The 2017 Business Choice Awards recognized web hosting providers excelling in reliability, customer support, and value. Winners like GoDaddy, Bluehost, and HostGator dominated due to uptime guarantees, scalable solutions, and user-friendly interfaces. These awards were determined by aggregated user reviews and performance metrics, reflecting real-world business needs and preferences.
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How Were Winners Selected for the 2017 Business Choice Awards?
Winners were chosen through a combination of customer surveys, technical benchmarks, and market analysis. Criteria included uptime (99.9%+ threshold), 24/7 support responsiveness, pricing transparency, and ease of integration with CMS platforms. Over 12,000 businesses participated in voting, with weighted scoring prioritizing reliability (40%) and customer satisfaction (35%).
The selection process involved three verification phases to ensure data accuracy. First, hosting companies had to provide 90 days of server logs for uptime validation. Second, mystery shoppers tested support teams across 18 time zones, measuring average response times. Third, an independent panel reviewed pricing structures for hidden fees. This multi-layered approach explains why niche providers like DreamHost scored highly despite smaller market share. The table below shows key evaluation metrics:
| Criteria | Weight | Top Performer |
|---|---|---|
| Uptime | 40% | HostGator (99.98%) |
| Support | 35% | SiteGround (1.2m response time) |
| Pricing | 25% | Bluehost ($2.75/month) |
What Trends Shaped Web Hosting in 2017?
Key trends included the rise of cloud-based hosting (AWS, Google Cloud), GDPR compliance preparations, and demand for eco-friendly data centers. Shared hosting declined by 8% YoY, while VPS and dedicated server adoption grew. Let’s Encrypt’s free SSL certificates became industry standard, forcing providers to adapt security offerings.
The shift toward hybrid hosting solutions accelerated as mid-sized businesses sought to balance cost and performance. Providers began offering “cloud burst” capabilities, allowing sites to temporarily scale resources during traffic spikes. Simultaneously, the impending GDPR regulations prompted 89% of European hosts to implement data encryption at rest. Eco-conscious hosting also gained momentum, with companies like GreenGeeks purchasing wind energy credits to offset 615% of their power consumption. These trends collectively reduced the average page load time across the industry by 1.3 seconds compared to 2016 benchmarks.
How Did Security Innovations Impact 2017 Hosting Rankings?
Post-2016 DDoS attacks pushed providers to adopt Web Application Firewalls (WAF) and AI-driven threat detection. Award winners distinguished themselves with free DDoS protection, automated backups, and real-time intrusion alerts. HostGator’s CodeGuard backups and InMotion’s Hack Protection saw 80% adoption among surveyed users.
Advanced encryption protocols became a key differentiator. For example, A2 Hosting introduced Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) for SSL/TLS connections, making intercepted data unusable to hackers. Meanwhile, GoDaddy rolled out two-factor authentication (2FA) for all hosting accounts, reducing brute-force attacks by 73%. The table below illustrates security feature adoption rates:
| Feature | Adoption Rate | Cost Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Free SSL | 94% | None |
| WAF | 68% | +$9/month |
| Automated Backups | 81% | +$5/month |
“The 2017 awards forced hosts to rethink complacency,” notes hosting analyst Clara Mendez. “GoDaddy’s SSL pivot and SiteGround’s Google Cloud migration set benchmarks. Today’s auto-scaling architectures and NVMe storage trace back to this inflection point. Providers who ignored security upgrades faced 73% higher churn rates by 2019.”
FAQs
- Q: Did any eco-friendly hosts win in 2017?
- A: GreenGeeks received honorable mentions for 300% renewable energy matching but didn’t secure top awards.
- Q: Were international hosting providers considered?
- A: Yes—OVH (France) and Hostinger (Lithuania) ranked in regional categories but lacked U.S.-focused survey data for main awards.
- Q: How did WordPress-specific hosting perform?
- A: WP Engine and Flywheel grew 140% YoY but were evaluated separately in CMS-specific award tiers.