Submit Article
If you would like to submit an article, click the button below.
Navigation
|
<-- Back to Current Category
Choosing a web host based on price? Don't!
By: David Leonhardt, Fri Dec 9th, 2005 11:47:00 AM
b>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.
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. 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 Phastnet business
web hosting 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. 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 and your
monitoring? 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. Website & network
monitoring services can often help avert such catastrophes,
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:
David Leonhardt is a Canadian website marketing
consultant in Ottawa. Read his SEO book
and tips and his
media relations plan.
(Article continued below)
|
Sign In
|
