A few things I check before choosing hosting for a client

A few things I check before choosing hosting for a client
I’ve managed InterServer VPS and DirectAdmin hosting for clients. When comparing hosting, I look beyond how much RAM or storage appears on the pricing page. Those numbers matter, but so does what happens when a client needs help or something stops working.

These are the things I’d check before moving a site.

What will it actually cost?
I check the renewal price, control-panel licence, backups and transfer allowance. An introductory offer can look good until you add the things you need.

It also helps to be clear about what support includes. Having DirectAdmin installed doesn’t necessarily mean someone else will maintain the server or troubleshoot the application.

How does the site run without caching?
I wouldn’t judge hosting by a cached homepage alone. For WordPress sites, I’d also test the dashboard, saving pages and any WooCommerce functions the client uses.

For a quick response-time check, you can run:
curl -sS -o /dev/null \
-w 'HTTP: %{http_code}\nTTFB: %{time_starttransfer}s\nTotal: %{time_total}s\n' \
https://your-domain.com/

This measures the request, not the full browser experience. Run it several times and at different hours. I’d also use the site normally, because a timing result won’t tell you everything about working in the dashboard.

Who handles updates and recovery?
With a VPS, check who is responsible for security updates, monitoring and backups. That depends on the management agreement, so I wouldn’t assume it’s included.

I’d keep a backup outside the server and test a restore before relying on it. Finding out that a backup is incomplete during an outage is the wrong time.

Which providers would I compare?
My hands-on client experience is with InterServer VPS and DirectAdmin hosting, so InterServer is one option I can discuss from that perspective.

For a new project, I’d also compare Hetzner, DigitalOcean, Vultr and Akamai Cloud (Linode). I’m not claiming personal experience with those services here. I’d check their current plans, available locations and support terms against the client’s requirements.

I wouldn’t choose the same setup for every client. A small business website, a busy shop and an application with background workers have different needs.

The question I’d start with is: what does this client need to run, and who will look after it? That makes the hosting decision much easier.

What’s something you now check before buying hosting that you overlooked the first time?