Uk Based server options

[Prosperity]

I have an inclusive package with my web developer and seo that includes hosting, however ive just had an email that the price will be going up £10 a month due to server price increases. I was with LCN before and they were terrible, always going down, my site got spammed and taken over by the iraqi freedom fighters group....

Was sold the benefits of this new server and in all fairness has been trouble free, but I want to check what else is out there. I don't have a huge site and I need approx 5 mailboxes.

Thanks for any help

 

[ryedale]

Hi

How much were you paying monthly before the increase and do you know how much space your site is using?

 

[arnydnxluk]

I take it this is shared hosting (it sounds like it) rather than your own server? If so a price rise of £10/month per customer is crazy, although it's not unusual for web designers to charge a lot more for hosting because it's not normally their core business. Assuming you have modest traffic, pretty much any good shared hosting provider should fit the bill and charge somewhere around £2.50 - £5.00 per month.

Do you have any other specific requirements? Do you know how much traffic and disk space you're using now? Also is your website built on any particular platform such as WordPress?

 

[Prosperity]

It's "free" included in my package so no way of getting a price or a reduction if I switch server. Not a clue how much bandwidth sorry..

 

[arnydnxluk]

It's "free" included in my package so no way of getting a price or a reduction if I switch server. Not a clue how much bandwidth sorry..

Taking this into account would you therefore also be looking for a new web developer? If so what do you receive as part of your existing package?

 

[Prosperity]

Is there anyway I would find out which it's currently with. How much bandwidth it's using and what platform it was made on without involving my current provider/Web guy

 

[ryedale]

No problem.

As stated above, there is lots of shared hosting options available

Avoid the big names like Go Daddy, 123-reg, One and One etc because you won't get decent support.

Try to find a host who offers UK-based phone support as well as the standard ticket / email - you'll appreciate it when you need a quick response!

If you want to drop me a PM, I can take a look for you and see what I can find out for you

 

[Prosperity]

No. Categorically not looking for a new developer. The site is great. Loads better than the previous efforts and does the job. I'm just trying to minimise costs where I can without affecting services and he says he is making no money on the hosting so if I can get a saving he's not losing out and I'm saving...

 

[Prosperity]

Dear all, in order to continue securely hosting your website(s) we need to increase our prices by £10 per client per month across the board. Your websites will not be affected however you/all clients benefit from:

• UK fast server
• Extra security backup (eg) daily back ups and auto server migration should anyone try to hack into your site.
• Manned. Our servers are manned 24/7

So Im looking for pretty much like for like on the above, having been wit streamline and LCN I dont want to go down their type of route again... Or do i just suck it up and pay the extra £120 per year...

 

[arnydnxluk]

Or do i just suck it up and pay the extra £120 per year...

I think only you can make this decision as it depends on what stage you're at with your business and the value £120 represents to you. It's definitely overpriced for the hosting element alone but if you're happy with the service and you feel the price is fair, then it could just be easier for you to stick with it.

Keeping the hosting with your developer does bring you the advantage of a "one stop shop" but perhaps you shouldn't keep all your eggs in one basket! For example if your developer disappears one day you could be left with nothing. However if you're using a separate hosting provider, even if your developer deletes the entire website from your hosting account before disappearing, your hosting provider can then restore this from their backups for you. So you can gain a little bit more control from using a separate provider.

• Extra security backup (eg) daily back ups and auto server migration should anyone try to hack into your site.

I'd be more concerned about this because the "auto server migration should anyone try to hack into your site" part suggests they don't know what they're talking about. Not just for web hosting but also from the development point of view. Your developer should have a better understanding of the different attack vectors which can effect your website and how to protect against these properly. "auto server migration" is not the answer and doesn't make sense. If an attack can be detected in real time, you intercept it and block it from happening, migrating the website to another server won't magically resolve anything.

 

[Dan_HiHosting]

To me it sounds like a normal developer that's reselling a VPS in all likelihood.
They've probably changed their web host or upgraded to a VPS, are paying more, and passing on the costs to their clients.

Personally I'd be most concerned about their technical competence than price.

You'll likely get a better value, and more professionally managed service going direct with a good UK web host.

Also what if you need technical help at for example 1am? Will you developer be available then, or will they be asleep and have to pass on the query to their host the next day? That can make support a lot slower, especially if they're not that technical and there may be some back and forth.

If you use a proper host directly, issues can be dealt with straight away by technical staff with years of experience.

For £10 per moth you can get yourself decent eCommerce/business hosting, with unlimited mail boxes, direct, fast UK support, and high performance and reliable hosting for you website.

If you do a search on these forums you should find plenty of recommendations, hopefully including us.

Feel free to drop my a PM with your domain and I can see who your current provider is if you like.

All the best,

Dan

 

[Prosperity]

Thanks Dan.
Would I need e.commerce though and not just standard hosting. There is no sales cart as such and all online ordering is done via a third party embedded site..
I'll pm you to check which currently hosts...

 

[Dan_HiHosting]

Hi John,

No problem. I've sent you a reply with my findings.
I mentioned eCommerce/business hosting as that's typically what higher performance hosting comes under the name of.
Different providers will use different names, and will have some differences in their offering, but I meant hosting that's typically called eCommerce hosting, Business hosting, or even Semi dedicated hosting.

Effectively that means you're still sharing the server the other users, but the server will often be higher specification, and fewer users and websites will be on the server, so they have a greater share of resources. That results in better performance, and fewer issues with "bad neighbours", such as poorly maintained or hacked sites.

£10 per month is around the starting price for that.

As you're on a VPS with only a few other websites, you are in theory on something similar to that.
However it seems the VPS is low spec, so your actual performance is below good quality shared hosting.

So in theory you're not overpaying, but you actually are as the VPS seems to be quite low spec.

Of course you'd expect to be on a dedicated server and not a VPS as well, or at the very least a high spec VPS (as web developers often will use a VPS).

Also, a developer putting a small number of websites on a VPS really isn't the same as proper eCommerce/Business/Semi dedicated hosting.

So yes, having done a speed test you can get better performance for your money elsewhere.

I hope that helps,

Dan

 

[Prosperity]

Have made the switch to Hi hosting. Fast replies to messages. Knowledgeable and not trying to bamboozle me with IT speak that I don't understand and generally seemed helpful and like a company I could work with.
Let's hope moving my site is statightwforward... prepare for support requests Dan..

 

[arnydnxluk]

Have made the switch to Hi hosting. Fast replies to messages. Knowledgeable and not trying to bamboozle me with IT speak that I don't understand and generally seemed helpful and like a company I could work with.
Let's hope moving my site is statightwforward... prepare for support requests Dan..

Best of luck with your new provider.

 

[pickaweb]

I agree with the above.
Look for a UK web hosting provider that gets great reviews and offers instant support via live chat.
It is always handy to get any questions answered via chat.

All the best.

 

[Dan_HiHosting]

Have made the switch to Hi hosting. Fast replies to messages. Knowledgeable and not trying to bamboozle me with IT speak that I don't understand and generally seemed helpful and like a company I could work with.
Let's hope moving my site is statightwforward... prepare for support requests Dan..

Thanks for choosing us Prosperity, and thanks for the kind words.
It's good that you questioned what you were getting from your old provider, and I hope you enjoy the improved performance.

All the best,

Dan