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Some
people classify low cost web hosting on par with free web hosting and
while this may seem a little harsh, there are certain factors one needs
to be very careful about when going for low cost web hosts.
Downtime: There
is really no point in spending so much time and money constructing a
good site and then ending up in a situation where people cannot access
your site. So when choosing your web host from the thousands of low
cost web hosts out there, there are a few things you should do to
ensure that downtime does not affect your business as you use a low
cost web host.
Beware of the bandwidth time bomb:It
is important to digest properly how much bandwidth and storage space
you are getting for your monthly fee. Bandwidth is a real time bomb
because one day your site may become very popular and attract very high
traffic that may require more bandwidth. This could happen sooner than
you expect and it makes plenty of sense to find out exactly what your
options are when you suddenly need a lot more bandwidth. Otherwise you
risk having extended downtime when it is most critical that you do not
have it, so as to retain the high traffic that you are attracting.
Get technical and you will know if the host has a stable server system: Most
good web hosting services will post specifications of their web servers
on their sites. Analyzing this information will help a client get a
good idea of how stable the web host’s server system is. The more
stable the configuration is, the less the likelihood of frequent
downtimes. Most people are not technical, but almost everybody knows
somebody who can help them analyze the technical jargon at the web
hosts’ site.
Check your site several times during the day and the night too: Most
webmasters get so busy that they hardly have the time to check their
own sites. It is absolutely critical that this is done. It is even
worth the effort and cash of hiring somebody to do it for you on a
regular basis through out the day. Not only should you get your site’s
accessibility regular tested but you should also test everything on the
site and make sure that it works. This is the only way your visitors
are going to gauge you and what sort of business you run, so take the
trouble to make sure that your site is not only up all the time, but
that it is also running properly.
In conclusion,
it is possible to get a low cost host who delivers, but it will require
a lot of work and checking from your end.
Generally,
cheap web hosting providers are newer companies. There's a reason for
this. It's extremely difficult for the older companies to lower their
prices when they already have a large customer base which pays higher
prices. They'd be slashing their gross, and most companies just can't
afford that.
So how do cheap web hosting providers offer such a low price to begin with?
Part of it is
that servers, hard drive space and bandwidth are much, much less
expensive than they were several years ago. Cheap web hosting providers
capitalize on this.
Another part
is that cheap hosting providers use a different business model than the
older providers. Web hosting is a very competitive business. Until
recently, web hosts attempted to compete by providing the most tools
and features. The problem with this model is that not everyone needs
everything. Most web hosts provide free backup services to all of their
clients. Backups are costly, and not everyone needs or wants them, but
everyone pays for them because they're built into the cost of the
package.
A cheap web
hosting provider, on the other hand, might give you the basic features
that everyone uses, but offer weekly backups as an available add on
feature, putting the cost of backing up websites on only those
customers who want that service.
This all
sounds great, I know, but what about service? Will I get competent and
fast customer support from a company which charges me $5.95 per month?
The answer, surprisingly, is usually yes.
Obviously, not all cheap web hosting providers will give you great
service. But not all expensive web hosting providers will give good
service either.
But, with a cheaper provider, the key for the providers
success is customer retention. A savvy web host will endeavor to please
his existing clients by providing the best support possible.
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Pages on the same topic: Cheap Web Hosting
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