Hosting abroad

PixelTrawler

Hi

Looking for purely objective comments here as I reaslise some hosting guys post here but can anyone think of any serious disadvantages to hosting your site abroad.

I realise it might be a bit harder to contact them, time differences and I'd be concerned the response from dynamic sites could be a bit slower, and maybe country specific google searches.

For instance for about $10 dollars a month you can get hosting for say, a DotNetNuke portal with 2 gig sql server space.

Host.ie

Joebloggs4817 wrote:

Hi

Looking for purely objective comments here as I reaslise some hosting guys post here but can anyone think of any serious disadvantages to hosting your site abroad.

I realise it might be a bit harder to contact them, time differences and I'd be concerned the response from dynamic sites could be a bit slower, and maybe country specific google searches.

For instance for about $10 dollars a month you can get hosting for say, a DotNetNuke portal with 2 gig sql server space.

HI Joebloggs4817, biggest objection l would make would be that of support, unless they have 24 hour support and you site goes down, you may find yourself with out a anser for a good few hours.

Host.ie

Joebloggs4817 wrote:

Hi

Looking for purely objective comments here as I reaslise some hosting guys post here but can anyone think of any serious disadvantages to hosting your site abroad.

I realise it might be a bit harder to contact them, time differences and I'd be concerned the response from dynamic sites could be a bit slower, and maybe country specific google searches.

For instance for about $10 dollars a month you can get hosting for say, a DotNetNuke portal with 2 gig sql server space.

HI Joebloggs4817, biggest objection l would make would be that of support, unless they have 24 hour support and you site goes down, you may find yourself with out a answer for a good few hours.

steve-hosting36

Irish hosting is very competetive these days, but the key things are support (24/7 availability) and, as you saidm google searches and increased latency.
You also need to make sure you host at the top of the chain - many of the hosting companies online are resellers, many are even resellers of resellers of resellers. Go for a large reputable firm to ensure you get what's on offer

PixelTrawler

Hi Steve, Host.ie

All good points. Support is the big one of course.

Also Steve, I just noticed your revised prices - competitive alright. Certainly makes the need to host abroad redundant. The new business pack looks great value.

CoNfOuNd

24-hour support, super-fast servers and excellent uptime. You don't need to look abroad to get all three.

AARRRGH

Irish hosts are a lot more expensive than hosts abroad. Irish hosts will tell you otherwise, of course.

Have a look at the prices on www.webhostingtalk.com and then compare them to the Irish hosts. Irish hosts are at least twice as expensive.

Support is also generally better with non-Irish hosts (more polite), and in reality you probably won't need support very often.

HOWEVER...

I use Irish hosts, and this is why -

My websites are important to me, so I want them "close by". If something goes wrong, I like that I can (fairly easily) take legal action against my host.

Also, I don't want to take any chances with Google thinking my websites are not Ireland specific, so I host in Ireland.

Basically - if you can afford it, host in Ireland. If money is an issue, host elsewhere.

EDIT: Reading this again, I sound very negative. I do think people should in general go for Irish hosts. I believe in the concept of supporting Irish businesses, and I also think it's a bad idea to focus on the price when picking a host (the extra few quid is generally worth it.)

CoNfOuNd

Irish hosts are much better value for money than they used to be. It is an extremely competitive market. Also, you can go to them with special requirements, or ask them to beat/match a price, and they are a lot more likely to facilitate you and go the extra mile than any giant American host.

Also, I have never found Irish technical support to be impolite.

Dublindude is right to host on Irish IP space for google-sake. However, when comparing Irish v foreign hosts, in my opinion money needn't be an factor.

mneylon

I'm obviously biased ....

Anyhow ...

What I have seen is things like download / upload speeds to non-Irish providers being capped, so a backup takes 3 hours instead of ten minutes (I wish I was joking!)

Spam friendly networks - abuse management is terrible with a lot of the US hosting providers

steve-hosting36

Dublindude - can you give me some examples of 'real' hosts (ie: not the nth level resellers most typical of low-low-low-so-low-we'll-be-bust-tomorrow hosts that frequent webhostingtalk ) that compare better than Irish plans?

AARRRGH

There are plenty of "real" hosts on webhostingtalk. I've seen you use that line loads of times, and I just don't buy it. There is little, if any, difference between a host who owns their own data centre and one who rents space in a data centre.

Take your pick -

http://www.webhostingtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=36

In fact, I challange you to find a host who is more expensive than an Irish host.

...

As I said, I use Irish hosts and will continue to do so, but the fact is US hosts (etc.) are way cheaper than Irish hosts.

steve-hosting36

Well, for a start , that link is all dedicated servers, and we're talking about shared hosting?

steve-hosting36

Looking at the shared hosting, I found:

http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=624235

Which is offering 5GB space, 15GB bandwidth and 5 MySQL databases for $15 (roughly €10.95 at today's rates)

This is a full euro more expensive than our -MOST- expensive plan ( €9.95 )
which includes 10GB space, 100GB bandwidth, unlimited MySQL databases (and PgSQL), support for up to 50 websites, 24/7 support, etc, etc.

steve-hosting36

Do I even need to add that WHOIS shows that host set up shop on the 2nd July this year, their WHOIS data is obscured/hidden, and they are on a liquidweb server?

AARRRGH

OK - sorry - my bad - I am talking about dedicated server hosting.

Shared hosting - I agree there are lots of dodgy resellers.

misterq

steve-hosting36 wrote:

Do I even need to add that WHOIS shows that host set up shop on the 2nd July this year, their WHOIS data is obscured/hidden, and they are on a liquidweb server?

Sure steve, go right ahead, after all the OP did request an unmitigated pimp-fest for irish hosters to jump in and say how fantastic they are and that there is no such thing as decent hosts outside of Ireland.

I have to say my experience of "24/7" support is pretty poor. It is easy to say you do provide support, but few make a speculative 4am call to test things out before they buy.

Like everything else in life, you get what you pay for. Pay 2 bucks a month for hosting and expect that level of service.

There are plenty of highly reputable, professional and competitively priced hosts inside and outside this fair Island.

There are however, just as many half-arsed jokers reselling hosting without having a clue what they are doing.

Unless you have heard good things about a foreign host, and can verify the good reputation, then going with a local host with a good rep may be a better idea.

steve-hosting36

Sorry if it came across as a pimp-fest I get very passionate when defending the Irish hosting industry

mneylon

misterq wrote:

Sure steve, go right ahead, after all the OP did request an unmitigated pimp-fest for irish hosters to jump in and say how fantastic they are and that there is no such thing as decent hosts outside of Ireland.

I have to say my experience of "24/7" support is pretty poor. It is easy to say you do provide support, but few make a speculative 4am call to test things out before they buy.

Like everything else in life, you get what you pay for. Pay 2 bucks a month for hosting and expect that level of service.

There are plenty of highly reputable, professional and competitively priced hosts inside and outside this fair Island.

There are however, just as many half-arsed jokers reselling hosting without having a clue what they are doing.

Unless you have heard good things about a foreign host, and can verify the good reputation, then going with a local host with a good rep may be a better idea.

Nicely put.

You'll find muppets wherever you go

I suppose the reason why any of these queries always gets such a passionate response is that a lot of people don't buy hosting based on service and price - they see the price only.

A lot of people I know have cheap servers outside Ireland. They're cheap. If they're online most of the time then they work out as good value if you're running something non-critical.

Some of the other overseas hosting operations can offer attractive pricing based purely on economies of scale.

If you commit to spending X thousand euro (or dollar) per annum with software / hardware company Y you will get better pricing than someone who has a significantly lower commitment

Things that always ring alarm bells:

• Dodgy whois ie. no real contact details
• No tangible contact details - email only or a mobile phone
• Pricing that is too good to be true (it might be true, but you'll need to check it out)

CoNfOuNd

It's really the same as buying other things online. Imagine you are buying something off an eBay seller - you're going to be concerned that they are reputable, will deliver the goods and won't run off with your money.

My thoughts on buying hosting: (yes I'm copying Michele with a list)

• Where did you hear about the hosting company? Unless I'm running advertising, most of my new business comes from word-of-mouth. Ask your friends who they would recommend, then look for online reviews of the company. I wouldn't recommend webhostingtalk for good honest deals!
• Can you contact their support and get a quick response? Can they properly answer your questions? Investigate their services by phone, chat or email. Nothing annoys me more than companies with a local rate pre-sales phone number and a premium rate after-sales phone number.
• How long have they been around? Search their whois info, search on google, archive.org etc. to see how credible they are. Ask for testimonials.

AARRRGH

CoNfOuNd wrote:

I wouldn't recommend webhostingtalk for good honest deals!

You see, this is the kind of nonsense which annoys me. Just because webhostingtalk gives Irish users thousands of more hosting options does not give you the right to knock them. Webhostingtalk has been around for years and is the biggest resource for hosting information. I assure you spiral hosting would be one of the "unknowns" on webhostingtalk.

CoNfOuNd wrote:

Can you contact their support and get a quick response? Can they properly answer your questions? Investigate their services by phone, chat or email. Nothing annoys me more than companies with a local rate pre-sales phone number and a premium rate after-sales phone number.

This has nothing to do with Irish hosts. In fact, my experience with hosting suggests Irish hosts have the poorest support levels.

CoNfOuNd wrote:

How long have they been around? Search their whois info, search on google, archive.org etc. to see how credible they are. Ask for testimonials.

I agree. Webhostingtalk is perfect for this.

mneylon

dublindude wrote:

You see, this is the kind of nonsense which annoys me. Just because webhostingtalk gives Irish users thousands of more hosting options does not give you the right to knock them. Webhostingtalk has been around for years and is the biggest resource for hosting information. I assure you spiral hosting would be one of the "unknowns" on webhostingtalk.

I don't think anyone is attacking WHT, however I think you are being completely unreasonable in your defence of it.

Yes you can get good deals on WHT, but you also get a lot of rubbish on there. Resellers of resellers of resellers who haven't got a clue what they are doing.

There's also no need to be rude to spiralhosting.

dublindude wrote:

I agree. Webhostingtalk is perfect for this.

It would be for the bigger players and those that are active on there. However there would be a lot of US and international hosting companies that would never get mentioned on there. Not being mentioned on there does not mean anything. Confound's suggestion makes sense.

AARRRGH

blacknight wrote:

I don't think anyone is attacking WHT

CoNfOuNd wrote:

I wouldn't recommend webhostingtalk for good honest deals

I would consider that to be suggesting WHT is less than honest.

blacknight wrote:

Yes you can get good deals on WHT, but you also get a lot of rubbish on there. Resellers of resellers of resellers who haven't got a clue what they are doing.

Someone came here asking for advice, but instead he is getting the usual "foreign hosts are dodgy" spiel from the Irish hosts. I don't think that is fair at all.

I am simply trying to balance things out a bit by saying the OP should consider foreign hosts as my experience with them has been superior than with Irish hosts, and they have a tendency to be cheaper.

Saying all that, I also said I use Irish hosts myself and I can see the benefits of doing so.

blacknight wrote:

There's also no need to be rude to spiralhosting.

Wasn't my intention, but I apologise if it came across that way.

PixelTrawler

I guess I opened a bit of a can of worms here (I kinda feared it might turn into who can host the biggest willy here:D - hence the request for objective comments)

But theres some solid advice in there guys, and has my thinking back on track. Nice one.

I'm thinking now theres no need to look abroad, and it's comforting to know the sites local, supports local and importantly you're supporting Irish businesses, which to be honest can be a selling point with clients.

I was almost swayed by some very cheap hosting in the US but as one of you guys said, you never know what you're getting.

CoNfOuNd

Webhostingtalk provides an excellent service. I'm not knocking them, but a lot of the people on there are here today and gone tomorrow. As Blacknight rightly points out, a lot of the posters are amateur resellers and inexperienced.

I never suggested foreign hosts are dodgy. I just provided some advice on buying in general from any host irrespective of nationality. There are benefits to hosting locally no matter which country you are in.

I've used WHT for many years (since 2003 infact), but I don't find the need to actively 'sell' hosting on there. Many larger companies would be completely unknown on there.

mick.fr

steve-hosting36 wrote:

Do I even need to add that WHOIS shows that host set up shop on the 2nd July this year, their WHOIS data is obscured/hidden, and they are on a liquidweb server?

I don't know what WHOIS engine you use, maybe one from North Korea, but myself this is what I found about them:

Domain Name: webhostingtalk.com

Status: clientDeleteProhibited, clientRenewProhibited, clientTransferProhibited, clientUpdateProhibited

Registrar: GODADDY.COM, INC.
Whois Server: whois.godaddy.com
Referral URL: http://registrar.godaddy.com

Expiration Date: 2008-03-23
Creation Date: 2000-03-23
Last Update Date: 2007-01-05

Name Servers:
ns1.inetinteractive.net
ns2.inetinteractive.net


So 7 years in business.

Also this has been discussed already, please stop taking boards potential hosting customers for dumbs by telling them they need to be hosted in Ireland with an Irish ISP, 100% Irish owned to show up on Google "local pages".
For your information you will show up in the "local pages" of Google Ireland even if your website is hosted on the moon, as soon as you have a .IE

Google will add your website in the "local pages" index depending of one of the following option. And only one is enough:
- Having a .IE
- Web server running in a specific IP range that belongs to the specific country.

Thank you

CoNfOuNd

mick.fr > I believe Stephen was referring to the company that was quoted on the thread:

http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=624235

That domain was indeed registered on 2nd July this year.

We all know WHT well and are not trying to say WHT is not credible.

mneylon

mick.fr wrote:

I don't know what WHOIS engine you use, maybe one from North Korea, but myself this is what I found about them:

Domain Name: webhostingtalk.com

Wonderful, but none of us were actually talking about inetinteractive's credibility.

PixelTrawler

Right lads, I have the advice and Ive chosen an (Irish) hoster I'm very happy with.
Thanks to all for the help guys

Can someone lock the door on the way out...

py2006

mick.fr wrote:

Also this has been discussed already, please stop taking boards potential hosting customers for dumbs by telling them they need to be hosted in Ireland with an Irish ISP, 100% Irish owned to show up on Google "local pages".
For your information you will show up in the "local pages" of Google Ireland even if your website is hosted on the moon, as soon as you have a .IE

Google will add your website in the "local pages" index depending of one of the following option. And only one is enough:
- Having a .IE
- Web server running in a specific IP range that belongs to the specific country.

Thank you

I was just about to ask about this! I actually have my site hosted by a foreign company and I got worried when I heard about the google adsense thing not showing local ads.

Thanks for clearing that up!


Sorry for hijacking this thread!

mneylon

py2006 wrote:

I was just about to ask about this! I actually have my site hosted by a foreign company and I got worried when I heard about the google adsense thing not showing local ads.

Adsense will display based on where the person VIEWING the site is located

It's got absolutely nothing to do with the site's hosting location

Ph3n0m

OP has made his choice, thread closed