* All prices on this site are for a two-year sign-up.

Sorry for missing the last couple of months. No real excuse, so I won’t make one up.

April, oddly enough, looked a lot like December in terms of host popularity. Other than that, I’ll have to wait until next month to see what changes before I can hazard an analysis of what is going on in the hosting-verse.

Happy hosting.

* All prices on this site are for a two-year sign-up.

New years can mean new beginnings or at least changes, and January certainly had changes. JustHost, BlueHost, and ANHosting all soared to the top 5, while HostGator fell 6 places to positions 7. That is probably more change than we’ve seen in the last six months. That said, most of it is easily explained. BlueHost joined HostMonster, its sister company, in the top five, which makes sense given their basically identical offerings. JustHost and IX Web Hosting being at the to makes sense, as they have excellent prices and many people want savings after the holidays. ANHosting… I’m going to have to wave my hands on that one. While MochaHost slipped from the top 5, it didn’t fall far and remains a well kept secret worth a look. HostGator’s fall is an interesting indication of just how much their seasonal specials help their sales. Take about the specials and see what happens.

On the positive side, Punxatawney Phil did not see his shadow this morning, so it will be an early spring. Or so they say. I think we could all use a little break from the cold and snow, so let’s hope the groundhog knows what he’s talking about. On the other hand, cold weather is perfect for staying inside and building new web sites. Win-win really.

Happy hosting.

* All prices on this site are for a two-year sign-up.

Last month, IX Web Hosting finally made it to the position, but it didn’t last long. The biggest reason for HostGator’s reclaiming the top is simple: black friday and cyber monday. Throughout that weekend, HostGator had a huge sale going on and as a result they sold a lot of hosting packages. It is hard to argue with a bargain, sometimes. Still, IX Web Hosting only dropped to third and they remain an excellent web host. HostMonster’s move up to number two is less easy to explain, but BlueHost and HostMonster are often in the top five, so it isn’t really a surprise.

What is a surprise is MochaHost. I’ve liked this host for a while, but they had never really managed to crack the top five until now. If you are looking for a new host and feel like you’ve tried all the big names, you might want to give MochaHost a try.

I don’t know how things are where you are, but Pittsburgh welcomed December with our first snowfall, although no accumulation to speak of. Still, temperatures are tanking, so it is a good time to stay inside, drink some hot cocoa or mulled cider, and… build new web sites!

Happy hosting.

* All prices on this site are for a two-year sign-up.

Well, after many months of climbing IX Web Hosting finally managed to take top prize. Good for them. A solid host at a great price is hard to beat. DreamHost continued their yo-yo through the top 5, this time settling at number 2, and HostGator dropped down to third from their formal top slot. The Matt Heaton twins, HostMonster and BlueHost rounded out the top 5. As always, the bottom 5 shuffled a little, but it is hard to read much into it.

A few years ago, you had to watch web host sites almost daily to catch price changes and feature changes. The competition was that fierce. I can’t imagine it is less fierce now, but it is not longer a feature-based war, which makes it somewhat less fun to watch and harder to predict who will come out ahead.

I’m not sure how things are where you are, but in Pittsburgh it feels like we’ve passed through fall zipped right into winter. I’m hoping for things to heat up a bit, but not really expecting it. Stay warm, people.

Happy hosting.

* All prices on this site are for a two-year sign-up.

Only one significant thing this month. HostGator swapped places with DreamHost, retaking the number one spot. The rest of the top five stayed the same: IX Web Hosting stayed as solid as their service at number two, BlueHost stuck to third, and JustHost provided a little discount color at number five. I was a little surprised that HostGator surged back to number one, but not shocked. While there have been some concerns lately, they have a good history. DreamHost’s position has always been a flaky, so its fall may just be part of that. The bottom half was uneventful. Some shuffling, but nothing noteworthy.

We’re heading into Fall now (technically in Fall already, but just starting to feel like it), and with the changing leaves often comes changes elsewhere. We’ll see. In the meantime, enjoy the pumpkins and don’t let anything scary happen with your hosting.

Happy hosting.

* All prices on this site are for a two-year sign-up.

Wow. I thought July was stagnant. This month was even worse with most of the top ten not moving at all and those that did only moving by a single spot. Specifically, Startlogic swapped places with MochaHost and BlueHost swapped places with HostGator. Not much can be read into that, although it is HostGator’s second month straight of decline, which jibes with some discontent I’ve been hearing from some of their customers. We’ll have to see if it amounts to anything or if people are just grumpier in the heat.

That said, we are in September now. The kids are back at school and the geeks are back at work, so perhaps the hosting world will pick up and start moving again this month. One can hope.

Stay cool and happy hosting.

* All prices on this site are for a two-year sign-up.

Late, I know. Fatherly duties always take precedence, and I was off at Cub Scout camp with my son.

The summer doldrums continued in July, with little changing. Yeah, DreamHost swapped spots with HostGator, as did BlueHost with Just Host and StartLogic and MochaHost, but those are little blips. The only notable thing was that IX Web Hosting continues to hold strong at #2; not bad for a host that wasn’t even in the top ten a few months ago. Otherwise, things stayed the pretty much the same and will probably do the same again in August. Summer just isn’t a hot time for hosting.

Try to stay cool and, as always, happy hosting!

* All prices on this site are for a two-year sign-up.

This is a few days late, but I figured most people weren’t shopping for hosting over the (American) holiday weekend.

June (and summer in general) is usually a somewhat dull time for hosting. People would, apparently, rather enjoy the sun than build new web sites. Go figure. That said, June had a couple of surprises in the top 5. HostGator moved back to the top spot, where I think it really belongs. IX Web Hosting continues its ascent and grabbed #2. DreamHost and Just Host were pushed down to 3 and 4 and BlueHost swapped places with its sibling HostMonster to round out the top of the list. The bottom was the same as in May except for a little shuffling.

I honestly don’t expect much shake up in July. Here in Pittsburgh, July is looking even hotting than June and May have been. Personally, I find anything over about 85 perfect for hiding in the air conditioning and rolling out some new sites, but a lot of people are most heat loving than me. To each their own, of course. Regardless of how you enjoy July, be careful out there.

As always, happy hosting!

* All prices on this site are for a two-year sign-up.

I can’t speak about your neck of the woods, but in Pittsburgh May was hot and not in a good way. Luckily the hosting world was not nearly as unseasonal.

DreamHost held on at #1 for yet another month, while JustHost and IXWebHosting advanced to grab #2 and #3 respectively. HostGator dropped a few spots, but remained in the top five where it belongs. HostMonster moved up to #5, but BlueHost dropped three places to #6, supporting my idea that their interchangeability leads to volatility rankings-wise.

The bottom half (after BlueHost) contained only one surprise. After being out of the top ten for a couple of months, ANHosting came back to grab the #7 spot, pushing everyone else down and Arvixe off the bottom. Given ANHosting’s history on the list, it isn’t shocking, but it is interesting to see a host with actual storage and bandwidth limits place well.

We are now going into the summer hosting doldrums. For some reason people would rather spend their free time outdoors and with their families than build new websites. Weirdos. Anyway, I’ll keep an eye on things and let you know if anything interesting happens out there. You just worry about your sunscreen.

Happy hosting!

* All prices on this site are for a two-year sign-up.

They say that April is the cruelest month. Certainly those of us in the states had to deal with taxes, but otherwise I can’t really complain about April this year.

Even on the hosting front things have been mostly pleasant without too much upset. The top few spots are largely unchanged. DreamHost, HostGator, and BlueHost stayed at the apex and JustHost moved back up to 4 from 5. The number 5 position is more interesting with IX Web Hosting making it to the top five for the first time. Good Windows hosting is hard to find and it seems like folks are finally catching on that IX is a good place to find it.

The bottom half is a little more varied. MidPhase and HostMonster both fell (and, no, I can’t explain HostMonster falling while BlueHost holds fast, given that they are the same plans from the same company). MochaHost and StartLogic held on to #8 and #9 respectively. Premiering this month in the top list is Arvixe, another good Windows (and Linux!) shop. It is nice to see some of the lesser known but solid companies getting some attention.

Also noteworthy is that, with EasyCGI being bumped from the list, we have a completely unlimited list for the first time. Now, most of us will never need more than what the hosts with limits are offering. We won’t. That said, it is hard to shake the feeling that you are getting more from an “unlimited” plan than one with limits you won’t ever reach. The human mind is an irrational place and hosts that stick to limits may find themselves paying a price for that.

Enjoy May before the oppressive heat of summer is upon us (and the kids are home from school!) and, as always, happy hosting.