Does Your Web Hosting Provider Treat You As Just a Number?

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Does Your Web Hosting Provider Treat You As Just a Number?

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Does Your Web Hosting Provider Treat You As Just a Number?

You probably know how important your choice of web hosting company is to your business. But in case you don't, we'll discuss it right now. At first look, cheap web hosting may seem like a good deal. What's wrong with saving a little money? There are, hoever, some areas in which the online business owner, just can't afford to cut corners. Choose a cheap web hosting company is like putting water in the gas tank of your car just to save money. While you can cut corners in other areas of your business, your web hosting company is not one of these areas for one simple reason: with free or cheap web hosting companies, you are not much more than a number, just another website.

Let's see at how cheap or free web hosting companies make money and do business. First, how can they offer such cheap prices or free web hosting? The answer: volume. They host thousands of websites, some small, some large. In hosting thousands of websites, they can't possibly give you the personalized service you deserve. Why? Because the number of sites hosted, together with the low pricing simply makes it an unfeasible business practice. From a business standpoint, they cannot do this. It would not make sense to their bottom line. Second, large web hosting companies can generally do more with less. They are not going to hire more people to service more customers when they can do the same job with less. Granted, customer service will suffer. But to them, this is a tradeoff that they make up for with volume.

Now let's look at things from the point of view of an online business owner. You know that time is money. Every time your site is down you are losing money. Even 5 minutes is too long for your site to be inaccessible to potential customers. Online businesses must run 24/7. Does your web hosting company know that? More importantly, when you have a problem, is your's "just another website" to them? Or will they take personal ownership of the problem and solve it as soon as possible? What about follow up? Are you just another website in the heap? Or will they follow up with you to make sure that you are a satisfied customer and your site is running smoothly? Even better, will they follow up personally, via phone call? Or will they just send an email - an automated one at that?

Many web business owners make the mistake of choosing a cheap web hosting company hoping it will help save them money. Actually, it often costs them more in the long run in the form of downtime, time spent waiting for answers from the hosting company and lost customers. Below are a few tips that should tell you if you are "just another website" to your web hosting company:

* Time - Does your web hosting provider have an "open door policy"? If you have a question, will they have an answer or will they refer you to their Help Page? As an online business owner, there is nothing more frustrating than calling the web hosting company for help and then being told to go to a URL for help. If your web hosting provider does this to you, then you are just a number to them.

* Accessibility - Is your web hosting provider answering the phone promptly? When they do, who is it? Sales? This is the big tip-off. A web hosting provider that really knows you and cares about your business won't automatically try to sell you something and they won't hide behind an answering machine or salesperson. A cheap web host definitely won't know you by name; they will know you by the domain that you have with them.

* Business Knowledge - Does your web hosting provider know what your needs are as a website owner? Do they care? Are they hiring teenagers from the local high school to answer their phones and who can't really help you? Does your web hosting company have Internet Marketing experience? If you are with a cheap web host, the answer is no, because they do their business by volume and can't be focused on those kinds of issues. Kind of ironic given the fact that you have a website in the first place due to the Internet?

* Advertising/Sales Tactics - As your business grows, how many services is your web hosting company trying to sell you? How many emails do they send you trying to get you to upgrade, pay upfront, etc.? And how do they make their sales? I'll tell you: aggressive advertising and sales tactics. For a cheap web host, it's the only way, because it is all about the numbers. And you are one of them.

* Relationship-Driven - Does your web hosting provider want a relationship with you or your money? I bet by now you can guess the answer. The fact is, cheap web hosting companies make profits by increasing sales. If one customer leaves, so be it, because they have the volume to make that up. They really don't have the time, resources or the inclination to really make sure they have a satisfied, long-term client in you.

* Patience - Lots of web business owners don't know their way around web hosting. That's understandable. When you talk to the sales department of your web hosting provider do they use ordinary English or "technospeak" that you don't understand? Do they have the patience to explain everything to you? Or do they automatically assume that you should know and become more impatient the more questions you ask? To put it bluntly, do they make you feel stupid? If you are trying to give the web hosting provider your business and they are making you feel stupid for asking questions, they may as well be saying "Next!" Why would they do this? Because your business is just another website to them.

Generally, a business web hosting provider that gives you personalized service, has answers to your questions will serve your web business better. Having lots of options is fine, but even better is the peace of mind that comes with knowing that to your web hosting provider, your business and its success is priority one.

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