Bad web hosts are going to ruin your business. It may be worse. How to avoid them at all costs?
Be mindful of the reviews
Almost all web hosts reviews have their affiliate link. Just ignore them unless there’s a discount or another benefit for you.
Double-check on community
My favorite place to do this is on this Reddit sub. Look for any issues or complaints about the web host you’re going to buy.
Sign up with the lowest plan
Always sign up with the lowest plan that suits your need. If possible, sign up for one month to evaluate the service. It is critical to minimalize the risk.
Don’t depend too much on the trial period. There are some cases where the web hosts will try to evade your claim for the trial.
Be wise with the payment method
The credit card should be the very last option. If the web host accepts PayPal, use it. PayPal gives a buyer protection.
There was a time when PayPal can be useful. Long ago, I got my full refund after I sent a dispute on PayPal. Otherwise, the customer supports just gave me various reasons why I couldn’t get a refund.
There is no unlimited stuff
You’ll see many web hosts promote their unlimited disk space or unlimited bandwidth. That’s purely marketing. When your site grows, they’ll begin to push you to upgrade because your site crossed the threshold for that so-called unlimited bandwidth plan.
As a comparison, even a VPS has a bandwidth limit. My VPS on Linode has a 1TB limit. What can you expect from shared web hosts?
Don’t transfer your domain
Keep your domain on your registrar. Never put the domain and the web host on the same company. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Check the quality of their supports
Because bad web hosts always have unreliable support. You don’t need to wait until you have some problem. Just pretend to have an easy problem that you know how to solve, and ask their help. Or send any question to them.
It is why I choose Linode. Their support is always able to fix any issue I have. VeeroTech is also good (link at the barter)
Consult to the trusted experts
These trusted experts should be neutral. They should have no interest when you decide to go with a web host company. You may find them in the community like these:
Reddit
Web Hosting Talk
Low-End Talk
Just be careful that a few of them may own or affiliate with a web host company.