Choosing a web host based on price? Don't!
3 reasons why price should not dictate the web host you choose
By David Leonhardt
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.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR (Plain Text)
David Leonhardt is an online and offline publicity specialist. To
get your website optimized for the search engines, email him at
info@... . For a copy of Don't Get Banned By The
Search Engines:
http://thehappyguy.com/SEO.html . For a copy of
Get In The News:
http://thehappyguy.com/publicity-self-promotion-report.html .
ABOUT THE AUTHOR (html)
David Leonhardt is an online and offline publicity specialist.
To get your website optimized for the search engines, email him
at
info@...>
info@....
Pick up a copy of
http://thehappyguy.com/SEO.html>Don't
Get Banned By The Search Engines or of his
href=http://thehappyguy.com/publicity-self-promotion-report.html>
media relations plan for entrepreneaurs.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
David Leonhardt
The Happy Guy
Info@...
