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Choosing a Web Host Based On
Price? Don't!
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.
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.
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.
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