How do I choose a webhost?

The first question you should ask is: do I need a webhost?  If you’re interested in blogging and learning a little about the web, but don’t see yourself as a coder, the answer is probably no.  There are many free services out there that give you a voice on the net, such as WordPress and Blogger (I’d go with WordPress, but, hey, it’s a free country).

The major benefit of creating an account with a host is that it gives you flexibility.  Say you want to try a new CMS, learn a new coding language, or create a web service for your friends and family: a webhost becomes your classroom and playground.

There are lots of things you might consider when you’re looking for a host:

• What’s the guaranteed uptime?
• Can they handle massive traffic?
• How much free bandwidth and storage capacity comes with my plan?
• Who is there to answer the phone when I have a problem?

Ok, lot’s of philosophical questions here.  While we’re at it, let’s get at the meaning of life and find a quick and dirty solution to world hunger.

Fortunately, a lot of the stuff we worry about when choosing a host doesn’t matter.  Forget about “guaranteed uptime.”  99.9% uptime is a commodity today: if you’re choosing between two recognized web hosts, this won’t be a differentiator.

And are you really concerned about traffic?  Seriously?  Unless you’re starting the next youtube, bandwidth ain’t going to be a problem.  When it is, you’ll be rolling in so much cash that you can pay someone to solve it for you.  Ditto for bandwidth and storage capacity.

Customer service is also something that too many coders worry about.  Here’s my promise to you: whoever you choose, their customer service will suck.  Dude, you’re paying them, max, $30 a month.  Do you really think they’re going to have someone available 24 / 7 to help you find the missing semicolon in your code?  Instead, ask yourself: “To what extent does the host make my life so easy, I won’t ever need help from anyone?”  For example:

• How flexible is the configuration and what control do I have over it?
• Are standard languages and frameworks (php / python / ruby on rails) available?
• Is the admin tool intuitive?
• What does it cost, and will they raise my rates?

So where do the major hosting plans stand on the above points?

Yahoo Small Business

On all of these fronts, Yahoo Small Business comes out as the worst host of all time.  They’re such a steaming pile of awefulness that I refuse to even link to them.  I used to work for Yahoo, and I’m not a disgruntled employee.  In fact, I loved the team I worked with, couldn’t get enough of the subsidized dining and foosball…yada yada yada.

But their hosting solution failed on all four of the above points.  As soon as I plunked down my money with Yahoo, I began hitting all kinds of challenges that I had to code around.  PHP 5?  uh, no.  Chron jobs?  fagettaboutit.  Mass email capabilities?  not bloody likely.

Also, the admin tool was crap, and they raised my rate every four months.

MediaTemple

Serious coders prefer Mediatemple.  Great admin tool, it’s fast and can handle some massive traffic with no downtime.  But you’re going to pay for that priviledge ($20 a month).

Dreamhost

Dreamhost costs about half as much, but it’s a little slow in adjusting to traffic spikes.  Database problems are also an occassional complaint among dreamhost users.  Though it should be noted that database problems are almost always user error.

Choosing a webhost is one of those rare occassions when it really pays to follow the crowd.  The more people there are in the same boat as you, the less likely you’re going to have to be the one to scream when the sh!t hits the fan.  Plus, the fact that the host has lots of users demonstrates that they’ve been successful in focusing on what’s really important to publishers.

GoDaddy

GoDaddy wins the popularity contest.    The admin tool is excellent, they never raise your rate, and the price is great to begin with ($5 a month).  I went with the deluxe plan ($7 a month), which allows you to have multiple databases — important if you want to play with lots of different frameworks, or have multiple domains on the same plan.

The biggest drawback of Go Daddy is that it isn’t really tooled for big spikes.  So if your big idea does take off someday, you might end up turning a lot of people away before you have a chance to expand your bandwidth plan.  Web entrepreneurs on the fast track to success may be better off splurging for MediaTemple or Dreamhost.  But if your goal is to learn the web without wasting tons of time gearing your server, GoDaddy is the plan for you.

At the end of the day, what matters most is what kind of coder you are.  If you’re in it to have fun, learn to code, and maybe someday figure out how to make a living off the net, GoDaddy is a great platform.  When your site is going head to head with youtube, you might have to spend a few hours migrating to Dreamhost or Media Temple.  Then again, maybe this is a task for your first hire.