Choosing The Best Web Hosting Service
Being reliable is the single key factor that you should look for in a web host. Webmasters and online entrepreneurs rank reliability as number one in importance when surveyed.
It is not easy to describe all of the components of reliability. Except in glaringly obvious exceptions, most web hosting companies know what they are doing, have the newest equipment to do it, and charge around the same to do it for you. The main difference between them, then becomes how they deal with you, and how good their customer service is.
The important question becomes, "How can I get a quick, direct resolution for problems with my website?" Unfortunately, fast and simple solutions can be hard to come by.
When you are discussing a problem with the technical support person for your web host, it might seem like they are on the line with a few other people at the same time. This is because of the number of clients they have, and the fact that when something goes wrong, almost all of those clients will be on the phone. This can make for difficult conversations to resolve the issue.
A good technical support person will use a helpful tone of voice and offer solutions. They will assume that you are basically competent and not automatically assume that you have somehow caused the problem at your end. After all, they are most qualified to check out problems at their end.
While sympathizing with this approach is not too far fetched, as it is, in many cases, a user issue. However, often it isn't and you will find nothing more infuriating than wasting time attempting to troubleshoot from the website only to discover that the host needed to reboot their server to fix the problem.
The sad fact is that many web hosting tech people do not understand the meaning of customer service. Many suffer from superiority complexes. This is how they manage to get away with giving shoddy, and unfriendly service because changing hosts is too inconvenient for their clients.
This is thankfully changing for the better. There's enough information out there now to change hosts without much trouble and some will even assist transferring your domain to their systems.
Unfortunately there is no completely fool-proof way to know in advance where you are likely to get good, reliable, customer-friendly service.
You can try looking at web host review sites to get some comparisons between hosts. But unfortunately many of these sites are themselves not reliable. For one thing, they are usually trying to resell hosting services, so the "reviews" are often tainted. For another, if they contain comments and reviews by the public, these can also be manipulated. Some hosts will post bogus reviews praising their own services and criticising those of their competition.
Forums on sites about web hosting can also supply reliable information, though they may be subject to the previously mentioned manipulations. However, the rapid pace of change in the web hosting industry means that comments over a year old are probably no longer applicable.
A great idea is to begin by examining the website of the host and if it is sort of perplexing or full of jargon, it may mean that the host does not care about communicating with clients. Usually, this tips you off to a problem that you might find navigation of their support structure difficult or that just getting a plainly worded answer to your questions could be extremely difficult.
You can tell if a company is customer focused by their website. You are looking for a simple layout and products designed for the customer, combined with a support system that is easy to work with. Contact customer service before you have a problem, and see if they are willing to work with you.
You should also look for testimonials from real web hosting customers. Make sure they are clearly identified with names and website addresses. If you really want to be aggressive, you might contact some of these people directly.
Naturally, there is no absolute guarantee in this. The web hosting business is extremely competitive, however, and, all things considered, you will probably be most successful if you find a web host with a simple, up front, customer-focused approach.
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Published November 11th, 2007
Filed in Internet, Search Engine