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About Top 10 Website Hosting

My name is James and I created Top 10 Website Hosting to offer something different compared to all the other so-called “review” sites giving you false and misleading information.

We’ve collected data from many of the best web hosts out there and presented them in an easy to compare feature list which includes the server speed, uptime and customer service waiting times.

When I was searching for a web host I was often given advice by “experts”, with no real concrete evidence that the hosts they were promoting were actually any good. After hours of research I’d finally pick a provider and move all my content, files and databases across (this takes hours!).

After doing all this I then would sit back and pray it was the right choice. However response and up-times were just not good enough and then I’d get on the phone to the support and wait ages for a reply.

For what seemed like eternity I was finally got a reply who didn’t have a clue on what the solution was. For me this was a nightmare and I never wanted to make the same mistake…

This wasn’t the only time that it’s happened. I’d try other web hosts and experience similar problems.

Does this sound familiar?

Because of the troubles I had experienced with many web hosts, I took it upon myself to carry out my own testing. I signed up to each web host using my own details in order to test the web server’s response time, performance, and uptime. All of these aspects were monitored using a fantastic tool called Pingdom.

I’d also test the features of each web host, including their control panel, website builders, knowledgebase, and customer support waiting times, via telephone, email, support ticket, and live chat where possible. It was as simple as that.

As I delved deeper into each web host, I pulled together all of my findings in order to produce my honest and unbiased reviews. My mission was to simply eliminate the laborious process for others, providing honest, accurate, reviews, with real data to compare against.

Factors affected by your web hosting

I discovered there were several factors affected by which web host you choose; these factors are undoubtedly important if you’re serious about running a personal website, blog, or eCommerce site.

After all, it’s not always about choosing the cheapest web host – it really depends on your wants and needs as a customer.

Speed

The loading speed of your website is quite heavily dependent on your web host. If your web hosts' servers aren't up to scratch, you could end up losing potential visitors and customers to your website. Generally speaking, visitors will navigate away from a website if it doesn't load within 3 seconds - any longer and you'll notice a large increase in page abandonment.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Your website's SEO ranking is very important if you're looking to increase and encourage more visitors to your website. Whether you're running a small website, a blog to make money, or an eCommerce site, generating traffic is a priority. If you web host's server response times are slow, you'll notice your SEO efforts tank, affecting your Search Engine Ranking Pages (SERP) position.

Uptime

Uptime is wholly dependent on your web host. Most web hosts provide an uptime guarantee (usually 99.9%) to reassure you of their competence and performance. Although there are tools that can monitor your website's uptime, some hosts publicly publish their uptime records so you can check them out beforehand. If your web host's servers are constantly causing your website to appear offline, you're not going to receive any traffic to your website.

What to look out for

When you’re shopping for the perfect host for your website, there’s a few things you can look out for to spot bad hosting companies.

Customer Service

An ideal web host will offer 24/7/365 support, in various different formats. Live chat is a really useful feature for a web host to offer, as you can contact them straight away, regardless of what time it is, and where you're located. If a company only offers support via a ticket system, you're likely going to experience slow response times. This is frustrating, especially if you're experiencing any issues, including technical problems like downtime. A web host with limited contact options can be a warning sign that they don't put their customers first, and aren't keen on responding quickly.

Negative Reviews

If you scour the internet, you'll likely find negative reviews on almost any company. After all, most people tend to go out of their way to leave negative reviews, as opposed to positive ones. However, if you find a web host with overwhelmingly negative reviews, it's a sure fire sign that you may be better off steering away from them and looking for another.

Design

If a company specialises in web hosting, you'd expect them to have a flawlessly designed responsive website. Even if they've hired a professional to do the work, it shows that they are a reputable company, keen on providing a good impression. First impressions are key; would you buy from a website that looked truly awful? Probably not.

Questions?

I hope I’ve been able to outline my intentions with openness and honesty. There are plenty of helpful resources and blogs posts that I’ve put together in order to help you. But, if you’re still unsure of what host is best suited for you, please feel free to send me an email and ask any questions!

Get in touch

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