Well this is how I did it. Firstly, you should have a valid reason for wanting to change as the process of transferring files and setting up with a new host can be a daunting process. In my case I wasn't happy with my current host's performance. In short, my web site(s) pages were taking far too long to load and outages were becoming all to common. Who was the host I hear you ask? Servage.net. I've been with Servage since January 2007, so that's 16 months and still have about 5 or 6 months before renewal is due.
Even with 5 or 6 months remaining I couldn't continue with the level of performance I was getting. It was excruciating and something had to give; and it did. I bit the bullet and researched other hosting companies.
My first port of call were the various 'find a web host' type forums and I defy anybody to select a good host based solely on so-called independent reviews found in the threads of these forums. What one can establish is that it's a cut-throat business, margins are low and they're all out there willing to empty our pockets. I suppose that's called the marketplace.
I made a decision early on that cost was not going to be the sole determining factor but cost is a factor none-the-less. My whole research was based around shared hosting as dedicated servers were well and truly not within my budget, so in this regard, cost was an issue.
Short listing
The companies I shortlisted were: AN Hosting ("AN"), Hot Drupal (“HD”) and Drupal Value Hosting (“DVH”). There were some others but I discounted them when they wouldn't respond to my live chat requests. Quite frankly, if they claim 24/7 support service and I'm here in Australia, I don't care if it's 3 am in the US when I decide to ask a question. 24/7 means anytime of day.
First up, I'll say from the outset that I reckon all these companies would be suitable hosts, for my needs at least. It's ultimately up to the customer (you) to make the final decision.
The basic packages all seemed to be in sync with each other and were within a dollar or two of each other. All basic packages were offering unlimited this, unlimited that, except HD. One thing to be aware of is the so-called $4.00 or $5.00 per month rate which usually means if paying for a year in advance. If paying on a monthly basis the monthly rates shoot up towards the $10 mark.
HD and DVH were different in that both claimed to be Drupal friendly and I can't dispute that claim.
I visited numerous Drupal sites which were hosted by the three hosts clicking page after page, performing searches where I could. The upshot was that I couldn't really distinguish any substantial performance issues between the three hosts, other than they were certainly quicker than Servage.
Download tests
From all three hosts I was able to test their download speeds. AN and DVH provided a 20 mb test file and HD provided a 60 mb test file. Over a number of days and at different times of the day I ran my tests. The upshot was that DVH won out. For testing I used this site. DVH times were consistently between 24 – 29 seconds, followed by AN which were 28 – 32 seconds. For HD, as they provided a 60 mb test file, their times were between 135 – 142 seconds and therefore for a 20 mb file that equates to 45 – 47 seconds. I tested the download speed of a 20 mb file from Servage and consistently the download times were between 96 – 98 seconds, a whopping three times slower than AN & DVH.
Decision made
I discounted AN as they only had one plan and therefore was no way to upgrade to a quicker or better system, as I mentioned cost was not the overriding factor.
HD did at least have different plans which you could upgrade to. They also promoted a flexible type plan, which appealed to me. For instance, if you needed just one more MySql database and you'd used your quota they would probably accede to the request, at no cost, dependent upon other factors such as not pushing the limits in every other way, if so they they'd prefer the customer upgrade. This is a common sense type of approach.
It was a toss-up between HD and DVH. Both answered all my questions promptly and I believe honestly (only time will tell). In my mind the telling factor was the download speed tests and so DVH won out.
Sign up
The sign-up process with DVH went through smoothly. Within 30 minutes (probably sooner - I didn't time it) I received a number of introductory emails advising usernames and passwords for accessing the web site administration pages (cpanel).
I signed up for their “Worlds Best Hosting Package” which gives me 50 gb of disk space and all the usual other stuff plus a reseller account. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the reseller account but at this stage will probably be for close friends and family.
Please note, the link I provided for DVH is my affiliate link, which means any sales made will be credited to my account. The links I provided for AN and HD are not affiliate links.