Best Web Hosting of 2008

The chart above ranks top 10 web hosting providers out of dozens we have evaluated. You’ll find the best cheap, reliable web hosting services for under $8/month. All hosting plans include unlimited domain hosting and at least a 30 day money back guarantee. Over 47,000 webmasters found affordable and reliable web hosting here since 2003.

Find out how we use a strict 12-point rating system to make sure only the best web hosting providers make the list.

Hosting Your First Web Site?

Setting up your first website is easier today with all the automated and user friendly tools available. But choosing the best web hosting company for your needs where it gets interesting. We’ve found it’s best to compare several hosting companies before you buy, since they are VERY competitive with eachother. Because web hosting companies are competing so hard for your business, there are often special discounts and promotions available. We have done the research for you and keep a comprehensive web hosting comparison chart which is updated daily for your convenience.

If you’re looking to start a simple site such as a blog, family page, or even a small community, your web hosting choices might be easier than you think. Such sites are not resource intensive, and therefore do not require anything more than a typical shared hosting plan.

Web Hosting Plans

While numerous shared hosting providers are competing for your business, they all offer the same hosting plan in a nutshell. The most common offering is 1500 GB of storage space (JustinMichie.com only takes up 4.9 MB), and 15,000 GB of monthly bandwidth (again, most simple sites use only a tiny fraction of this allowance). But beyond these specifications, web hosting providers begin to differ.

What To Look For In A Web Hosting Company

The more solid web hosting companies offer at least a 30 day money-back guarantee in case you aren’t satisfied with their service. Many hosts claim 99.9% uptime but in reality, most have closer to ~99% uptime according to web host reliability and uptime monitoring services like Web Hosting Break. Even so, that’s only a couple times a month of approximately 5 minutes of downtime each incident. Unless you run a site like Digg, that’s not going to affect you much.

Customer Support: The Biggest Factor

The most important factor to check out when choosing your web hosting company is their customer support. To be frank, most companies have terrible support… as in online-ticket-based only, outsourced to offshore contract support teams who are infamous for their lack of knowledge. This causes frustrations when you need a problem solved.

Thankfully some companies still provide 24/7 toll free phone support with technicians located in the US. So, it would be wise to check into a company’s ratings for uptime, customer support, features, and ease of use before you make your pick. Sites that compare web hosts and maintain top 10 lists are likely to be your best resource, but look for sites that post customer submitted reviews instead of only their own reviews.

As always, we love to hear your feedback about our research, so if you have any questions or suggestions, please email me directly. Name’s Ian, by the way. It’s nice to meet you, and I’m here if you have any questions about setting up your first site. It’s easier than you might think. Good luck!