Cheap Can Be Better Than Free

Even though free web hosting is available, there isn’t any avoiding the fact that a business has to pay for it in some way. This is likely to result in you having to make do somewhere along the line. Yes, you would like to have a site without ads on it, or at least have some say about what is being advertised. However if the hosting is free, then you may well have to put up with distracting and possibly off-putting advertisements on your site. You would  like good technical support, but the company  has to pay for that “free hosting” and good tech support is costly.

However, not everyone has the budget to opt for the more recognized, well-reviewed companies, so there has to be another option, and that comes in the form of cheap web hosting. Sure, “cheap” is a comparative term, but if you and other customers are paying something for the service,  then the web hosting company has a budget to spend on important benefits like helpful tech support staff and servers that don’t give out when someone actually visits your website.

Cheap web hosting has this in common with the more pricey type – there are good web hosting providers and bad web hosting  providers. The more established big brands in the market are, generally, well-liked by those who make use of them and while you might not expect as much from them as you would from a blue-chip company there is a lot to be said for an inexpensive choice – especially when you are getting started.

Customer Support is Crucial

No matter what else you try to find in a web hosting company, it is wise to be looking for good customer support. All web hosts will claim they provide it, in the same way all heavyweight boxers will proclaim they will their next fight by a knockout. Simply because somebody says something, doesn’t mean it is accurate. There are many things you will need to make certain your web hosting provider offers before deciding that it will supply you with the proper degree of customer support.

A toll-free customer support line is a sure indication that the company actually is confident that it can provide you the assistance you need without any fuss. Someone has to pay for the phone call and if it isn’t you, it will be them. If they’re paying for the call, they need it to be quick and final, so they will work very hard to get you back up and operating if there’s unscheduled outage. Nevertheless, it is beneficial to have a record of each issue, so if they offer additional email support, you should double up by sending them email.

Several of the better web hosting companies also have customer forums. If they’re any good they will be moderated by techies, and placing a post on the discussion board is a good idea if you have an unresolved difficulty. They don’t want to see posts stating their service is bad, because that is likely to result in lost business- expect someone to respond to your issue quickly and have you operational again. Lastly, watch out for hosts who have frequently updated records of outages and other issues on their site. If you are going to have downtime, it is good to be informed in advance.

Uptime – Will You Receive What You Pay For?

Web hosting is a topic which divides opinions more fiercely than you might imagine. Any time people are debating about what is most critical in a web hosting provider, you can expect some strongly varying viewpoints. While there will be quite a few who prefer that the web host has good technical support, and others which value webspace over all else, a substantial number of people will choose uptime, every time. If your web hosting company delivers the right amount of uptime, the help desk won’t be as needed (and you can invariably add more webspace later).

However, uptime is crucial no matter who you are and what your website is about. You may as well not have a website if it will spend more time showing error messages to the visitors who want to see it. Most web hosts will promise in the range of 99.9% uptime. None can guarantee a hundred per cent, as this is an unachievable promise, but you will observe that the providers that offer 99.99% or 99.999% will be more expensive than those supplying the simple 99.9. Nines are expensive.

It is well worth requesting proof if none is presented, or asking an unbiased contact if the hosting company is as dependable as they say they are. It is one thing to claim superb uptime and quite another to reliably furnish it.

Unlimited Webspace – As Great as it Seems?

When setting up your website, you are likely to have some grand ambitions as to how it will look. You will want to bring in as many viewers as possible and expand as time goes on. This is what any webmaster wants to do – or at least, the vast majority do. This is the thinking behind the “unlimited web space” offers that are made by many web hosting companies. And as attractive as that sounds, you may find that it has its drawbacks.

With limited web space, the advantage is that you can set a limit for what you pay – ensuring that your monthly bills are more than reasonable. If you get a spike in traffic, the site may experience lagging and even down time – but as long as you are on top of how much traffic you are getting, there need never be any real problem. But if, for whatever reason, hits to your site go astronomical when you have unlimited web space then you will soon find why most people choose limited.

There is a trade-off to be had between settling for less and paying more. Setting limits on the amount of web space you use is the sensible thing to do, at least until you are able to see how much traffic your site is bringing in and how well you could justify spending a little more on it. Certainly, unlimited webspace is a waste if you are not planning to make money from your website.

Colocation – What Exactly is It and How Can It Benefit You?

Small businesses will always be to some degree at the mercy of larger companies which can afford their own servers and the IT professionals who can make certain that they keep working. It is pointless to expect to be competitive with these companies, but you can adopt some of the methods they use and keep yourself in front of your direct competitors. One way to set about this is to use colocation – a system that enables you to benefit from greater bandwidth and customer support than would otherwise be feasible.

Colocation does cost more than ordinary web hosting, but delivers more for the cost. It will cost you about the same as you would spend for a business quality DSL line supplying limited bandwidth, and permits you access to far more bandwidth than the DSL line. It is also a more protected supply than most others, which means you will have less downtime, and whenever you do it will be either scheduled or resolved within moments. Due to the fact the colocation facility is dedicated to supplying so much bandwidth, it is constructed to withstand power outages.

As a colocation customer, you will have more responsibility for your server – indeed, in many cases it is recommended that you purchase a standard server in a colocation facility (this will typically cost between $150 and 200), and pay a modest extra fee to have it managed by the IT staff at the facility. However, if you have your own IT professionals, they can monitor your server and perform the necessary maintenance themselves.

The “Support Ticket” System – Just The Ticket or Looking forTrouble?

Many web hosting businesses  these days subscribe to the strategy of a “trouble ticket” method for handling customer problems. The concept of the system is straightforward – a customer who is having issues with their web hosting submits a ticket on the error page that is displaying, or on the web host’s own site, telling the host of the problem. This is then forwarded to the web host’s support center which prioritizes the concern and assigns a tech to resolve the issue.

The advantage of such a system is that it permits companies to prioritize issues, making certain that technicians can be given the especially troublesome cases first. It also means that when the customer does speak to someone at the organization, the tech is aware on what is wrong with your service.

At the same time, however, the system has its weaknesses. Not least of these is the fact that it is simply not possible to know when you will receive a call from the support staff. The process is designed in such a manner that your first contact will come after someone has been assigned to your case. This leaves you up in the air if your issue is preventing you working. How the incidents are prioritized is also a gray area.

Studies have proven that customers feel far more reassured with a company that has a dedicated technical support phone number that permits them to make immediate contact instead of  transmitting a “ticket”. It is worthwhile finding for a company that does this, and does it especially well.

Good Morning, This is Technical Support, How May I Assist You?

Customer service has developed into a real buzzword in recent years, with companies the worldwide lining up to provide it. However, as anyone who has experienced a struggle with a customer support department knows, offering it is one thing, delivery is frequently another completely. This is regrettably often true for the technical support departments of web hosting providers, and of online service generally.

You may be acquainted with the sinking feeling of being on hold with a business and listening repeatedly to the recorded message informing you “Your call is important to us, thank you for holding”. It can not be underestimated how frustrating this is, and how completely counter-productive. The message may be intended to reassure the customer that their issue will be addressed soon, and managed well – but to many of us it indicates that the company is protesting too much.

Prior to signing up with a web hosting company, it is crucial that you investigate their record on tech support. Some companies do not have a technical support phone line, telling you to send them an email – scarcely reassuring when they seem to have such difficulties with Internet downtime. Other companies offer a “live chat” service on the Internet, and this can be a valuable alternative, but only when it is sufficiently staffed

Avoid Web Hosting Aggravation By Comparison Shopping

If you are publishing your own website for the first time, it is something of a rite of passage and you want more than anything  for everything to go smoothly. Yet, the usual issue exists that those who are doing something for the first time will discover they are facing a confusing situation, which can quickly result in them making the wrong decision. One area where you cannot afford a poor decision is in your choice of a web host.

Brief research on the Internet with the search term “Worst web host” and “web hosting nightmares” shows some rather enlightening information. Although the web hosts themselves must remain anonymous on this site, there are countless reports of dreadful tech support (not being able to make contact, great difficulty having your problem resolved when you ultimately do reach their help desk, and staff which are just plain irritating), of unscheduled outages, and in the case of one web hosting company porn being placed on the servers.

If you are paying for website hosting, you have the right to expect that your service will be as described. For that reason, it is important to check around for a host that provides what you need (with regard to bandwidth, rates and customer service) and then searching for independent testimonials on the Internet. Don’t be put off by one account of poor service, however if it becomes a pattern you should ask why that is. You are should expect good support, and if they can’t provide that then they are no use to you.

Protect The Environment While Managing Your Website

There is research to indicate that, with the energy demand imposed by web hosting and the growing popularity of operating your own website, the web hosting industry might become one of the larger polluters on the planet within a few years. That certainly is the claim being made by some of the newer web hosting providers in the marketplace- and their statements are supported by research. If you want your internet projects to be environmentally friendly, it could be worthwhile shopping for one of the increasing number of green web hosting companies to host your website.

The concept guiding these businesses is that they purchase green energy credits which support creating energy through renewable sources. All the power produced – from whatever source – goes into a central power grid, so even though the energy requirements of web hosting may be producing a negative environmental effect at this time, they will at a minimum be financing the increasing usage of green energy sources – with an eye on making this the most common source of power over time, and reversing some of the current unfavorable impact of web hosting.

It is especially advantageous if you are operating a site which reflects eco-friendly interests, or are working in a market with an attention on the environment, as you can demonstrate your green credentials at the foot of your website, showing that you are utilizing an environmentally friendly web hosting provider. The more people who do this, the better chance there is that the technology will improve in the future.

Look for Web Stats when Choosing a Web Hosting Service

If you are spending money for web hosting, then it is a good idea to see some feature from that expenditure in the form of a service that enables you to get maximum benefit from your website. To put it simply, the least you need is a workable stat checking program, and the majority of the better web hosting providers will offer something along those lines. If you are searching for a web host, this ought to be one of the top priorities for you – if they don’t offer a suitable stat counter, start looking elsewhere.

Stat counters are a critical element for anyone wanting to get the most from their website simply because it is only by observing what action visitors take once they arrive at your website that you can begin to correct any errors that have escaped your notice. if people are clicking away from your site quickly, then certainly you need to make your website capture their interest more. If people are viewing a particular page more than others, see how you might bring some of the magic to other pages.

It is certainly possible to download and set up your own stat counter on your website, but when you are spending money web hosting it really is not too much to expect that the site should have an integrated stat counter ready to perform. In that way, you can really begin to make maximum benefit of what you have.

« Previous Page — Next Page »