Have you had a great experience with a host that you couldn’t be more thrilled about? What about a nightmare experience that you just couldn’t wait to get out of? Either way, you may want to share your experience with others who are looking for hosting to act as a sign post to direct potential customers on where to go.

There are many sites out there that allow you to post hosting reviews, including this one and read what others have to say. It’s a great way to have your voice heard and then catch up on what others are saying.

But not all hosting reviews are created equal. If you want your review to be heard and taken seriously, you need to make sure that you do a good job not only conveying what you want to say but saying it in a way that others will listen to. You don’t have to be a master poet to write a good review, but you do have to know what people are looking for and what they don’t want.

Doing so will not only help you write a better review, but will help that review have a greater impact and will be well worth the time and effort you took to submit it.

1. Write An Honest Review

The first step step seems obvious but is very often overlooked, especially with negative reviews. Many times people get upset with a hosting company to the point that they, quite literally, make up things that aren’t true about it. Not only is this legally dangerous (one can libel a company) but it casts the whole review into doubt.

So many reviews are filled with outrageous stories that border on the physically impossible one wonders if the person even hosted with the company and might instead be a disgruntled ex-employee or just someone with a grudge. Lies don’t help make a compelling review and can actually prevent an important message from being heard.

2. Have Solid Facts

When did you sign up for the company? When did you leave? If you had an incident, when did it take place? Who did you communicate with?

The same as lies can destroy an otherwise solid review, tangible facts can turn a mediocre review into a great one. Not only does having this information show that you actually used the host and indicate how much experience you had with them, but it also indicates that you are dedicated to accuracy.

Include key dates, quotes and other information that is relevant to the matter at hand. The more you let the facts do the talking, the better. Best of all, you most likely have all the info you need in your email box.

3. Cover the Good and the Bad

Even though most reviews are predominantly either good or bad, it is important to make them as impartial as possible. Very few hosting experiences are so negative or so positive that absolutely nothing the other direction can be said about it. I’ve had hosts who were wonderful in almost every regard but had awkward non-standard control panels and I’ve had hosts who almost murdered my site but had good rates and fast servers.

There are always contrary elements to talk about and you should do so. This makes your review seem balanced and that, in turn, makes it more believable and trustworthy.

In short, put your focus on your viewpoint but don’t ignore the other side lest your review be treated as either a slander piece or a press release in disguise.

4. Remember: Not Everyone Had Your Experience

Always keep in mind that your experience with a host may not be typical. Some have bad luck with good hosts and some have good luck with bad hosts. Don’t attack anyone who has a contrary viewpoint and, instead, take the steps above to make your case as solid as possible.

The more emotional you get with your review, the more it seems like you have a personal stake in the matter and the less seriously it is taken. There is no reason to turn a hosting review into a flame war as it doesn’t help anyone.

5. Respond to the Host

Many hosts actively patrol hosting review sites and leave comments on reviews, especially negative ones. If you took the steps above and wrote a solid fact-based review, you should find that your correspondence with the host is pleasant and likely a genuine attempt to work things out.

Even if you have moved on to a different host and really don’t see what your old host can offer you, talk with them and make it clear you harbor no ill feelings. Once again, being emotional and getting into a shouting match doesn’t help resolve anything and it only serves to belittle your opinions as others seek to find solid information about the host.

6. Pay Attention to Numerical Ratings

Numerical ratings say a great deal about what you think of a host and the majority of visitors are going to look at that first. Many, in fact, will only see those ratings or will decide whether to read your review based upon it.

If you have a 10-star rating system, such as the one this site uses, reviews that are ones and/or tens are largely ignored. Reviews that are too glowing or too damming are viewed as being less than honest or impartial.

As such, unless the host is extreme enough to warrant either a 1 or a 10, it is best to give something in the 2-9 star range. This shows some level of balance and, though it may not have as drastic of an impact on the site’s scores, it means your review and experience is more likely to be read and taken seriously.

Bottom Line

In the end, writing a hosting review is not that complicated but too many people forget about the things that made them read and take some reviews seriously when creating their own. Instead, they spout off emotional opinions at the height of their personal investment and make arguments that sound like sour grapes or public relations.

Cooler heads usually prevail when it comes to hosting reviews, or any other kind of review for that matter, so if you are angry or elated, it’s best to take a little time away before pulling up the keyboard.

Simply put, if you want your voice to be heard, you need to focus on making a rational case. That’s because people rarely make hosting decisions on the basis of emotion and instead seek hard information.

If you can provide that, your review will be as helpful as possible and have the exact desired effect.

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