Cheap Web Hosting That Doesn’t Suck

Finding cheap web hosting that doesn’t suck is sometimes easier said than done. When I launched my first blog, I had no idea where to begin. I did some Google searches, I asked some blogger pals, and I checked out the hosts that WordPress recommended. In the end, I pinned the proverbial tail on my virtual donkey, going on about my business hoping I’d made a relatively decent choice. Since then, I’ve been thrilled with the shared web hosting provided by midPhase.

Affordable Web Hosting For Bloggers

CC 2.0 BY - jamisonjudd

I was on a quest to find affordable web hosting for bloggers, and I certainly believe I found it. I have been a happy midPhase customer for about a year and a half now. Because of how pleased I’ve been with them and in the spirit of full disclosure, I’d like to point out that midPhase also offers hosting services through ANHosting, IK2.net, VPS.net, and WestHost.com and I am part of their affiliate program.

I’m not a corporate shill and I won’t recommend a product or service I know nothing about. I don’t become an affiliate for just any company that offers an affiliate program. When a company provides me with exemplary service, I believe I have an obligation to share that experience with others. Becoming an affiliate is a great way to do that.

I have been very happy with the level of service provided by midPhase. They’ve given me a very reliable and unusually affordable web hosting solution. I host several domains and have developed several separate web properties using each of my two accounts. The tools provided by midPhase, which I can only assume are similar to the tools they provide through their other web hosting properties, make taking complete control over your online presence a breeze.

Controlling DNS settings, setting up e-mail accounts, creating databases, managing FTP accounts and much, much more can all be done using the cPanel access provided by midPhase. If you don’t know what cPanel is, well…you don’t know how much time and frustration you will save by having one. Before settling on any web host, make sure they provide a cPanel.

Knowing What To Look For From A Cheap Web Host

When I set out on my quest to find a cheap web host, I had no idea what to look for. What I did know was that I was ready to walk away from the nightmare that is the GoDaddy website and never host with them again. No offense, GoDaddy…just not a fan of your website or tools, but plenty of other people like ’em just fine. No need for you to worry. My goal from the start was to find cheap web hosting that doesn’t suck.

I was starting a new blog, so I knew I needed a host that supported WordPress – but I didn’t want to be stuck with only WordPress. I wanted a flexible, functional AND cheap web host – was I asking way too much? After my experience with midPhase, I’d have to say, “no”. It seems that a flexible, functional AND cheap web host is exactly what I found.

I asked around and ended up with a laundry list of features to check for when looking at different hosts. I didn’t really understand some of the “techie-type” recommendations then. Those making the recommendations were far more experienced bloggers than I and before I knew it, the checklist had grown to include several very specific requirements. Accepting their advice gratefully, I made sure to add cPanel and Fantastico to the “must include” checklist – both of which were mentioned time & time again.

Major things to take into consideration include:

Storage Space
Bandwidth
MySQL Databases Allowed
How Many Domains Can Be Hosted
Subdomains
cPanel Access – midPhase cPanel demo (username: cpdemo and password: cpaneldemo)
Fantastico
PHP Support
WordPress Support
Ruby on Rails Support

Affordable Web Host With Lots of Features

midPhase is an affordable web host that doesn’t sacrifice in the service or support departments. I have had very few issues over the past year an a half. I can recall on one occasion I was unable to access my database, but resolving the issue required nothing more than an e-mail to their customer service department and was completely resolved in a matter of minutes.

With plans starting at less than $3 a month, I’d challenge you to find a less expensive web hosting solution that provides what midPhase provides. Their middle of the road Linux hosting solution, “Unlimited” – which is what I use, is available for as little as $3.48 per month. midPhase is also currently offering a special on their “Business” hosting package for just $2.24 a month – that price was available as of August 19th, 2009 and may change at any time…so hurry! Seriously, that’s an awesome deal. I’m thinking about setting up a third account even though I don’t really need it at this point. I’m sure I’d put it to use for something, right?

I bet you’re wondering what, specifically, is included with midPhase hosting accounts, well…here are a few of the highlights of the “Unlimited” and “Business” plans:

Web Space: Unlimited
Bandwidth: Unlimited
Number of Websites: Unlimited
MySQL Databases: Unlimited

Includes:
PHP5
Ruby on Rails
WordPress Support
Fantastico
Subdomains
SSH Access
SSL Secure Website Access, and much more!

Here’s a run down of the three shared hosting options offered by midPhase, as well as a detailed comparison of features and services:

*Image source: midPhase information page at < http://www.midphase.com/web-hosting/linux-hosting.php >; prices are accurate as of August 19th, 2009 but may change at any time and without warning.

I have two midPhase hosting accounts, both of which offer the ability to host an unlimited number of domains, create an unlimited number of MySQL databases and offers unlimited storage and bandwidth. It is the best shared web hosting value I have come across to date. The cPanel alone – yes, there’s that odd word again – is an invaluable tool for controlling everything from your DNS administration to e-mail accounts to creating & maintaining MySQL databases.

The cPanel even has a built in code & text editors that allow changes to be made to files – like .htaccess, robots.txt, etc. – directly on the server, rather than having to download the files, make the necessary changes and then upload them again. You may not appreciate what that means at the moment, but if you spend much time maintaining your own blog or site you will soon enough. If someone else handles all that “technical” stuff for you, they should know what that means and will be grateful that you’ve taken those details into consideration in making your hosting decisions.

Feel free to leave comments and share your own hosting stories and experiences!