Don’t Pick a Stinky Host - Smelling a Rat
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Be prepared to smell a rat if a deal sounds too good to be true. It probably is. There are several variations on this, ranging in irritation from soured milk all the way up to a landfill on fire. Fortunately, most of these are also easy to avoid.
If you’re a business, or trying to look polished, turn your nose up at free web space. Why do you suppose it’s free? The company offering it makes money off the ads it places prominently on your page. Doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose of having your own site? This may or may not matter much to a hobbyist, but if you are making money through your website, you should not, in effect, be giving it away to someone else at the same time. Likewise, very low cost hosting deals may ask for something in return that will eat into your profits.
If you have big plans for your website, don’t lock yourself into a limited hosting package. They may cost less, but again, there’s a reason for that: you get less, probably less than you really need. Every online business should be able to add order forms, statistics, and multiple email accounts to its website. Can the web host do dedicated hosting? Are its servers secure? Can you get as much web space as you need? What about autoresponders? These are just a few of the things you need to think about for your business website.
Another issue with free or low cost web hosting has to do with the way such companies make their money. They often crowd too many websites onto their servers. This means that your customers might not be able to reach your site because of the traffic on the server. When that happens, it is as if your business is closed.
Easier isn’t always better. Take the example of a web hosting company that offers PayPal as a way of paying for your web hosting account. This can be a good thing; after all, PayPal has 78 million member accounts in 56 countries worldwide. But if that’s the only payment method it accepts, then it stinks. A reputable web hosting company will use a secure server with its own billing software, and keep a record of your payment in its own database.
What about those web hosting firms offering a low price for “lifetime” hosting? Wouldn’t it be nice to never have to pay for web hosting again? Sure, but, at best, “lifetime” really means lifetime of the web hosting company. With that kind of revenue model, it won’t be very long. Web hosting companies need a constant stream of money coming in to stay in business, and that’s not going to happen if everyone who signs up makes just one lump payment.
Next: Avoiding the Stench >>
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