to everything that he is doing online. Give yourself a couple of weeks as he does a ton! - Churchmag
This is the crowning jewel in Eric’s platform and something I am proud to say I am a part of! - A War Cry Against Pornography
Eric and the whole contribution team is looking to put up a fight against pornography and it starts with this war cry.
What questions do you have about web hosting?
Steven Gliebe says
Great interview, +1 for advice on going month to month with hosting. You can waste a lot of money if you need to ditch a bad host that you didn’t know would turn out to be bad when you signed up.
Never trust web host review sites. 99% use fake ratings to earn commissions from the highest paying hosts. Ask a friend instead, take a chance, stay if it’s good, leave if you must.
+1 for MediaTemple Grid Service. It’ll host more sites than most churches need, but the $20/mo is worth their high level of support alone (a coupon might knock that to $16/mo). Many enjoy WP Engine but unfortunately my experience was not what I hoped for. Support was slower than MT and it really is convenient to have a host that provides email, which most others do.
seventy8Productions says
Thanks Steven. If what you say about web hosting review sites is true, they may be penalized for it soon if they are based in California, so that could change. As for Media Temple, they just were purchased by GoDaddy, so I am interested in users how their experience changes over the next few months.
Steven Gliebe says
I won’t be recommending Media Temple anymore. I started boycotting GoDaddy a while ago and today I involuntarily become their customer again! I hope Media Temple’s way of doing things will rub off on GoDaddy but unfortunately they’re not the boss in this situation, so I’m skeptical.
The truth is it’s hard to find a really good host. Different people have different experiences with different hosts. It’s pretty much a gamble every time. Fortunately most hosts I’ve tried have been acceptable.
seventy8Productions says
Are you making this decision because you do not want to be directly associated with GoDaddy? If so, I would not bail just yet because they might leave MediaTemple fully intake and not do branding association. (It’s not even on their front page that they have been acquired…)
If it is because of what GoDaddy represents in terrible customer support, I would definitely start looking just in case, but not pull the trigger just yet.
Steven Gliebe says
I ditched them for domains and SSL a while back because of their distasteful commercials, lousy customer service and initial support of SOPA. I imagine MT customer service will remain good as long as they do operate independently but since giving money to MT is now giving money to GoDaddy, I can’t recommend them and I’m hesitant to remain with them.
If GoDaddy offered me a bazillion dollars I’d probably have taken it too. It’s just too bad that a company that has maintained a good reputation for 15 years is now under the control of a company with a poor reputation. Hopefully GoDaddy will learn some things from the leaders at Media Temple. Some see this as an opportunity and I guess it could be.
seventy8Productions says
And from GoDaddy’s standpoint, they are buying the company as much as they are buying that reputation, so maybe this is a shift!
Steven Gliebe says
That’s true. They are smart or they wouldn’t have gotten so big. Apparently they have some new leadership too so we’ll see what happens over the next few years.