• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
BlogAid Logo

BlogAid

Help for DIY Site Owners and Webmasters - WordPress, SEO, HTTPS, Security, and Performance

  • Home
  • Blog
    • Current Posts
    • Helpful Posts
    • Hobby to Money Making Blog Series
  • Tips Tuesday
  • Site Services
    • Happy Clients
    • Setup, Backups, Fixes
    • Site Service Requests
    • Site Audits
      • What’s In the Audit
      • Audit Request Form
    • HTTPS Conversion
      • About the Service
      • HTTPS Request Form
  • Resources
    • Plugins
    • Helpful Posts
    • Site Resources
    • Start Here with BlogAid
  • Classes
    • Happy Clients
    • All Classes
    • Gutenberg Ninja
    • DIY SEO Course
    • Webmaster Training
  • About
    • About MaAnna
    • Happy Clients
    • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
    • Affiliate Disclosure Policy
    • Disclaimer
  • Contact
    • General Contact
    • Site Service Requests

Why I Started Endorsing Website Host Providers Again

November 9, 2016 by MaAnna Stephenson

TwitterFacebookPinterestLinkedinRedditWhatsApp

Why I Started Endorsing Website Host Providers Again

Back in March 2015 I stopped publicly endorsing host providers.  See what’s changed and what hasn’t and the 3 reasons I reversed my decision.

The Hosting Landscape

Let’s step back to where all this hoohaa started. In 2013 I had just begun to offer site performance audits when all site security hell broke loose. Since performance and security go hand in hand, I immediately had to pivot my audits to include more checks.

It was a major business pivot and became my core income for the next 2 years.

When It Went South

By 2015, hosts were being DDoS attacked at such an alarming rate that there suddenly was no safe place to put your site. Some hosts were down for 10 days. Some were limping along with sites being intermittently available for weeks.

My favored host, A2 Hosting was caught in that mess. Which meant me and my reputation were caught in that mess because I had recommended them to the exclusion of all other hosts.

Angry clients tend to blame the one who said “go here” rather than the 900 botnets that were causing chaos all over the internet.

To protect my trustworthiness, I made the decision to take that 5-figure income out of my business and stop publicly endorsing any host, including A2.

What Changed My Mind

It really came down to 3 things.

1. Clients never stopped asking me privately which host was best for them. And I never stopped advising them.

2. More hosts have purchased DDoS mitigation services and have taken other measures to shore up their botnet defenses.

3. If Pat Flynn can make $30,000+ a month recommending a crap EIG owned host and still sleep at night, then by golly I can sleep just fine recommending something better!!

(Hey, I’ve got nothing but good vibes for Pat. He’s been seeding my future site audit biz for years now. When site owners get serious about performance and security, they find folks like me. And I help them find a better host while fixing all the other issues that “easy site setup” pitch got them into.)

What Hasn’t Changed

Everything I wrote in that 2015 post about there being no safe place for your site and that there will be problems with your host at some point is all still true.

That’s our new reality, mine included.

My New Recommendations

I don’t have any.

Instead, I’ll tell you what I and my clients are having success with at this time.

See my Resources page for what that is today.

And if things go south with those hosts, I’ll tell you where I and my clients move.

I’m in the same boat you are.

I have a site that’s on a host and when things go south, I have to find a new home too.

That’s the best I can do – give you the same advice I’m giving myself.

And that will be true of plugins, themes, and every other item connected to site success.

Things change. We adapt. That’s it.

Going Beyond the Hosting Company

Which host is best depends entirely on your budget, site, and traffic needs.

There is no one-size-fits-all recommendation.

There is no single company that has the right hosting package for all either.

That’s why I’m dedicated to educating site owners so they can make good choices about their site and avoid expensive pitfalls.

The success of your site starts with choosing the right host.

Look for more articles from me on hosting to help you meet your online goals.

TwitterFacebookPinterestLinkedinRedditWhatsApp

Filed Under: Hosting and Domains

About MaAnna Stephenson

MaAnna is a geek who can still speak in plain English. She helps DIY site owners plus webmasters and designers create sites that are secure, perform well, and get noticed by search engines and readers.

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

This book could save you hundreds of dollars and months of frustration. Get it free with your subscription to BlogAid News plus my blog posts.
Privacy Policy



Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

This book could save you hundreds of dollars and months of frustration. Get it free with your subscription to BlogAid News plus my blog posts.
Privacy Policy

Hi! I'm MaAnna, and a geek who can still speak in plain English. I help DIY site owners plus webmasters and designers create sites that are secure, perform well, and get noticed by search engines and readers. How May I Help You?

Let’s Connect

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Looking for Something?

Search by Category

Footer

BlogAid News

This book could save you hundreds of dollars and months of frustration.

Get it free with your subscription to BlogAid News plus my blog posts. Privacy Policy

From the Blog

  • Tips Tuesday – Update WP 5.3, Gutenberg and Page Builders, NameHero is #1
  • How to Update to WordPress 5.3
  • Tips Tuesday – Easy Gutenberg, PHP 7.3, Site Speed, Personalized SEO
  • How Gutenberg Made it Easy to Monetize My Site
  • WordPress Database Table Prefixes
  • Tips Tuesday – Site Speed, Holiday Deals, WP 5.3, Genesis, Gutenberg
  • BlogAid Holiday Deals 2019
  • Tips Tuesday – Updates for WordPress, Genesis, PHP, Plugins, and More

© 2019   Blog Aid · WordPress for Non-Geeks · All Rights Reserved

Disclosure: Some of the links on this website may be affiliate links. When you make a purchase from these links, I earn a small commission.
While commissions allow me to keep this site 100% free, I only endorse products I trust and use for myself and clients.