It’s time for another leap into the wild world of Australian web hosting reviews, brought to you by the ever-attentive, often hilarious and somewhat irreverent team at Aussie Hosting.
Earnings disclosure: Some of the products we reviewed on this page contain affiliate links. We use those proceeds to help cover costs of maintaining the website and doing research. Thanks again for your support.
First impressions count for a lot in the world of web hosting, and I’d like to think that the majority of web host companies put a lot of thought into the look of their homepage. After all, this is the first thing your potential customers are going to see, right?
Quite why then so many professional web hosting businesses fall flat on this first hurdle is, to me at least, something of a mystery. Take the subject of today’s review, Web City.
What’s the first image we see on their homepage? Some bespectacled hipster, wearing what looks like my grandmother’s baking apron, forcing a grin from his face as he stares at the edges of the screen. Why? Search me.
As you scroll down the screen, you find no less than three other falsely smiling characters – another of whom is wearing an apron, and another who is proudly holding a pot plant like she’s just given birth to the thing. What’s going on here?
Anyway, you’re not here today to listen to my befuddlement regarding how web hosts choose to present themselves.
You’ve come to discover whether or not Web City are the right company with which to run your site. If you can’t be bothered to trawl through the rest of this article, I can probably sum it up for you in two words: they’re not.
Still curious about Web City and what they offer? Then read on, and find out more!
It’s time for another leap into the wild world of Australian web hosting reviews, brought to you by the ever-attentive, often hilarious and somewhat irreverent team at Aussie Hosting.
Today, we’re looking at Web City. Here we go!
WEB CITY AT A GLANCE…
Earnings disclosure: Some of the products we reviewed on this page contain affiliate links. We use those proceeds to help cover costs of maintaining the website and doing research. Thanks again for your support.
First impressions count for a lot in the world of web hosting, and I’d like to think that the majority of web host companies put a lot of thought into the look of their homepage. After all, this is the first thing your potential customers are going to see, right?
Quite why then so many professional web hosting businesses fall flat on this first hurdle is, to me at least, something of a mystery. Take the subject of today’s review, Web City. What’s the first image we see on their homepage? Some bespectacled hipster, wearing what looks like my grandmother’s baking apron, forcing a grin from his face as he stares at the edges of the screen. Why? Search me.
As you scroll down the screen, you find no less than three other falsely smiling characters – another of whom is wearing an apron, and another who is proudly holding a pot plant like she’s just given birth to the thing. What’s going on here?
Anyway, you’re not here today to listen to my befuddlement regarding how web hosts choose to present themselves. You’ve come to discover whether or not Web City are the right company with which to run your site. If you can’t be bothered to trawl through the rest of this article, I can probably sum it up for you in two words:they’re not.
Still curious about Web City and what they offer? Then read on, and find out more!
What We’ll Be Looking At
As ever, I’m going to be judging Web City on a series of facts, figures and statistics, which should allow you to make your minds up for yourselves as to whether or not this company is worth your time and money.
How? By looking at the same three key areas we investigate in every one of our reviews. These are:
The uptime, speed and reliability of Web City
This web hosting services pricing
And finally, we’ll be making a couple of direct comparisons against companies we think are far more worthy of your attention.
Got it? Then let’s get stuck right in.
Why Should I Listen to You Guys, Anyway?
We are aware of the fact that we’re not the only web hosting reviews site out there on the internet, but we’ve got good reason to believe we’re by far the best (and no, not just because our mothers told us so).
The reason we can claim to stand head and shoulders above the competition is because we’ve put a huge amount of time and effort into the creation of a database – and a massive one at that – that compiles all the stats of Australia’s various web host companies.
By analysing the web hosts of our hundreds of clients, we can easily and efficiently compare each web host against each other, and come up with these handy reviews to share with all of you.
Sure, we’ve probably made a few enemies along the way by exposing some home truths. But you know what? We reckon it’s all worthwhile if it means we end up saving you some of your hard-earned cash and help you avoid signing up for long contracts with one of the many rubbish providers out there.
The Numbers
Now that we’ve introduced ourselves, we can get into stripping back the layers and exposing our findings (no giggling at the back, please) about Web City.
If you’re the kind of person who knows what they’re looking for, then these stats are going to help you make up your mind on the spot. If not, don’t worry – there’s plenty more to come.
Sydney
Uptime – 97.6%
Average Loadtime –1,912Ms
Melbourne
Uptime – 97.9%
Average Loadtime –2,012Ms
Canberra
Uptime –97.5%
Average Loadtime –2,182Ms
Adelaide
Uptime – 98.09%
Average Loadtime – 1,658Ms
So, what have we learned today, class? We’ve learned that Web City really aren’t all that, and should possibly consider changing their name to Web Backwater, Web Ghost-town or Web Run-Down-Village-That-Nobody-Wants-To-Move-To-And-Is-Probably-Haunted.
What Do These Numbers Mean?
OK, so I understand that not everyone enjoys spending their time analysing web host data, and some of these terms might not be so familiar. Because I’m an understanding sort of chap, I’m going to outline what this all means, and give you the chance to be able to judge these stats for yourselves.
Uptime
Uptime is pretty damn important when it comes to web hosting, because it is essentially the bread and butter of what you claim your company is capable of doing.
It refers to the percentage of the time that your site is ‘up’ or online, and readily available – that is, the amount of time your customers of potential customers can access your site.
A good web host will have an uptime exceeding 98%, and a poor quality one will sit anywhere below 97%.
If that sounds like a close call, consider the fact that online customers are more demanding than ever before, and that there’s a whole world of competition out there for even the most obscure businesses.
If your site is down for anything more than 2% of the time, trust us: your potential clients are going to look elsewhere, and sharpish.
So, what is Web City’s performance like when it comes to uptime? Not great. They aren’t the worst out there, but come on – this is the 21st century, and your clients deserve something on par with the best in the market. No excuses!
Speed
Make no mistake: speed is of utmost importance when it comes to web hosting.
Studies have shown that even a one second wait for pages to load is too long for the majority of the web-browsing public nowadays, so the speedier your site the better.
Despite the fact that Web City proclaims on their homepage that they’re the fasting web hosting platform in Australia, the figures don’t show that to be the case. Could it be that *gasp* this isn’t entirely true?
Pricing, Plans and Features
When it comes to pricing, Web City aren’t the worst web hosting company we’ve come across. Their basic prices actually look pretty reasonable at first glance, although they’re keen to get the idea across that their current rates are reductions of former extortionate costs… which leaves cynical people like me wondering whether or not those original, massively expensive prices will return someday.
Unfortunately, when you start delving a little deeper into what you actually get for your money, those $3.95 per month offers start to look a little less attractive. I mean, for a dollar or two more per month, you candefinitelyget a better level of service and a whole range of extra freebies elsewhere… and if your budget doesn’t stretch to the price of a coffee each month for a much better web host, then you’ve got bigger things to worry about!
Also, what’s with that ‘Ultimate Hosting’ pricing? I mean, that’s a pretty hefty jump in cost, and it looks like the only real difference is the speed of hosting… which is really what they should be offering across the board, not least if they advertise their services based on their swiftness.
Extras
When it comes to pricing, Web City aren’t the worst web hosting company we’ve come across.
Their basic prices actually look pretty reasonable at first glance, although they’re keen to get the idea across that their current rates are reductions of former extortionate costs…
Which leaves cynical people like me wondering whether or not those original, massively expensive prices will return someday.
Unfortunately, when you start delving a little deeper into what you actually get for your money, those $3.95 per month offers start to look a little less attractive.
I mean, for a dollar or two more per month, you can definitely get a better level of service and a whole range of extra freebies elsewhere… and if your budget doesn’t stretch to the price of a coffee each month for a much better web host, then you’ve got bigger things to worry about!
Also, what’s with that ‘Ultimate Hosting’ pricing? I mean, that’s a pretty hefty jump in cost, and it looks like the only real difference is the speed of hosting… which is really what they should be offering across the board, not least if they advertise their services based on their swiftness.
While Web City do toss a couple of standard extras to their unfortunate customers, such as free setup support and access to a helpline (wow, such generosity!).
There’s one particular point at which this web hosting company loses all real credibility in our books. You’ve guessed it, I’m about to start banging on about SSL certification again.
If you’re running a business website, you can’t get far without an SSL certificate. Any respectable web host will offer this as part of their package for free, but take a look at Web City’s page dedicated to this important feature:
That’s a seriously big surcharge to slap on your customers, and suddenly, those low prices seem like a bit of a joke.
I can’t stress this enough: SSL certification shouldn’t leave business owners out of pocket, and you don’t have to look far to find reputable web hosts offering this free of charge.
So why are Web City making their customer base of bakers and pot plant merchants pay through the nose for this? It’s clear to me that this rockets Web City to the very bottom of our pile of unreliable web hosts, and makes them one to steer well clear of.
Final Thoughts
Web City are a perfect example of what seems to be wrong with so many web hosting services in Australia today. Sure, they offer a lot, and their websites are full of bombastic promises and cool-looking hipsters… but just like the models gurning in their glossy photos, they’re all style and no substance.
Factor in the grim reality of paying way over the odds for services that should be free, and you’re looking at a company that seems primarily designed to rip people off. All in all, I’d say that Web City should get the hell out of town, and we’d all do well to heckle them on their way.
