So like pretty much every web developer, I offer a service whereby the websites I build are hosted on my preferred webhost, on my VDS. A plethora or benefits are gained from this.
It’s quick – I don’t need to bugger around finding logins, calling support lines in other countries and other time wasting tasks. I know all the details I need to to create a new site and can get a new domain up and running in minutes, rather than hours sometimes.
The preferred host is reliable and compatible with the code I write. As I use the amazing Laravel 4 PHP Framework whenever possible I like to use PHP 5.4 as a minimum now. I know my chosen host offers this. The need to call up a host to plead them to make the leap of faith from PHP 4.0 to 5.4, or give me “elevated” access to upload files outside the web root (which is exactly what modern frameworks enforce, for good reason too, ahem).
I can also easily stage sites on a sub domain in a few seconds, again, great for letting clients preview sites before going live.