Introduction: Giveaway, Thanks and What’s Coming

We’re kicking off this piece with something a little extra: 1&1 is offering two copies of Microsoft FrontPage in a mini-contest for our readers. It’s easy and straightforward, and you could be one of the two winners. I’d like to express my thanks to Jesse Bouman, Benjamin Schloss (Online Marketing Coordinator at 1&1), and Joshua (Online Marketing Director at 1&1) for taking the time to speak with me and for the generous special gifts being awarded in this contest (via Googlelady—stay tuned!).

Company Background: How Long Has 1&1 Been in the Hosting Industry?

1&1 was originally founded in 1988 in Germany, primarily focused on providing internet access. In 1998, its parent company, United Internet AG, became one of the first web companies to go public, and shortly thereafter began offering web hosting. They survived the infamous “dot-com crash,” which wiped out many fledgling tech hosts. The fact that they’re still going strong and have evolved into a major hosting brand speaks volumes.

Common Hosting Issues: Unlimited Claims & Account Suspensions

When a hosting company advertises “unlimited bandwidth and storage,” that’s often a red flag. As Joshua notes, it’s a physical impossibility and a myth.
A site loading up lots of traffic—or worse, a hacked or badly coded site—can overload shared CPU processes and cause the hosting company to intervene. This could lead to the account being temporarily suspended or moved. 1&1’s policy is typically to move the site to an auxiliary server rather than pull it down entirely. They’ll suggest an upgrade (VPS or dedicated) if needed.
This is fair because they need to protect the many sites on the same server from disruption.

Negative Customer Feedback: What’s the Story at 1&1?

It’s a fact of business: larger brands accumulate more complaints simply because they have more customers. Joshua points out that many of the negative remarks about 1&1 in the U.S. date back to its early years of U.S. expansion when “growing pains” were real.
Even so, he reminds us: when you’re servicing millions of customers (10 million+ domains, 5 million+ active websites), you must be doing a lot of things right. The thing many forget is that happy customers seldom post negative reviews.
Also worth noting: review sites and forums may be skewed (by affiliates, competitors, or fake customers). So take negative feedback with a grain of salt.

Support and Billing: Double-charging & Customer Service Complaints

Customer support is described as the “Achilles heel” of the hosting industry. When you’re helped by a brilliant tech, your day is saved. When not, you’re frustrated and vocal. Joshua concedes no company has perfect support.
On the specific “double-billing” claims, he’s skeptical: it’s not a standard business practice at 1&1. He suggests such problems are rare and often linked to outdated contact/billing info on the client side. If someone contacts him with a specific case, he promises to try to help—no promises, but the offer is there.

Special Domain Offer: .info for $0.99

For those reading now: 1&1 currently has a $0.99 offer for “.info” domains. That price is for the first year of registration; after that, standard pricing applies (currently about $6.99).
The offer doesn’t require you to be a host customer, and you don’t need to purchase another product. It’s a standalone deal.
Why choose a .info? Good for specialized marketing campaigns, microsites, or landing pages. Also, if you own the .com version, securing the .info may prevent someone else from using it.

What Makes 1&1 Different From Other Hosts?

1&1 claims to offer features at aggressive pricing, giving more value than the smaller players who often charge add-ons. The fact they’re large, stable, and built to last is also a differentiator: small hosts may be bought out or vanish, leaving you vulnerable.
So if you’re looking for a host with staying power backed by infrastructure, 1&1 positions itself as that.

Blogging & Social Traffic: Can 1&1 Handle Virality?

Many bloggers worry: “If my post goes viral on Digg or StumbleUpon, will my hosting account crash?” 1&1’s answer: they’ve never heard of a site going down purely due to “being dug.” But they acknowledge a massive traffic surge could challenge any host.
On the feature side, they support full installs of WordPress, B2Evolution, TypePad, etc. For newbies they offer the “1&1 Blog” for easy setup. Also, some hosting clients get free PPC vouchers. If you’re a blogger setting out, 1&1 may suit you, though if you expect huge viral spikes, consider their upgrade path.

Latest Hosting Trends & 1&1 (IONOS) in 2025

The web hosting market is booming: there are over 1.5 billion websites online, and the market is expected to reach $832.1 billion by 2025.
Specifically, 1&1’s hosting arm (now branded IONOS) is used by about 1.7% of all websites. Built The data says IONOS powers 8.2 million live websites. This infrastructure strength matters: IONOS reports 100,000+ servers worldwide, self-built data centers, AND earlier this year rolled out servers with AMD EPYC 4004 processors.
For you, the takeaway is choosing a hosting provider with major infrastructure and solid growth is less risky than a small fly-by-night operation.

Interview Highlights: Key Quotes from the Marketing Director

• On unlimited claims: “I warn consumers to beware of companies that say ‘unlimited bandwidth and storage.’ This is a physical impossibility.”
  
• On complaints vs size: “If you check any large brand name in any industry, you will see more complaints… It makes sense that larger companies have more complaints.”
  
• On support & billing: “Customer Support is the Achilles heel… As far as ‘double-billing,’ this is extremely weird, and I would suspect a rare occurrence.”
  These statements reflect transparency and insight from inside the company.
  

Contest Recap: How to Enter & What You Can Win

The mini-contest: 2 copies of Microsoft FrontPage are up for grabs. It’s described as “easy.” Details will be posted on Googlelady (stay tuned). Make sure to check eligibility and contest timing and follow the instructions on the dedicated page. The giveaway isn’t contingent on being a current 1&1 customer.
It’s a fun bonus, but don’t let the contest overshadow the core hosting evaluation.

Final Thoughts: Should You Choose 1&1 for Hosting?

Pros: Large, established brand; robust infrastructure; aggressive pricing; full compatibility with WordPress and other popular blogging platforms; backup/upgrade options explained clearly.
Cons: Some historical complaints still linger online; shared hosting plans may face performance constraints if you scale hugely; “unlimited” claims still need scrutiny.
If you’re a blogger or small business or setting up a site and want peace of mind with a strong provider, 1&1 (IONOS) is a solid choice. If you expect sudden viral traffic surges or have high-end enterprise needs, be sure to evaluate upgrade paths and review SLA details.

Conclusion

Our exclusive interview with 1&1’s Online Marketing Director offers an insightful look inside a major hosting provider. From unlimited claims to billing concerns, from domain specials to blogging compatibility, you get the full picture. Combine that with the mini-contest for Microsoft FrontPage, and you’ve got both value and intrigue. Whether you’re building your first blog or scaling a business website, you’ll want to weigh reliability, pricing, and support. 1&1 (IONOS) clearly checks many of the right boxes—so now it’s your move.

FAQs

1. Is the .info domain offer really just $0.99 for the first year?
Yes, the offer covers the first year of registration for a .info domain at $0.99. After year one it reverts to standard pricing (approximately $6.99 at time of writing). No other purchase is required, and you don’t need to already be a customer.

2. What does “account suspended due to high CPU load” mean in shared hosting?
It means your website’s processes (due to traffic, poor code, or hacking) are using so much CPU on the shared server that the host must intervene to protect other users. 1&1’s approach is to move the site to an auxiliary server or suggest a plan upgrade rather than immediate termination.

3. How many websites does 1&1/IONOS host?
Data shows IONOS is used by about 1.7% of all websites worldwide. BuiltWith reports roughly 8.2 million live websites using the provider.

4. Are complaints about support and billing at 1&1 valid?
Support is a common pain point across many large hosting companies. 1&1 acknowledges the challenge. On billing issues like “double-charging,” the company calls such occurrences rare and invites customers to forward specific cases for assistance.

5. If my blog goes viral, will 1&1 handle the traffic?
1&1 says they haven’t heard of a site crashing simply because it went viral on Digg/StumbleUpon, but they note that any host could face challenges with massive surges. They support full WordPress installs and provide upgrade paths (VPS, dedicated) if traffic scales up.