Finding a decent web host can be a hit and miss affair, and many people find themselves trying several before finding the best one for their needs.
I’ve been lucky. Way back in 2004 a friend suggested I looked at Clook. From what we read about them on various forums they had a very good reputation for service and support, and only being formed in 2001/2002 they were building up their hosting business using this as their unique selling point.
I signed up and have never looked back.
So what’s good about Clook?
Amazing support No matter what time of day support tickets are normally answered in just a few minutes, you can’t ask for much more than that. I do remember one time when I got an email response in 20 seconds - “Just looking into it now” - a couple of minutes later another email arrived to tell me the problem was fixed. Brilliant.
Knowledgeable support staff No matter what sort of problem you present them with they understand what you’re on about. Of course it helps if you provide the right information in the first place, but a swift exchange of emails can communicate even the most complex of situations. Compare this to some of the more widely advertised web hosts who’s offshore front line support consists non technical staff reading from an on screen system. With Clook you talk to real technicians!
Superb server uptime Knowing your site is in safe hands and available round the clock is very reassuring. I’ve known some business owners losing sleep worried if their sites are online or not. Clook let me sleep soundly every night.
Fantastic communications Clooks notification system gives me advance warning of any pending server or network issues, such as scheduled system upgrades which may require a server reboot, or in the case of a “live” incident a simple message to tell me there’s a problem and they’re on the case. All web hosts have server problems from time to time, that’s to be expected, but Clooks way of sharing the information is another reassuring feature.
Security It’s always a high priority and Clook always stay on top of the ball with round the clock server monitoring and regular security audits, not to mention spam/virus protection.
I recommend them
If any of my clients want web hosting I always point them to Clook, and back up my recommendation with my experience of them, all 10+ years of it. As a web developer I work with a lot of web hosts, many excellent ones and just as many not so good ones, but the Clook experience is like cream, it always rises to the top! I’m happy to say that no clients who use them have had any bad words to say at all.
Any negatives at all?
Nope. Clook aren’t the cheapest web host, nor are they the most expensive. If you want a cheap host that’s fine and you can live with the risk if you like. Me, I prefer a top quality service for a reasonable price and that’s what Clook give me.