I’ve said multiple times in the hosting research section and other articles that you should do your research before buying a host. And this does not mean that you should simply type in Google best host :). But this time I tell you almost the opposite – do not spend too much time on analyzing dozens of hosts if you feel like you are helplessly going down the rabbit hole.
The reason is simple – the hosting world is large and very competitive. You can sink into this ocean of choices and opinions. There are a lot of good and great hosts, as well as there are bad and very bad ones which pretend to be good and even the best hosts.
To make things easy, I have simple tips for you at the end of the article that you can use to avoid procrastination of choosing your best host (whatever “best” may mean).
“Best host” research may become an obsession
Okay, first of all, here’s why I decided to write this short article. One of my readers contacted me for a hosting advice. And after exchanging more than 50 emails the guy still was on its way to make his mind and was diving deeper and deeper into different hosting options for his first website.
Email correspondence with my reader looking for the best host
Yes, I know the first website can be like your first baby for you. And you may want the best home for the kid, the best host.
Too little host research may result into failure
But keep in mind that the “best host” is a marketing gimmick, and there’s no the ultimate best one. At the same time, there are hosts which are much better than others specifically for you. And once you spend some time researching, you can surprisingly realize that some hosts are not the best fit you (although such hosts can be advertised and recommended on each and every corner).
Even long-time website owners like the ones on the screenshot below from my article about EIG hosts can fall into the trap if they don’t make a quick research.
Even experienced guys need to do research
Another example from the comments to the same article:
Finding great host is more than just typing “best host” in Google
Another reader shares his experience in the comments there:
Reading reviews is a part of searching for the best host
Thus, even a short research can save you from getting into a trap of buying not ta great host, but the best-advertised host.
Okay, now you can avoid making this mistake.
On your way to get the truly best host for you
Then, after the initial research, as far as I can judge from my experience how people choose a host, you pick out several hosts which look attractive. And these hosts are likely to be quite good ones. It makes sense to pick out a handful of them and examine them more thoroughly. One of these “best hosts“ is likely to be a really good choice.
Thus, it takes not that much time to select a really good hosting. It does NOT require you to spend days on the researches and comparisons. Additional days and dozens of different hosts will unlikely bring you a better choice than if you had spent much less time on researches.
In other words, you definitely should do your research on hosting, but do not spend not too much time on it, as it will not let you get a better host.
Graphically, with a help of a chart, your results on choosing a host could look like this:
How good host a newbie gets after spending a certain time on a hosting research
As you can see, no research or a very quick research does not guarantee you getting a decent host. But after even a couple of hours the chances of getting a great host raise significantly. And what it interesting, spending days on research additionally does not bring much better results.
This data is neither scientifically proved, nor it’s precise. This is my evaluation based on my email correspondence with newbies who contact me asking for my hosting advice.
What hidden effect a long hosting research can have
It may seem strange that a much longer hosting research is not very much different from a comparatively quicker research. But the reality is that in order to cut off bad and mediocre hosts you should not spend days on investigation.
If you are not very experienced hosting user, then longer researches (like multiple hours or days) can simply make you be more assured of the hosting choices you made after digging just for a couple of hours. You can also find alternatives to great hosts you have already found. And this will make you spend even more time on comparing the best hosts you have already chosen before.
From a practical point of view, it’s very likely that you have already found a great host and you are just procrastinating.
The risks of procrastination when choosing “the best host from the best”
In many cases procrastinating people can’t decide between very similar hosting options. A hidden risk is that people often have a not so good host in their list because subconsciously it allows them make an easier decision later. Sort of your subconscious may tell you “I know you don’t want to make a choice right now, but I have a not so good host in the list, so that you could easily compare the hosts later when you are ready to make a decision”.
Also it can be so that the best hosting option is actually clear, but a person is not brave enough to make the final decision.
It’s interesting that the additional days of research can actually give you some benefits and you can get a better host finally.
This is very true especially if you have sort of typical requirements for a hosting. And in case you have specific requirements, then your process of searching for a host would be different. For example, you would simply contact each host with specific questions after you have initially selected a pool of hosts. In other words, you don’t endlessly compare hosts. You simply strike precisely because you definitely know what you need and how to check if a host can provide you with what you need.
But if you feel that you are going round in circles, then there’s a risk that you are going the wrong path. You can get simply overwhelmed and make suddenly a wrong choice because your subconsciousness makes a trick with you.
The trick is that you end up with something like “finally I have to decide something!”, but in fact you still want to procrastinate. And subconsciously you choose not so good host from the list, because in fact you want to continue choosing.
You feel nervous about procrastinating and suddenly you say “Stop it!” And surprisingly you end up signing up with no so good host. Wasted! The point is that you just said “Stop it!” at the wrong time. You should have said it earlier, i.e. before starting procrastinating, or a bit later when you are in a calm state of mind.
In short, making a hosting decision when you are tired, nervous or angry at yourself is not a good idea.
Short clear tips how to effectively do a hosting research
Finally, here are some tips to finalize this article:
- Know your requirements. They can be technical or regarding support. The more specific you are, the more chances you will not get disappointed and less time you will spend on your hosting research.
- Choose several hosts (by googling, advice from your friends, suggestions on forums, blogs you trust etc). Try to limit your choice with maximum three hosts by the time you are ready to make your final decision.
- Study the reviews of the selected hosts more carefully and keep in mind that negative reviews do happen – this is the sign of that the hosting reviews are not fake. If you spend days on reading the hosting reviews you will learn to make very valuable conclusions (like I did for example here).
- Try to feel the spirit of the host (advantages and disadvantages). Any host has its advantages, and what is more important – disadvantages. You need to stop lying yourself about ultimately best host. The truth is in the decision of whether the advantages of the host outweigh the disadvantages particularly for you. Examples of the most common disadvantages that some great hosts have: lack of specific kind of support (orientation on beginners or advanced users), too strict limits (e.g. storage, visits), price.
- Pay attention how the hosts deal with negative reviews. Ignoring is not a good sign, admitting the failure or/and trying to resolve the issue is a good sign.
- Make a hosting decision when you are in a calm and positive state of mind.
P.S.: Just to avoid any misunderstanding. Long hosting researches can give you interesting insights. But only if you know that you don’t go in circles.
P.P.S.: I have my pool of the great hosts that I recommend on this page. If you do your own hosting research properly spending not hours but days there are good chances that you will likely end up with the list which will contain many of the hosts in my list.
BTW, I respect your privacy, and of course I don't send spam, affiliate offers or trade your emails. What I send is information that I consider useful.