HostNine recently announced plans for a new backup system that is supposed to resolve some server load issues they were having with some of their resellers.

This weekend we will be implementing a new backup system which completely blows our existing system out of the water! It’s not only more secure but it uses a better protocol when conducting the backups which doesn’t cause any load issues like the existing standard backups do.

More details coming shortly!

We’ll post more details as soon as we see it announced.

We took special interest in HostNine after a recent marketing campaign that offers unique reseller hosting services via cPanel. We will be offering an in-depth look into this in later reviews posted to this website.

For now, we’ll start from the beginning. HostNine’s Homepage! Here’s a medium resolution picture:

As you can see, HostNine loves peach and green color! But who are we to talk, we love blue, can you tell?
We really like the layout of the site. From the customer’s point of view, you have easy access to their toll free telephone number and one-click access to HostNine’s live chat functionality.

Below this, you’ll find a brief overview of HostNine as well as another mention of their telephone number if you should need any assistance.

We really like how HostNine focuses on three different customer types by listing their shared hosting, reseller hosting, and dedicated server offerings.

But after that, they give us a sense of “fluff filler” by offering testimonials to seemingly fill space. We think they should offer more information about their packages, unique features, and perhaps statistics instead of testimonials. Testimonials usually belong in separate pages as links or sometimes on the right navigational bar, but not on your main information page.

To get any really in-depth information, you are required to click a super tiny “learn more” link under Shared Hosting, Reseller Hosting, or Dedicated Servers. Or, on the main green navigational bar, you can click the sections there. We think this should be improved. You already offer bigger “ORDER NOW” buttons, where is the large learn more links here? Perhaps even make the bold “Shared Hosting” a link to the shared hosting page?

But other than adding more functionality for the newer person looking for hosting, we like the design overall. All the primary functions we look for are there. You mention a telephone number, you offer live chat, you offer your primary packages and you even offer smaller details like uptime guarantees, 24/7 support information, and a money back guarantee right from the homepage. Very good!

Overall, we give the total design an 8.5 out of 10. Clean it up a little more and make it more user friendly and remember, not everyone knows what shared hosting, reseller hosting, or dedicated servers are. Add some tutorials, information, and other “gadgets” to make the new customer feel at home with you. If this is completed, we think your conversions will go up.

Let us know what you think! Leave a comment.