Sunday, November 3, 2013

Does Discount Web Hosting Compromise Customer Service?

Discount web hosting may sound like a great deal when you first
hear about it, but there are definitely some things you need to
know about discount web hosting and free web hosting before you
choose a web host for your website. While some discount web
hosting options may be good for business, many discount web
hosting and free web hosting services are more intended for
personal websites rather than for business websites because their
capabilities and reliability are not necessarily suited for the
business user.With any business time is money, even for internet businesses and
home-based businesses. For a retail store, any time they are not
open for shoppers, they are missing out on potential sales and
related revenues. One of the main benefits of internet business
is that when your business is internet-based with an automated
sales process, your business can be open twenty-four hours a day,
seven days a week, three-hundred and sixty-five days a year, even
on holidays.Since your website is your "store" so to speak,
anytime your website is down it is literally like your store is
closed. Plain and simple, closed stores result in lost sales.
Thus, it is critical to an internet business for your web host to
be reliable with at least ninety-nine to one-hundred percent
uptime, even if you use discount web hosting.Many new website owners make some pretty simple mistakes and
unknowingly, they actually jeopardize the effectiveness of their
website which diminishes the website's potential. One of the
major mistakes is not taking important things into consideration
when selecting a web host. Discount web hosting and free web
hosting usually sounds like a good idea and many think that
hosting their website through their internet service provider is
a logical option. However, there is much more than cost to
consider when choosing a web hosting service.Some discount web hosting packages may be sufficient for your
business. The only way to make an informed decision regarding
your web hosting options is to review the options and to compare
the costs, benefits and potential problems. When comparing web
hosts here are some things to find out about:1. The speed of the web hosting servers and the bandwidth
provided through the hosting packages2. The space provided for
various hosting packages3. Whether or not the web host provides
a control panel for self-serve, web-based administration of your
website4. The availability of server logs and reports that will
aid you in managing your website and marketing efforts5. Email
services and email limitations6. The web host's back-up policies
and procedures7. The web host's data retrieval policies and
procedures8. The web host's reliability in terms of uptime and
relative downtime9. The web host's longevity in the business of
web hosting and their reputation10. The availability of options
such as CGI, SSH and FTP access and compatibility or availability
of various scripts and softwareGenerally, a company that specializes in commercial web hosting
for businesses is more reliable and offers greater web space,
speed, reliability and options than do free or discount web
hosting services. Internet service providers often offer discount
web hosting services to internet service subscribers as a method
for adding value to their standard services. Since the discount
web hosting is a secondary, and not the primary service they
offer, their web hosting services are not generally as advanced
as those provided by web hosting specialists and frequently
discount web hosting provided by internet service providers is
not incredibly reliable because the internet service provider's
bandwidth is stretched thin since its primary purpose is to
provide internet service, not to host websites.