Choosing the Right Hosting Company

Total transparency here: I’m technical, but not a system administrator. I know how to SSH in and use sFTP/FTP. I can run command lines, and I used to install my own SSL certificates. I used to run a local WAMP server for development, so I understand Apache stacks and PHP/CGI stuff. Geek stuff. I live for it. Until it kicks my ass.

I had the most frustrating experience while I was building this site on another hosting company’s server (rhymes with SteamPost). I upgraded to a VPS some time ago, thinking I would see vast improvements in speed for my personal sites and the few client sites I hosted. But as I started developing GetHipQuick, the WordPress admin panel would hang, and then I’d get errors and timeouts, occasionally losing changes. No bueno.

I searched the access and error logs for clues, used AI to decipher some of the more cryptic messages, and still couldn’t figure it out. I did learn a lot about bots and how they can spike your traffic. I learned new ways to harden a WordPress install without plugins. However, my little VPS couldn’t handle the bot traffic. Spikes in RAM caused time-outs. I contacted support a few times. They suggested a few things but honestly, it was like they just read off the AI summary. They gave me some guidance, but it was more technical than I wanted to deal with. Yet, I knew I had to fix the site errors before launch because how would it look for me to make recommendations on web design/development and my own site is acting crazy? Yeah, nah. After mulling it over and weighing the pros and cons, I made the decision to move my sites. Initially I thought I’d just move gethipquick.com to see if it was my installation causing me pain. You know, a buggy plugin, some htaccess settings—I honestly couldn’t figure it out. I contacted support again, and they sent me to do my own troubleshooting. I guess that’s what you get when you have a VPS but nagging performance issues were killing my vibe.

I used Google Gemini to compare hosts. It recommended the host I’m on now. I got a deal for a year of hosting; it’s $200/yr. less than the VPS! I am on shared hosting again, but it’s optimized for WordPress and has a built-in CDN and caching, and the WordPress admin and site are lightning fast. Oh, and site AND email migrations and backups in a few clicks? Sheeeeiiit. #RIPIsiahWhitlock I really wish I’d moved sooner. I would have saved money and headaches.

My Hosting Must-Haves

• Up Time – Best that it can be.
• Speed and Performance – No brainer.
• Decent Pricing – I don’t want to worry about the site going down if my cash flow isn’t good
• Control Panel – I need to be able to administer everything I need to administer.
• Migration Tools – The must-have I didn’t know I needed! Couldn’t have been easier.

So where am I hosted? Hostinger. I’ve administered and built sites on Dreamhost, GoDaddy, MediaTemple, Bluehost, etc. I’ve had the best onboarding experience I can recall. Here’s my referral code.
https://hostinger.com?REFERRALCODE=O2SONEHIP1CS