Is it easy ditching your web host? Some may say the answer is a quick yes but it isn’t really that simple. Telling your web host you’ve had enough and you’re breaking away from the contract sounds easy but there are many other things you need to take into account. Do you already have a replacement? Are you sure that the replacement is truly better? How will your sites and upcoming projects be affected? While trying to answer these questions and more, examine if you are really encountering signs that suggest that you should already get a new web host.
Aside from the unreasonable service price changes and the need to change to a new web host because your sites have already outgrown the capacity and technical specs of your current one, the following signs should help you decide to finally switch:
1. More than Occasional Downtimes
It’s not uncommon to have downtimes but if these are already becoming more than occasional, it’s better to switch to a new hosting service provider. Website downtimes don’t only mean lost sales, they also make you lose reputation. Likewise, it leads to a drop in your traffic levels and an adverse effect on your search engine rankings. There’s just no reason to stick with a web host that constantly goes down.
How much downtime is considered acceptable for a web host? Ideally, there should be 0% downtime but this is nearly impossible or extremely rare. A good gauge would be to look at what the web host promises. There are those that claim that they can deliver an uptime of 99% per year (or a downtime of 3.65 days per year), 99.9% (8.75 hours downtime per year), 99.99% (53 minutes downtime per year), or 99.999% (5 minutes downtime per year). If the web host already exceeds the downtime guaranteed, you have to start looking for a replacement.
Generally, downtimes shouldn’t be higher than 1%. Take note that this 1% is the accumulation of all instances of multiple downtimes you encountered, not just the sum of the major downtimes you suffered. It’s also different if these downtimes occur at crucial days or hours of your business. If your sites never went down during the earlier parts of the year but suffered major downtimes during the times when you expected high volumes of traffic, you may have to replace your web host even if your total downtime has not breached the 1% level yet.
2. Crowded Shared Server
Don’t think that just because you decided to settle with a shared server service, you can no longer expect good service. Not all shared hosting services are bad. You can find some that can adequately serve your needs. In particular, a good web host shouldn’t be overcrowding its servers. Also, it should have a policy of suspending or not accepting abusive customers that take up most of a shared server’s resources. It should have a system of addressing vulnerabilities that make some sites in a shared server overuse bandwidth unwittingly. A web host can’t just offer the service without monitoring.
3. Incompetent Technical Support
All web hosts provide technical support—but finding reliable, prompt, and competent support is another matter. If your web hosting issues are not quickly and properly addressed, there’s no reason you should stay with your web host. Prompt and competent technical service is vital in web hosting as every minute of a problems can mean a lot. If you’ll do some digging – you’d also find that in accordance to their status, trusted web hosting companies get better support reviews to boot. While correlation isn’t causation – it is safe to say that a good web host will put a stark emphasis on putting out high-level support.
You have the right to demand competent human support for serious issues, especially downtimes. If your web host makes you wait for a long time after you go through an automated answering machine, it’s time to get another web host.
4. Lack of Defense against Cyberattacks
Phishing, malware attacks, and other cyberattacks or cybersecurity problems are not something only the website or blog owner has to deal with. The web host also has a role to play in dealing with these threats. There are web hosts that easily get hit by cyberattacks. If you unluckily subscribed to one, you need to quickly find a replacement. If you notice that your sites or your customers/subscribers are getting a lot of these attacks and your web host does not provide adequate security options such as SFTP and backup solutions, you should already start finding a better web host.
5. Bad IP Reputation
Certainly, you wouldn’t want your web assets associated with a bad IP. A bad IP can be blacklisted, adversely affecting your sites, blogs, or online store. If you are sharing your server with other clients who don’t bother to secure their sites or those that run unsecure and outdated applications, there’s a high chance of having your IP blacklisted or getting bad IP reputation. It’s either you call out the attention of your web host to get rid of the reasons for the bad IP reputation (good luck succeeding on this!) or you just ditch it and find a better web host.
6. The Upgrading/Upscaling Compulsion
Lastly, you may have to switch to a new web host if you notice that you are constantly being directed, subtly or explicitly, to upgrade to a higher and more expensive web hosting package. There are those that try to exploit your site’s growth by limiting the resources and features you have access to so you will be forced to upgrade to a better hosting package. Some web hosting companies have ambiguous contract terms that allow them to compel you to avail of “add-ons” or more expensive packages to match the growing resource needs of sites. Don’t fall of these schemes. Switch to a host with clear terms and a more cost-efficient set of features.
Choose your web host wisely—this is something that needs emphasis. The wrong choice is not only inconvenient but it can also affect how your business works. It’s not easy switching web hosts. It’s inconvenient and tedious finding and moving your sites to a new one. However, if you are already suffering from chronic problems or issues, ditching your web host is a must. Inconvenience is never an excuse for poor site performance, frequent downtimes, lack of security solutions, and bad IP reputation.
