"We succeed only as we identify in life, or in war, or in anything else, a single overriding objective, and make all other considerations bend to that one objective."
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890 - 1969), speech, April 2, 1957
Website Hosting Plans
Finding a website host that is reputable, offers you value for money, and strong customer service when you need it the most, is easier said than done, especially when you are a small business that does not have a big budget.
After being with a website host for many years, over five to be precise, and then being offered no customer support what-so-ever after my website experienced technical difficulties, and crashed, I decided that I needed to go in search of a new site host. I mean as a small business that is Internet based, even one week of site down-time is costly, not to mention just plain frustrating. But weeks without any word of support or advice from what I regarded once as a trusted website host, was unforgiveable. Hence, why after several e-mails and what seemed like endless trying to contact my site host, I packed up my sites and jumped ship to a new hosting company that I thought would offer me better customer service, and thankfully they do!
In my quest to find a new website host, and bearing in mind that I had already been bitten by the ‘bad site host bull terrier’, I thought that it was important that I shared my knowledge of small business site hosting with you, and saved some other poor misguided fool, the misfortune of learning for themselves what the differences are between the good, the bad, and the just plain ugly site hosts.
Here are my findings:
• Location, Location, Location – always select a local website host that is based in your country, because overseas phone calls can become costly if you encounter difficulties.
• Research – always research website hosting plans in-depth before signing-up with anyone, and compare plans whilst considering your businesses needs now and in the future.
• Customer Service – try before you buy, and test out the website host’s customer service before you commit to using their services. If they can’t help you now, what hope will there be that they will be able to help you when you encounter problems?
• Bandwidth and Storage Space – Consider exactly how much bandwidth and storage space your business will need online, before you buy any webhosting plan. The best plans are those that offer you unlimited storage and unlimited bandwidth, because this means that you are able to continually expand your site and have as many visitors as you possibly can in any given month, without being charged any additional costs.
• Cheap, Cheap, Oh Cheap – a cheap host is not necessarily the best host, don’t be afraid to delve into what you are getting for your money, and asking about any hidden charges before you sign-up with a hosting company. And, always read the fine print!
• Performance - Look at a webhosts performance. Do they have a good track record in terms of up-time and overall speed? If they don’t, then it is highly unlikely that anyone will see your site, let alone have a chance to use your services.
Next week, I shall review website hosts and offer you a comparison for hosts in Australia and in America, having used both myself.
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890 - 1969), speech, April 2, 1957
Website Hosting Plans
Finding a website host that is reputable, offers you value for money, and strong customer service when you need it the most, is easier said than done, especially when you are a small business that does not have a big budget.
After being with a website host for many years, over five to be precise, and then being offered no customer support what-so-ever after my website experienced technical difficulties, and crashed, I decided that I needed to go in search of a new site host. I mean as a small business that is Internet based, even one week of site down-time is costly, not to mention just plain frustrating. But weeks without any word of support or advice from what I regarded once as a trusted website host, was unforgiveable. Hence, why after several e-mails and what seemed like endless trying to contact my site host, I packed up my sites and jumped ship to a new hosting company that I thought would offer me better customer service, and thankfully they do!
In my quest to find a new website host, and bearing in mind that I had already been bitten by the ‘bad site host bull terrier’, I thought that it was important that I shared my knowledge of small business site hosting with you, and saved some other poor misguided fool, the misfortune of learning for themselves what the differences are between the good, the bad, and the just plain ugly site hosts.
Here are my findings:
• Location, Location, Location – always select a local website host that is based in your country, because overseas phone calls can become costly if you encounter difficulties.
• Research – always research website hosting plans in-depth before signing-up with anyone, and compare plans whilst considering your businesses needs now and in the future.
• Customer Service – try before you buy, and test out the website host’s customer service before you commit to using their services. If they can’t help you now, what hope will there be that they will be able to help you when you encounter problems?
• Bandwidth and Storage Space – Consider exactly how much bandwidth and storage space your business will need online, before you buy any webhosting plan. The best plans are those that offer you unlimited storage and unlimited bandwidth, because this means that you are able to continually expand your site and have as many visitors as you possibly can in any given month, without being charged any additional costs.
• Cheap, Cheap, Oh Cheap – a cheap host is not necessarily the best host, don’t be afraid to delve into what you are getting for your money, and asking about any hidden charges before you sign-up with a hosting company. And, always read the fine print!
• Performance - Look at a webhosts performance. Do they have a good track record in terms of up-time and overall speed? If they don’t, then it is highly unlikely that anyone will see your site, let alone have a chance to use your services.
Next week, I shall review website hosts and offer you a comparison for hosts in Australia and in America, having used both myself.
