IX Web Hosting does things a little differently than some of the other hosting companies out there. They have a few features that make it worth a further look, so we checked it out and are here to let you know whether to sign up with them or not.
Overview
When it comes to getting the right hosting for your website, you have a ton of options available to you. Some of them are better than others, and usually the more money you spend per month, the better the hosting you’ll get. But if you’re just looking for a shared hosting account, and one that you can host a lot of domains off of, then you’re going to get basically the same sort of package from all of the different providers.
The Claim
IX Web Hosting says that you’ll have your own dedicated support rep at no extra charge. If you’ve ever dealt with the customer service at big hosting companies where you end up speaking to a different person each time you have a problem, or even for the same problem, you know how frustrating it can be to retell the same story again and again, or get bounced around like a ping pong ball.
They also claim that even with their lowest cost package you still get two free dedicated IP addresses. They say this is good for SEO and the theory is that you don’t want a bunch of your own domain names sitting on the same IP address because it’s like being in the same neighborhood, and if the search engines, namely Google, don’t like one of your sites, they might make your other sites guilty by association. There is a ton of debate over whether this actually effects your ranking in the SERPs.
The Cost
At $4 per month for their basic plan IX Web Hosting is definitely trying to price compete with some of the larger hosting companies out there. This plan features all of the unlimited stuff that you’ll want like bandwidth and storage, and if you want more you can double up the price and get more things like 15 IP addresses instead of 2, more free domain names, etc.
The Commitment
These plans don’t have an annual commitment, and you’re free to cancel any time you want. Their tech support should be able to help you move your site to their servers if you’re moving from a different host. They also have one-click installs of software like you’d expect, and also a site builder, which is pretty standard among the hosting companies. Basically though you shouldn’t have too much trouble getting set up with them, or changing hosts if you find you don’t like them.
Evaluation
IX Web Hosting makes a very strong case for themselves. We like how they focus heavily on support, because when your site is down it can be a very stressful time and you could be losing money while it’s not online. Giving you a person that is dedicated to your problem makes a big difference. We also like that they give you things like IP addresses for free, because most other hosts will make those an added upgrade and will charge you for them on a monthly or an annual basis.
However, it’s tough to overlook the negative feedback. We understand that those that are unhappy are more likely to voice their opinion than those that are happy, but some of the common complaints like lots of downtime, and problems with billing are too much to ignore. People just don’t make that sort of stuff up, and it’s true that every single hosting company in the world will have someone saying that there’s lots of downtime, there are enough complaints to make us pause on this one.
Final IX Web Hosting Review
Even though IX Web Hosting offers a 30 day money back guarantee, it’s still up to you whether you want to give them a try. Many people are happy with the service, but there are also many that say it’s not very good at all, and a bad experience overall. We’re giving them a Try rating, but only because they have a 7 day free trial, so you can dip your toe first before jumping in fully.
Our Recommendation
They have a 7 day free trial with whichever plan you go with. That may not sound like a lot of time, but it’s enough to get you set up so you can see how their service is, and see how your site is running on their servers. If you’re currently with a different hosting company you can set your site up completely on their servers before you buy, and see how you like it before you switch. That way if you’re unsure about things like how their one-click installs will work, you can try out all of their features and their customer service before committing.
Two IPs on shared hosting is awesome. I run two types of websites, one which I develop normally and another which uses few gray hat seo techniques and it’s important that I keep them separately. I’m currently paying for the additional IP on my hosting, but the reason why I plan to move to IX web hosting is because my current host’s support is getting worse by each passing day. I like the idea of a dedicated support rep because I know from experience that all severs experience downtime eventually. I’m gonna see firsthand if IX web hosting lives up to all the positive reviews it gets.