Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Does the Host You Choose Make a Difference?

Do you ever think about who is hosting your website, do you think it matters? Yes of course it does!

A web host is someone who “houses” you website/pages. A good analogy is it is like you are renting an on-line store. So it is important when renting this space that it is big enough to hold prospective customers that come into it. It is equally as important to have a space that will be able to manage all the inventory – and products you need to put in it. You also need a big enough door for you customers to fit through.

This is a simplification but honestly a host is so very important when considering the success of your online business. There are many hosting companies on the internet, some look great but are terrible, some charge an arm and a leg but do no more than a hosting company that charges a reasonable amount.

I have worked with hosting companies that I loved in the beginning then they cut the customer service (I left – I do not work with any company that does not offer excellent customer service). I do not work with hosting businesses I cannot get responses from or will not help me directly… I will only work with hosting companies (personally I have one I love) that enable me to get into the back end and add or take away an email and really manage my site.

This is so very important – yet sometime overlooked. You need a host that is up 99.99 % of the time. If a visitor comes to your website and it is down, chances are they will not come back. What happens then? A missed sale and a chance to have a life long customer.

One hosting company I highly recommend is Hands On Web Hosting I have had nothing but great customer service from them, I have actually gotten to know them quite well.

Word of Caution: Do not use a free host for you online business… They are NEVER what you need- some of them will not even let you use your own domain name. Most free hosting site have you put up banners and ads - how unprofessional is that!

If you are serious about your business, you must appear successful and if you cannot even afford a host for your website - what is that saying about you? It is so obvious to visitors that your business must be floundering - or not very successful…

This may seem like a small thing, but it is a big thing when marketing your business online.

Pamela Jacob - Artista Design

Providing Creative Solutions & Amazing Results

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