Monitor Your Web Site for Downtime
For those in the Internet business the availability of their web site is a major concern. The cost of downtime for web businesses can amount to $10,000 an hour. And this is without counting the losses caused by missed opportunities and lost sales. Losses in image and credibility these businesses suffer because eventual downtime is even harder to quantify.
Many of today’s web hosting providers offer 99% uptime for their web servers. If you have already chosen one or if you are planning to use one with such a high uptime should you be concerned on the whole matter anyway?
Let’s see how much 99% uptime means. For a 30-day month you have a total of 720 hours. 99% of this is 712.8 hours. Are you comfortable with your web site taking a day off every month? And this if 99% uptime happens. Can your web hosting provider back up its uptime promises with real facts? How can you tell that?
For companies making business online it might seem a good idea to move their Internet operations in-house. They develop their own infrastructure, hire specialized personnel, only to keep their business online. The cost of such an enterprise would seem rather high for the ones seasoned in the Internet business. Why? Because of the high cost implied: around $20,000 a year, without even thinking of the logistical burden.
The best way to avoid that while ensuring your business is online is to have monitoring reports available on your web host’s uptime.
For companies or individuals having their web hosting providers monitored by a third party is a guarantee not only that their money is well spent, but also, an most importantly, that their Internet business is up and running.
Having their services monitored by a third party is beneficial even for the web hosting providers. That is serious web hosting providers. Offering reports of their uptime monitored by a third party and placing links to them on their home page is bound to boost the confidence of existing customers as well as the one of the prospecting customers in the quality of service that host is providing for its customers.
This is a not only a great marketing tool, but also translates to very good customer relationship. This is vital to web hosting providers as the cost of attracting a new customer is from 5 to 10 times higher than the cost of retaining an existing customer.
Having monitoring reports, even better if they are provided by a third party, available on the host’s web site is sure to reduce the burden on the technical support center. Many calls to technical support centers from customers regard dial-up problems such as slow connection, download times, web site accessibility or various computer issues that are often related to the personal computer of the customer rather than are problems on the host’s side. This is why the number of calls to the tech support center could be reduced up to a third simply by posting the monitoring reports on the hosting provider’s web site or by simply providing a link to them.
As shown above, when talking about downtime problems the stakes are high in the Internet business. Disputes regarding the uptime will never be missing between the web hosting provider and its customers, and their resolution is almost every time a delicate issue. This is why independent monitoring provided by a third party can make the resolution of these disputes much easier for the conflicting parties.
Having a web host that provides monitoring of its uptime by a third party is the best guarantee that you can get for your web site’s uptime. With such level of service you can be sure that the money you are spending for your web presence can give your or your company the best return of investment.
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How To Build a Successful Web Hosting Business
When you start your own hosting business, there are many things you will want to take into consideration. One of the most important things you will need to figure out is how you will attract customers. There are four important factors you will need to know in order to build a solid customer base with your business. If you are a reseller, you will want to know which company to buy your package from.
You will also need to have the skills necessary to run a hosting business. The very first issue you will want to pay close attention to is the design of your website. This is the first thing a visitor will seen when loading your site, and you will want to leave a good impression. If they aren’t impressed with the design of your site, they are unlikely to become a customer. Your website should have an easy navigation menu, because few people will take the time to figure out how to move around your site. You should also try to use a custom design rather than a template.
Thousands of websites use generic templates, and they all have the same look and feel. You will not be successful online if you try to blend in with everyone else. You have to find a way to stand out, and using a custom design for your site is the first step. You want to have a professional look. It is also important to provide a variety of different hosting packages which can accomodate clients on a budget. Whether you decide to offer customer service via phone, IM, or email, make sure you respond to questions quickly. If you take longer than a day, your service will appear to be poor.
If you have some money, don’t be afraid to invest in a tech support department. It is well worth it, and will separate your company from the thousands of other hosting services available. You should also provide tutorials on your website which will help your clients learn more how to optimize or market their sites. If your target is clients with e-commerce sites, write articles about how they can build their business.
It may be helpful to start a forum where your clients can exchange ideas or information. This could function as a kind of tech support where clients answer each others questions and problems. At the same time, if you start a forum it is critical that you provide excellent service. If you make an error with a client, it won’t be long before many of your other customers learn about it.
Michael Colucci is a technical writer for $2.99 Hosting – Complete web hosting services at only $2.99 per month.
Choosing Your Web Hosting Company – Get It Right The First Time!
Most companies and small businesses need a company to host their websites. Have you looked for a web hosting company on the Internet lately? How many web hosting companies did you see? There are literally thousands of web hosting companies, each competing for your business. So, how to pick the right one?
When you think about it, the web hosting company will become the lifeblood of your business. Everything from how fast (or how slow) their servers are, to how much bandwidth they offer will ultimately impact your business. Understandably, you don’t want to choose the wrong one, which could be a costly mistake (even fatal if you start losing customers). Conventional wisdom says that you should pick a large web hosting company to host your website. But, is conventional wisdom always right? Think about it..if you go with a very large web hosting company, are they going to be able to give you the personal service that your business deserves (and needs)? Maybe. But maybe not.
The fact is that you need a web hosting company that will maintain the servers, perform upgrades, support the most popular applications and keep your site running with minimal downtime. Can a conventional, large web hosting company do this? Some can.
But think about this..how many guaranteed uptime claims have you seen? Hundreds? Thousands? The fact is that most large web hosting companies now claim to have the latest servers and technology with uptime over 98%, etc, etc, etc. That being said, server uptime is not a major reason for you to choose one web hosting company over another.
For many people, it all comes down to price. After all, online business owners need to save money, right? The cost for web hosting generally varies and is dependent on the size of the web hosting company, the web hosting packages that they offer, disk space, and other features. Keep in mind that, in today’s world of web hosting, (as with almost anything else), size does not necessarily indicate quality. Before you sign-up with the web hosting company, check to find out if you will get enough space for your site for now and the future, if your site will eventually grow.
How reliable is the web hosting company’s customer service? The fact is that time is money ¨C you don’t make money if your site is down. Also, if you are having any problems whatsoever related to the hosting of your site, you need to be able to resolve these quickly and easily – preferably without waiting on hold for hours. Assuming that most web hosting companies have email for support, sometimes you need to speak to a live human being because your problem may require immediate attention. Does the web hosting company have a money back guarantee?
You need to be able to take your business somewhere else if you find that the web hosting company is not working out for you.
Your web hosting company should absolutely offer easy administration for your account. This is very important. You can solve most problems yourself if the Control Panel area is straightforward. Do you want to have to call the web hosting company every time you need to make a change? I didn’t think so!
Do you understand the Control Panel well enough to be able to handle applications installation and email set-up and administration by yourself? Does the web hosting company have a knowledgebase, FAQ section or Online Help on their site that you can reference for small questions?
Choosing a web hosting company is no small decision, so you should not take it lightly. On the surface, it may seem to be as simple as choosing the lowest price or largest company, but in reality it is much deeper than that. Your business depends on your web hosting company and how good it is. You can’t afford to trust it to just anyone.
Greg Cesar gets results. Find out how hundreds of webmasters benefit from Greg’s web hosting and internet marketing knowledge by visiting this link:
http://www.hostpartnerplus.com
Greg Cesar gets results. Find out how hundreds of webmasters benefit from Greg’s web hosting and internet marketing knowledge by visiting his Web Hosting Company website.
Web Hosting On The Cheap – Costing You More In The Long Run!
Your business is your lifeline. Thus, your web hosting company is the heart of your business. However, some Internet Business owners fail to recognize the difference between Business Web Hosting and other, types of cheap web hosting. It is critical that you, as a savvy Internet Entrepreneur, understand the difference between the two. And there is a huge difference.
Your business requires certain things from a web hosting company to remain up and running 24/7, and to continue to be profitable. It needs a reliable host, enough bandwidth, and the ability to expand as your business grows. Also critical to the success of your business, it needs an email system that is both reliable, non- restrictive and customer friendly. A free or cheap web hosting company will not be able to offer you these features. You need company specializing in Business Web Hosting.
You may have heard about the free web hosting offered by many Internet Service Providers; many Internet Entrepreneurs even rely on them. This is a huge mistake. Cheap web hosting companies such as these are extremely limited as to what features and what kind of service they can offer a serious online business owner (you are serious, aren’t you?).
We’ve all seen some of the websites out there, the ones that have family pictures, blogs, recipes, etc. These websites are probably hosted by ISPs or cheap web hosting companies. Do you want your business, your lifeblood to end up like this? Do you even want your business in the same category? I didn’t think so. This illustrates the difference between a Business Web Hosting company and a cheap, fly by night or ISP web hosting company. You must consider more than what the price of the web hosting package may be. Remember, you really do get what you pay for. In the realm of web hosting, cheap=cheap, in every sense of the word.
We won’t even discuss free web hosting in detail here. No explanation is really needed (ever heard the expression, nothing in life is free?). But in short, it is generally unreliable, limited and probably will have you sharing IP addresses with just about everyone, including the Spammers. Choosing a free or cheap web host is a quick way to make your site both unreliable and irrelevant (due to lack of bandwidth and the number of websites being hosted), not to mention appearing unreliable, unappealing and unprofessional to visitors.
Additionally, with a free web hosting company, you will probably use the web host’s domain name. As a serious business professional, you need your own domain and you need business web hosting.
A business web hosting company will have fast servers, adequate disk space and will be able to offer you lots of options in web hosting packages. Generally, business web hosting companies are able to grow with your business, give you advice and form a long- term relationship. A business web hosting company will make sure that you are a satisfied customer. You wont be just a number to them. They have a vested interest in providing your business with superior customer service. Cheap or free web hosting companies simply don’t do this. They don¡¯t have any motivation. After all, it’s cheap or free!
Business web hosting companies also have something that the free or cheap web hosting companies don¡¯t have and something that is most often overlooked. They have the ability to offer you a dedicated IP address. Having a dedicated IP address means that your website is not sharing an IP address with anyone else. Why is this important? Assume that a web hosting company has an IP address that has 1000′s of websites sharing it along with yours. One of these sites happens to be a Spammer (and it only takesone). The entire IP, along with your website, can and probably will be banned by the search engines eventually. You don’t want this to happen to your business. If it does, it could be months before you realize why your website traffic has ground to a halt.
Below are additional features that set business class hosting apart from the cheap or free web hosting companies:
FTP access User-friendly Control Panel Backup Servers should the main server go down Backup Systems Blogging Software Raw Logs (help you monitor performance)
Additionally, a business web hosting company will be able to offer you something more substantial than the standard 98% uptime guarantee. Let’s face it ¨C in today¡¯s world, this guarantee really isn’t a selling point anymore.
Selecting a business web hosting company for your business is a serious decision. You can’t afford not to choose a web host specializing in business class web hosting. So think through your decision carefully, evaluate your options and choose wisely. Your business is important to you. You need a business web host that will be not only your web hosting company, but your business partner as well.
Greg Cesar gets results. Find out how hundreds of webmasters benefit from Greg’s web hosting and internet marketing knowledge by visiting his Business Web Hosting website.
Greg Cesar is a successful Internet marketer, web designer and web hosting provider with over 10 years’ experience. He specializes in providing innovative web hosting and internet marketing services that help business owners make more money online. To improve your online business immediately and work with someone who understands what it takes to make real money online, visit: http://www.hostpartnerplus.com
A Short Guide to Affordable Web Hosting
For individuals & businesses, choosing an affordable web hosting plan on a limited budget is a challenge.
The main reason for this is that most companies offering ecommerce hosting solutions focus on the higher-end corporate market and often overlook the small business web hosting segment.
However, finding reliable web hosting isn’t exactly a cakewalk, but it can be relatively easy if you follow these simple steps: define your requirements; user review survey; create a short list of potential ecommerce web hosting as well as email hosting services and ask questions.
Define your requirements:
• How much disk space and bandwidth is necessary?
• Type of hosting – dedicated / private or shared web hosting?
• Will you require CGI or database capacities?
• What type of hosting plan will you need – Windows hosting plans or Linux hosting plans.
• Will your website have any streaming media requirements?
• Will your site change substantially in the future?
• Affordable web hosting only for your purposes or for clients – shared web hosting.
User Review Survey:
• Always take testimonials at face value. User forums are the best place to find the truth. Also mail webmasters to get a reality checks.
• Be wary of Web hosting directories and mailing lists, many are owned & operated by Web hosts.
• Read the declarations regarding service uptime, downtime, backup, security etc.
Create a shortlist:
• Make a list of potential ecommerce web hosting and email hosting services that you see are recommended the most and complained about the least.
• Determine which hosts offer specific services that you need, with scalability for future changes.
• Determine which host fits your price range.
Ask questions:
• Ask mundane questions to check the quality, speed & efficacy of their response.
• Ask the service providers technical questions to gauge their acumen, knowledge and accuracy.
• Ask a lot of question to determine the host’s commitment to customers.
• Subject host to an honesty test: offer them the opportunity to up sell you needlessly. (simple yet effective)
The Tricks of the Trade
SOHO consumers can find the most effective hosting services for their business if they follow and understand the following recommendations:
• Make sure the hosting company offers 24/7/365 technical support by phone, email and chat whether you have opted for windows hosting plans or Linux hosting plans.
• Do not be seduced by hosts offering cheap shared hosting services or extra services than you need. Most of them skimp on security & support.
• Choose a host who is flexible, scalable, and who can grow with your business.
• Ensure that you can add domains to a core plan and resell services.
• Ensure that the host offers a knowledge base of scripts, online marketing effective coding. (A surefire way to check their scale of operations)
• Check to ensure that the host offers some level of interaction.
• Watch for signs of rudeness, impatience and unresponsiveness.
• Do not sign a long-term contact for hosting services right away.
• If you have more than one site, consider spreading them among several hosts.
For a small web business start-up, choosing the right ecommerce hosting at the right time can be the best strategic move. It can enable your business to grow fast and offer you a high ROI. Reliable and affordable web hosting can be the crucial factor between failure & success.
Summary – For a small web business start-up, choosing the right ecommerce hosting at the right time can be the best strategic move. It can enable your business to grow fast and offer you a high ROI. Reliable and affordable web hosting can be the crucial factor between your failure & success.
Andy Lewis is an expert author on web hosting related topics. affordable web hosting plan