|
Choosing a Web Host Based On Price? Dont!
It's tempting. There are so many companies offering cut-rate
hosting - loaded with astounding post-futuristic techno-gizmo
features ! - that it just makes sense to save a few dollars,
right?
Think again. First, consider how much you would be saving.
If you run a business site, saving $5, $10 or even $15 a
month is not a big saving. No going concern will become
a stopping concern on account of even $15 a month. But the
wrong web host can stop a business cold.
Here are three reasons to look beyond price when choosing
your web host.
1. Usability. Confession time: I chose my first website
host based on price. The control panel was not easy to use,
and I often found myself traveling in circles trying to
enter it. I switched to my second web host based not just
on price, but on usability, and I instantly became a pro.
Well, not quite. But I was able to manage my email accounts
and learn about CGI, and check my traffic stats and edit
my html files right on the server. Not bad for a newbie
who couldn't even find his files on his previous host's
server.
2. Service. I thought my second host had great service.
They even answered my emails. Until the dreaded day that
some guy with a chip on his shoulder filed a phony spam
complaint. I was out in the cold. In fact, they would not
answer my emails or even speak to me at all. Meanwhile,
my ISP responded to the same phony complaint immediately,
sharing with me a copy and giving me a chance to deal with
it. That ISP is now my third web host. I pay a little more,
but the personal service is worth it. I have no hesitation
recommending http://www.phastnet.com to anybody who wants
the assurance that they won't be hung out to dry at the
first whiff of somebody in a bad mood.
3. Reliability. When that phony spam complaint struck,
my website was down for four days. Ouch! But there are many
other things that can bring down a site. What is your web
host's uptime? And how reliable is its reporting? Other
things can happen, like a form not functioning - meaning
lost sales. Worse still, what if Google comes crawling just
when your site is down? Search engines don't like sending
people to unreliable sites. Companies like http://www.dotcom-monitor.com
monitor websites for a variety of measures, and the cost
is nothing compared to the cost of lost sales.
Sure, save a few bucks on hosting, and pay a whole lot
more in lost sales and increased stress. Your web host is
your Internet landlord. Take as much time choosing your
web host as you would the place you live in. Price alone
just is not enough.
Back
to Tips Page
|
