I used to use GoDaddy for my hosting when I first started out. They had a big name and I didn’t know the difference.

But as I learned how to do things I discovered that all shared hosting accounts are not created equally. For example, unless you are some kind of programming genius, it would be a good idea to avoid anything to do with Microsoft ASP.net. It is overly complicated for simple website use AND it’s usually more expensive.

Linux based hosting is the best choice in my humble opinion but not all Linux based hosting is easy to use either. GoDaddy is overly complicated compared to cPanel access available with HostGator. If you want simple and effective control of your shared hosting account I highly recommend HostGator.

I have used HostGator for the past 8 years and the only down time I have experienced was during Katrina. Now your experience may be different based on various factors but I would be hard pressed to use another hosting company based on my experience.

Not only is the service reliable, the customer support has been overwhelmingly superior for me. Maybe it helps to know what questions to ask, I don’t know. I have never had bad service from HostGator so that is what I think of as typical results. However your experiences may be different because none of it is under my control.