NOTE: dew to some comments I would like to point out that this only applies for paid hosting.
There are so many hosting companies; it is hard to choose. Which is fake and which is legit? is this a scam or legit? Well, here are the signs of a scam company.
They don’t have:
php
Mysql
-Those are both free things, and paid host should have it. If it doesn’t, it is safe to assume they are scammers that don’t work hard.
A domain registered in their name
-That is absolutely needed, if it is not it is most likely a scam, however, some companies are owned by a bigger one, so always check out the company it is registered to.
If they claim:
That they give unlimited space or bandwidth
-It is simply impossible; there is always a loophole, which is a sure sign of a scam.
If they have flash, JavaScript or streams listed as a special feature.
-Those are both browser things, not server things.
If they charge ONLY by the year
-It is normal for them to want you to pay by the year, but if the yearly is the only one that means they don’t know if they will be around in 5 months. If they crash you lose your money.
They have NO reviews
-A hosting company that has no reviews (when searched on google) is likely a scam. And remember, the top ten hosts are (edit: near) NEVER legit, it is who paid the most. You should use an impartial review site like
http://www.webhostingunleshed.com . Or the one I am making at
http://www.theevilrepublicans.com/webhost/reviews.html
Any misspellings
-That is a sign of not being professional; don’t use them.
The only domain they support is from them
-One of the unwritten laws of hosting is ALWAYS register your domain elsewhere. It is normal for a host to offer a free domain, but it should NEVER be the only one. What they do is they register it in their name so if you ever want to leave them you must buy the domain from them or select a new domain name (hard if you have allot of users and no way to contact them).
And remember the universal law.
If it looks too good to be true, chances are it is