SUMMARY: With all the offers of cut-rate
web hosting, surely some money can be saved there. Or could cut-rate web hosting actually
cost more?
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.
To point # 3 above, here is a real posting to a forum (with
all identifiers removed):
"I have been at number one on Google for the past
several years when you do a search for my [edited] company. However I am changing hosts at
the moment and my site was 'offline' for about 5 to 7 days before I managed to get
something back up. This lead to me completely disappearing from the Google listing!! You
can imagine my immense disappointment!!"
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. |
