Last update: April 2020
There are many reasons why a once great web host can go bad.
Take overs, key staff leaving, under investment in technology, resting on their laurels, unmanageable growth… 💔 they can all quickly lead to a steady decline in performance.
Although it can seem like it, a web host does not have to be for life. Looking for new web hosting should take time. It is an important decision!
Web hosting is not a commodity like gas or water. Choosing your web host is an important decision and can have a huge impact on your website and business.
Support, reliability, speed and security (not to mention value for money) all vary wildly between web hosts.
Have a read of our web hosting reviews to find the right one for you.
If you suspect it is time to move your website to a new web host, here are five huge signs it is time to start looking for new web hosting.
Increasingly regular downtime
Every web host suffers from downtime, even Google. However, a big warning sign to heed is when it happens on a regular basis, or it even reaches a point where you’re not shocked anymore that your website(s) are unreachable .
Old hardware and scripts are a common reason why web hosts start to experience a lot of downtime.
This is because:
- Servers cost a heck of a lot of money to replace and as the web host grows, so does the size of the investment needed to buy new kit.
- Managing a lot of servers takes a lot of logistical planning, and the skills needed to do this are often lacking in web hosts that have grown a lot over the years.
- New scripts are built on top of old with no one keeping on top of code bloat. This quickly turned into a tangled knot that is a nightmare to maintain and update.
 If your web host won’t invest in new hardware or software, find one that does.
Customer support isn’t as good as it used to be
Remember the days you get through on the phone in a couple of rings, or when you would get a detailed and accurate reply to your ticket within 10 minutes? 😟
If those days are long gone, or increasingly rare, there is a good chance the web host is struggling to manage the influx of new customers.
More customers means more support staff, but with that usually comes a decline in recruitment quality and/or time available to train new people.
The pressure to do more with less also impacts response times and answer accuracy. The support teams have to skim read issues and use copy and paste replies to keep hitting their targets.
Without a huge investment in new staff and training, things are unlikely to change for the better.
No investment in the core product
If your hosting package has seen next to no improvements or feature upgrades in the past couple of years then it is time to start looking elsewhere.
This under investment in the core hosting product comes about when:
- Â That product is not a priority and they are letting it die.
- The product development team is understaffed or under qualified (or both).
- The product managers are distracted by trying to increase ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) and launching new add-ons (SEO tool anyone? Anyone? ANYONE?).
- Â Poor internal organisation and no project management skills.
Compare what you are getting for your money with what other web hosts are offering. Does it warrant paying a high price for an outdated product?
Prices keep going up each year
Prices creeping up each year are a major tell-tale sign the business is struggling to attract new customers. This applies to both hosting and domain names.
They still have targets to hit and to show year on year revenue growth, so the easiest way to do this is essentially tax the existing customer base.
The question you have to ask yourself is; why are other people choosing to go elsewhere?
They suddenly have a lot of one star reviews
Thanks to websites such as this we now all have a voice and the ability to share our experiences, be they good or bad.
There are countless examples of once mighty web hosts whose regular 10/10 reviews slowly pivoted towards 5/10’s and then plunged into the abyss of consistent 1 star reviews.
If your web host is still navigating in the murky waters of regular 1 star reviews, with no sign they are responding to the complaints or addressing the issues, you know it is time to jump ship.
They have stopped caring.
Are you ready to move to a new web host?
Moving from one web host to another isn’t always easy (in fact it can be a major pain in the backside), but short term pain could mean long term gain.
However, before you move to another web host always do your research. Web hosting review sites such as this one can make the difference between a stress free month and caffeine fueled late nights trying to get hold of their customer support team.
Hopefully you’ve found this article helpful. If you have any questions feel free to get in touch.
You can also have a look at our web host directory for our latest web hosting reviews, and leave a review yourself. Go here to check out the latest web host deals.