Standardized, reproducible testing is a vital aspect of PCMag.com’s reviews. Here’s how we evaluate every web hosting service we test.
If you want to venture online to open a store, offer a service, or just create a blog, you’ll need a web hosting service to reach your intended audience. Although all web hosting services operate similarly—they store data on servers accessible to others via the internet—they aren’t the same. When you sign up for a web host, you must consider many variables, and we test all of them when we evaluate hosting services.Site Building and Uptime
Testing a web hosting service involves doing the obvious: building a website. That means signing up for plans, grabbing URLs, using the services’ tools to create pages, uploading images, and adding text. We note how simple or difficult it is to perform those actions, and compare them with tools from rival web hosts.
But what is a website if it doesn’t have strong uptime? If your site is inaccessible, you’ll lose traffic, customer confidence, and, depending on your site’s purpose, money. You don’t want users looking for alternatives while your site is down—and, maybe, never returning. No matter how reasonable a service’s pricing, specs, and features are, it can’t score well overall if it doesn’t have rock-solid uptime. Accordingly, we compare each web host’s uptime guarantee so you can understand what to expect before signing up.Linux and Windows: The Operating System Options
The operating system, like on a desktop or laptop, determines how the server works. And, in the case of web hosting, it also determines which tools you can use to build your site.
One thing you’ll notice while exploring server operating system options is that Linux is ubiquitous. You may see different flavors of Linux, such as CentOS or Ubuntu, but every web host we’ve reviewed offers the OS. It’s the baseline expectation, the bread of your sandwich. The operating system is compatible with the many free, open-source tools in your web host’s app library.
However, we give an extra point to web hosting services offering the Windows Server operating system. Some businesses need that OS’s support for the ASP.NET framework, Microsoft Exchange, SQL Server databases, or SharePoint. For more, visit Linux vs. Windows: How to Pick the Best Server OS for Your Website.
