Web Hosting Columns

Since its inception in 2001, HostForWeb.com has provided Linux shared hosting, dedicated servers, collocation and reseller based hosting accounts to webmasters all over the world. But after trumping seven years, has HostForWeb.com won the trust of its large customer base?

Inside The Core of a Data Center

Located in the carrier-neutral Equinix Chicago Data Center, HostForWeb, Inc. has access to many major carriers in Chicago without the need for local loop circuits. This closeness and in-house presence gives it the added advantage of 100% up time, being able to switch without a second of downtime among AAPT, Adelphia , Ameritech , Asia Global Crossing , AT&T, etc.
This attracts both small and large customers to HostForWeb and probably explains why they are ranked #78 among popular know web host.

No Thumbs Up From the Small Guys

But this popularity may not be shared among all of HostForWeb customers. Four years of voting and reviews from Vista International, revealed that they were more inclined to provide superb services to larger clients who bought reseller or dedicated hosting packages. And while they boated of preferential treatment, small or regular hosting accounts were not so happy.

Several clients complained of slow response to their problems. One client was told to upgrade to “dedicated” if they wanted more access to support.

But HostForWeb may have taken notice and have improved their outlook. This year so far they have received 32 positive reviews and only 7 negative reviews.

Kissing Down to the Small User

The turn around is also reflective in their new price tag of $4.50 for the starter account, down from $19.99 a year ago. And although one may argue that they need to be competitive, they are popular in the Chicago area not care, if they choose.

HostForWeb is also benefiting from continued management changes and training. Seven years is a long time to come to roost on a package tailored for customers of all walks of life, and in my hosting book, they are doing that this year.

On a Path to Greatness

Despite the glamour and the strength, HostForWeb still has far to go to convince the webmaster community that it is a reliable and fair partner. A partner that will provide valuable service and support. We can recommend them as a solid host who is making the correct strides, even though at a pace we would prefer to be faster.

We rate HostForWeb.com at 3 stars.

Overall rating: 3/5

It is amazing how good news travel slow. It took me quite awhile to learn about MochaHost. Here is why I consider MochaHost as great news for webmasters. MochaHost is located in the heart of Silicon Valley (San Jose, California), and provides web hosting, and tons of other complementary services. These services include web design, E-commerce, and Internet promotion services.

MochaHost’s plans tailor all hosting needs - from personal use, small businesses, to sophisticated E-commerce sites with huge requirements for bandwidth and disk space. But these are not the reason why I am thumbing up for them.

Award Winning Services

MochaHost has been the recipient of HostReview.com’s Top 10 Budget Host Award Feb 2006, is listed as one o f CNET’s Most Popular Hosts, a Top 25 Host March 2006 of RateMyHost.com, the Web Design Award Oct 2005 from DesignFirms.org, and one of FindMyHost.com’s E-commerce Guaranteed Approved Hosts.

So if all the bragging rights of top brass critics carry weight then we can celebrate. But just before rushing in, let’s see what the users say about this award winning host.

Users Find Its’ Good Enough

On February 8, 2007 a hosting survey and test service, HosTest, completed a four week study of the customer service provided by over 50 hosting companies throughout the US. MochaHost scored #1. They received an excellent score on the response quality part of the test and answered all e-mail support requests with an average response time of 24 minutes!

So far this year there have been 233 positive votes for Mochahost and 19 negative, placing MochaHost in the number for spot for overall hosting nationwide.

But MochaHost also satisfied affiliate users and staff members. A recent report on their affiliate program gave them a 70% grade but ranked them number 3 nationwide for best affiliate program.
And staff members listed it as an “excellent” place work.

Hosting Options

You can land a hosting account from about $4 per month. The largest package costs about $11. But MochaHost can take your hosting a bit further than most companies will. They offer a complete solution tailored to your budget including hosting, design and website promo.

Mochahost.com average uptime is 99.995% with total 75906 successful and 4 failed checks, monitored since 2006-02-28.

The Black Spot

MochaHost recently lost some assets in a lawsuit and also lost some of its staff in a company split. We give them a 4 Star with reservation as it remains to see what impact this will have on MochaHost.

Overall rating: 4/5

Webintellects.com offers both Linux and Windows web hosting and they have several hosting plans to choose from. They offer the Silver Plan for 5.95 a month, the Gold Plan for 9.00 a month, the Platinum Plan for $17.00 a month, the Webmaster Plan for $22.00 a month, and the Diamond Plan for $45.00 a month. All of these plans come with free activation if you prepay for a full year’s hosting, otherwise there is a $10 activation fee for a monthly or quarterly billing cycle. All of the plans mentioned before are offered with either Linux or Windows webhosting, you choose.

They also offer the option of virtual private servers and this starts at $35 a month. There is a $25 activation fee charged for all VPS plans. If you are someone that receives a lot of traffic and need a dedicated server you also have this option which starts at $175 a month.

One of the huge advantages of Webintellects.com is their 30 day money back guarantee. Granted this only applies to hosting fees, not activation fees. This means you can try them risk free for 30 days and if you are not satisfied with the service after one month you are entitled to a portion of the money you have paid. They guarantee 99.99% network uptime and they have dedicated phone numbers for US/Canada and International customers. They also guarantee a 24-hour or less personal resolution to all support requests that have been opened via their support ticket system. If you don’t get a response within 24 hours they will add a $10 credit to your account.

The one thing that can be a little deceitful form Webintellects.com is that all of their prices quoted for their hosting plans are for a full year. You have to pay slightly more if you choose the monthly or quarterly billing plan and you find this out once you are ready to put in the order. Some customers have complained about support and downtime, but overall most customers are extremely satisfied with their service.

With so many different types of hosting plans and options for your website(s) Webintellects.com is a solid web hosting company. They aim to provide the best service and the most flexible plan that you need. With a 30 day money back guarantee you can’t go wrong with trying them for a month. Overall, a customer oriented web host.

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Netpivotal.com web hosting features both Linux and Windows web hosting. Their Linux hosting plans are the following: Home Hosting Plan for $7.49 a month, a Business Hosting Plan for $11.95 a month, and a Developer Hosting Plan for $14.95 a month.

They offer the same plans for Windows hosting, but these cost a little more. The prices are $8.49, $13.95, and $17.95 a month, respectively. Netpivotal.com also offers dedicated servers from $139 a month. They also offer E-commerce solutions starting from $14.99 a month. They only offer two billing plans which are quarterly or annually.

Netpivotal.com has several advantages in choosing them as a host. One is the cost of their plans. They are reasonable for the features they provide. However, one of their biggest advantages of Netpivotal.com is what they include with all of their packages. This includes a free domain name, free blog and gallery software, free forum builder, and free web stats. They also feature free tutorials, articles, guides, anti-spam, and anti-virus protection with their plans. All of this is included free of charge.

Netpovital.com also supports Microsoft Office Frontpage with all of their plans. They also have the 30 day money back guarantee, if you are not satisfied with their service. They have received multiple awards for being one of the top hosts in 2005, along with receiving the Webhost Magazine and Buyers Guide Editor’s choice award. Their support is considered award winning by both awarding organizations and customers. Their support features a 24/7 support ticket system for any problems customers need addressed. They also have live chat to get support for any problems on the fly.

One of the things that can be a turn off regarding Netpivotal.com is their lack of plans. They don’t really offer as many plans as other hosts and don’t have any sort of virtual private server plans. This will fit the need of smaller website owners but anyone looking for more sophisticated web hosting will probably look elsewhere in choosing a web host. Other than this Netpivotal.com is a competent host.

Overall I find this is a great host for any small to medium sized websites that needs hosting. Their award winning customer support is something many customers rage about. When they have had problems they get it resolved in a timely manner. Things like this will keep Netpivotal.com on top when it comes to hosting. Overall, Netpivotal.com is a good host.

Overall rating: 4/5

Whether you are new to hosting with minimal needs or a veteran with larger needs, Ixwebhosting.com prides itself on being able to provide you with the ideal web hosting service. They offer hosting on both Linux and Windows platforms. The plans that they feature are as follows: Expert Hosting Plan starting at $4.95 a month, Business Plus Hosting Plan at $7.95 a month, and Unlimited Pro Hosting Plan at $12.95 a month.

They offer the same plans for Windows hosting with the exception of Unlimited Pro, which is offered only on a Linux platform. Out of all these plans they highlight Business Plus as being much better than what their competitors offer. Billing cycles available are 3 month, 6 month, 12 month, and 24 month. Ixwebhosting.com also offers marketing services, Web design services, and offers you the option to take credit cards on your site.

Clear advantages of Ixwebhosting.com are all of the different services they can offer for your site. Their Business Plus plan also brings great features such as unlimited domains, web space, and 8 dedicated Ips and $50 ad credits for Yahoo and Google. They are part of the Better Business Reliability Online Program and are certified when it comes to privacy, and are hacker safe. They offer live chat support on their site and have a 24/7 dedicated phone line for any questions regarding sales and support. Ixwebhosting.com can be real good hosting for a site that needs ecommerce services and marketing.

Two things that Ixwebhosting.com does not offer are virtual private servers and dedicated servers. You can only host with shared plans. This can be a huge turn off for many people that want the services they offer but want a dedicated server. They don’t have many options when it comes to hosting plans; they kind of just provide the basic and slightly more with the higher priced plans. Overall customers have had mixed feelings regarding this host. Some report extremely good service and support while others report the complete opposite.

Ixwebhosting.com has a professional look and feel. Their plans are decent enough to get by and to attract customers. What I found really great from them is the web services that they can provide to online sites. These seem really good and are reasonably priced when compared to others. Overall they can provide the service you need for your small to medium sized website.

Overall rating: 3.5/5