Choosing a web host based on price? Don't!
by David Leonhardt
Published on this site: April 26th, 2005 - See
more articles from this month...
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 http://www.phastnet.com
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? 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. Companies like http://www.dotcom-monitor.com
monitor websites for a variety of measures, and the cost
is nothing compared to the
cost of lost sales.
To point # 3 above, here is a real posting to a forum (with all
identifiers removed):
"I have been at number one on Google for the past several
years when you do a search for my [edited] company. However
I am changing hosts at the moment and my site was 'offline'
for about 5 to 7 days before I managed to get something back
up. This lead to me completely disappearing from the Google
listing!! You can imagine my immense disappointment!!"
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.
David Leonhardt's website is http://www.seo-writer.net
Read his SEO book: http://www.seo-writer.net/books/seo-book.html
Read his media relations plan:
http://www.seo-writer.net/books/media-relations-plan.html
David Leonhardt is a <a href="http://www.seo-writer.net">
Canadian website marketing consultant in Ottawa</a>. Read
his <a
href="http://www.seo-writer.net/books/seo-book.html">SEO
book and tips</a> and his <a href="http://www.seowriter.net/.../media-
relations-plan.html">media relations plan</a>.
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