web hosting

Free Hosting Is Not Always The Best Choice

With the economy hitting not only the individual but also businesses, many are looking toward free web hosting services to house their online site.  For monetary reasons, this looks great on the surface.  But going free is not always the best choice and may, in fact, cost your business money in the long run.

Ads

While a company may offer hosting at no cost, they are by no means not making money off of your site.  Nearly all free hosting offers will involve advertising placed on your pages.  These will be completely out of your control.  Some companies try to gear ads toward being relevant to the site topic but this isn’t always guaranteed.  Add in the very real fact that your competition may be placed on your web site and this can equal a loss of revenue for you.

No control

Another downside to hosting for free is a severe lack of control.  Most free hosting companies do not offer a control panel or an ftp access account to allow administration of a web site.  This means you cannot make page changes on the fly or add in programs that may be needed by your business.  If you are a retail business, this means no ability to add in a shopping cart or software that helps you control your inventory.  Putting a bit of tracking coding is not an option unless you can have access to the page coding.  Even attempting to change the look of your web site can be an issue.  Some free hosting sites will give you access to templates and a few will even allow some minor changes made to backgrounds.  But, all said, you are very limited to what you can do within your own site.

Support

Support is another problem with free web hosting.  You’ll be limited to perhaps some online forum areas to ask your questions but you won’t have numbers to call, ticket support systems or one of many options offered by paid hosting.  If your business site isn’t working, this can end up costing you a lot of money.

Affordable solutions

Paid hosting these days really doesn’t put a huge dent in your pocketbook.  Some hosting companies run specials on a regular basis and you’re sure to find one that will fit your budget.  You can find hosting from as low as $3-$5 a month, depending on what your business web site requires.  Many of these companies also give a lot of great features for your money – including unlimited web space, unlimited bandwidth and a huge assortment of easy to install programs to get your site up and running quickly.

What it boils down to

When all is said and done, you need to ensure your business is hosted with a company that you can rely on for support and also one that gives you the needed tools to ensure your online site is a success.  This is one time when you do not want to “tighten your belt” or “pinch pennies.”  Do a bit of research and find a good, solid hosting company with a price you can afford.

Three Steps to Finding a New Web Host

Because nothing lasts forever, there may come a time when you need to break it off with your web hosting company.  This could be for a number of reasons.  Perhaps the customer service and technical support isn’t up to your standards.  Maybe the host doesn’t necessarily provide all the services as advertised.  It could be that your website has grown considerably and the provider can no longer meet your needs.  Whatever the reason, you must find yourself a new host before cutting ties with the old one.

Test the Support

If your web hosting company isn’t providing you with quality, responsive support, that is all the more reason to get out on the hunt for a new service.  In order to avoid making the same mistake, you must be very selective when choosing a new host.  It is best to sign up with a company that offers various means of support, not just email.  Think support ticket, live chat and most importantly, toll-free phone.  You may also want to look for a host that offers self-help resources such as a knowledge base, FAQ page or video tutorials.  How will you know if the company offers good support?  Send them an email during the late night hours or call the toll-free line over the weekend.  If you get fast, satisfactory answers, there is a good chance the host will be responsive throughout the relationship.

Check Out the Reputation

There are literally thousands of web hosts in existence and it is impossible for you to know about each and everyone of them.  Most of these companies will be foreign to you.  With that said, it is important to do your research and learn more about the provider’s reputation.  Some companies have been in the industry since the very beginning while others are relatively new.  Although every host has to start somewhere, it is best to choose one that is more likely to be around in the future.  You would be surprised at the number of web hosting companies that have failed and taken their customers down with them.

Know How to Research

Sometimes, customers find themselves in a bad situation because they rushed into purchasing service without investigating first.  In order to learn a company’s background, you must know how to perform the necessary research.  A good place to start would be discussion forums that focus on web hosting.  Another option you have is reading web hosting reviews.  Both will provide you with customer feedback about particular web hosting companies.  They generally tell you about the costs, features, methods of support and the overall quality of service. To get a few expert opinions, you can refer to editorial reviews.  This is great way to get a good mix of views and decipher genuine feedback from biased spins.

Even if you have a good relationship with your web host, there still may come a point where you feel it is time to move.  Whatever drives you to a new host, always seek out a provider that is able to meet your needs in terms of features, reliability and support.