Those glowing reviews were bought before you read them

Those glowing reviews were bought before you read them

Myth: "This host has thousands of 5-star reviews, so it must be solid."

Review volume on hosting is gamed two ways: post-signup prompts catch users in the honeymoon week before any renewal pain, and "best host" roundups are paid placements where the rank correlates with commission, not quality.

Follow the money. The site ranking ten hosts earns $65-200 per signup. Guess which host magically tops the list.

Filter reviews to month 13 — the renewal-shock cohort — and watch the stars collapse.

Reality: you're reading marketing with a star rating stapled on.