Is HostGator a Good Choice? Do YOU Use It?

Flyata · 3rd January 2009

I've been hearing many good things about HostGator, so I recently checked them out and really liked their pricings + plans.

I'd like to know what you think of them and tell me of any past experiences you've had with them.

If you have any coupon codes I'd appreciate it if you could share them.

Cheers!

Louise · 3rd January 2009

I dont Personnaly think your making a wise decition but each to there own
The thread below has some coupons in it
Hostgator Coupons

MH-Nick · 3rd January 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyata

I recently checked them out and really liked their pricings + plans.

So you like paying nothing for everything? Unfortunately a lot of web hosting users do as well, making companies like these big. You get what you pay for. If you're hosting any important then don't go with an Unlimited company

TSH-Nathan · 4th January 2009

It's really about what you need it for, if you just want a quick host to host un-important data then HostGator will be fine, however, if you're looking to host something important then you should go with a higher quality web host.

uk2.net · 5th January 2009

they are actually doing a pretty decent job. They do not outsource support, they have a great network (based in theplanet.com's dc's) and they have been around for a loooong time.

D

peternottingham · 7th January 2009

I use Hostgator to host about 20 sites for US and Canadian based clients.

I haven't had the slightest problem with them, and their tech support is excellent.

TerryFroy · 7th January 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by peternottingham

I use Hostgator to host about 20 sites for US and Canadian based clients.

I haven't had the slightest problem with them, and their tech support is excellent.

So I wonder why we have quite a few Hostgator 'refugees' living with us ?

It can't be because we are cheaper because we are not.

I'll leave the potential Hostgator customers who may stumble upon this thread to figure that one out.

uk2.net · 7th January 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by TerryFroy

So I wonder why we have quite a few Hostgator 'refugees' living with us ?

It can't be because we are cheaper because we are not.

I'll leave the potential Hostgator customers who may stumble upon this thread to figure that one out.

They have 1m+ sites hosted...even the best company of that size has min 10+20% churn - and some of those sites are bound to end up with other hosts...even yours

peternottingham · 7th January 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by TerryFroy

So I wonder why we have quite a few Hostgator 'refugees' living with us ?

It can't be because we are cheaper because we are not.

I'll leave the potential Hostgator customers who may stumble upon this thread to figure that one out.

I've no idea, but I'm not one of your Hostgator refugees

I use 4 separate hosting companies, and I'm totally happy with Hostgator

Maybe Hostgator have some of your refugees?

TerryFroy · 7th January 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by uk2.net

They have 1m+ sites hosted...even the best company of that size has min 10+20% churn - and some of those sites are bound to end up with other hosts...even yours

Absolutely!

We do ask as a matter of courtesy why a customer has decided to host with us and sometimes it is due to cost, sometimes it is due to poor technical support from their previous host or even that good ol' chestnut, word of mouth.

(that also works the other way - if a customer wishes to leave, we try and find out why they want to do so and work something out if possible; as such, our churn is pretty much near-zero)

A lot of the Hostgator 'churn' we receive are of the opinion that if you sell something as 'unlimited', they shouldn't be getting the equivalent of 'cease-and-desist' notifications when they start using some of that unlimited space/bandwidth that they have been sold.

(one of the customers sells large quantities of his own music and they shut him down due to operating an 'MP3 site' - even though he was the only artist on there!)

The day that our hardware suppliers start selling 'unlimited' hard drives will be the day we start selling hosting plans with 'unlimited' space

TerryFroy · 7th January 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by peternottingham

I've no idea, but I'm not one of your Hostgator refugees

Fair enough.

Quote:

Originally Posted by peternottingham

I use 4 separate hosting companies, and I'm totally happy with Hostgator

The 'putting all eggs in one basket' argument aside, why do you use 4 separate hosting companies ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by peternottingham

Maybe Hostgator have some of your refugees?

Quite possibly but as we specialize more in co-lo rather than hosting a few domains/sites for individuals, our churn on customers who are likely to move to someone like Hostgator is going to be low as we have few of those types of customers to begin with - most of the customers who come in via Hostgator recognize that they need dedicated servers rather than what they previously had whether it be due to site performance or raw disk storage.

As a previous poster has already commented, Hostgator are fine for smaller sites but the emphasis I was trying to place in my previous posts is that if you sell something as 'unlimited', you will get some people who will take that as read and take you up on it.

There are plenty of other hosts besides Hostgator who sell 'unlimited' but can't deliver so I'm not singling them out.

peternottingham · 7th January 2009

[quote=TerryFroy;140755]Fair enough.

The 'putting all eggs in one basket' argument aside, why do you use 4 separate hosting companies ?

It's mainly down to not wanting to putting all eggs in one basket

I have over 400 sites under my control, mainly in the UK. If I host them all with one company and that company goes bust, I doubt my business would recover from that. Transferring all those domains away from a company that's still in business would take long enough but trying to transfer them away from a company that no longer exists would be a nightmare.

My clients would lose tens of thousands of pounds of pounds and I would lose my credibility and everything else. All new work would have to cease while I tried to sort things out. I therefore like to have not much more than around 100 or so sites hosted with any one hosting company.

I host sites for my US based clients in the US because page loading times will be marginally quicker for them

PeteK · 7th January 2009

No dis-respect Peter, but I would suspect a large number of the companies who post on here have larger Corporation Tax bills than your annual turnover and are therefore sufficiently stable that you would be without risk.

I think the issue of spreading that client base is actually creating work, rather than working with a single company with a nominated point of contact etc etc.
Never the less I guess as long as you are happy.

peternottingham · 7th January 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeteK

No dis-respect Peter, but I would suspect a large number of the companies who post on here have larger Corporation Tax bills than your annual turnover and are therefore sufficiently stable that you would be without risk.

I think the issue of spreading that client base is actually creating work, rather than working with a single company with a nominated point of contact etc etc.
Never the less I guess as long as you are happy.

Yes, I imagine Woolworths paid more Corporation Tax than my annual turnover as well - it didn't stop them closing though!

Size is no guarantee of continued success, and I do have a responsibility to provide my clients with very reliable hosting, which is why I like to check over their accounts first.

freethought · 7th January 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by peternottingham

Yes, I imagine Woolworths paid more Corporation Tax than my annual turnover as well - it didn't stop them closing though!

Size is no guarantee of continued success, and I do have a responsibility to provide my clients with very reliable hosting, which is why I like to check over their accounts first.

Isn't Corporation Tax paid on the profits? If so, then no, Woolworth's almost certainly wasn't paying more Corporation Tax than your annual turnover