Articles on Hosting | Topics: hosting, web, host
by Kachine Watts
In today's web hosting world, it's difficult to differentiate the bad web hosts from the good ones. Sure, you can read all their different policies and some testimonials from ecstatic customers, but can you really tell the difference between them? Do you know what the signs of a bad cheap web host are? Well there are some obvious ones, as well as some not so obvious ones.
The first thing that should set off your warning sense is a lack of support. This is also one of the easiest things to see among all web hosts, as you'll have a first-hand view of what's going on. If your web host isn't responding to your calls, or if you're continuously emailing them, and not getting any return email – even just to say that they got your email – then they're a bad web host. For all you know this cheap web host may not even have a support staff as they have to keep their overhead low. Generally speaking the better the support you receive, the stronger the web host is. If you're not getting that crucial support in times of need, your website is going to have trouble. The best way to test this is to phone ahead of time and see how difficult it is to get a human operator. Also, try to email the web host for technical support, and see if you get an individualized response or just a generic one. If it's generic or if you don't get any response – this web host isn't a good one.
Another good way to test your web host is to look at how profitable they are. The cheap web hosts to avoid are the ones that provide a whole bunch of different free services, or charge so little that they cannot possibly make a profit. It's one of those things that sound too good to be true because it is. If your web host is a public company simply look to see if it's turning a profit. If it is you're in good hands – if it's not you'll want to switch web hosts. If your web host is private it can be more difficult to figure out if they're turning a profit. Look around at all the services they offer, and see if they're all offered at an exceptionally low price. If they're charging such a low amount of money how can they possibly make money? You get what you pay for, and if your cheap web host is too cheap – you're in trouble.
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The delicate, invisible web you wove
The inexplicable mystery of sound.
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Web hosts are usually very low profile, so if your web host is being covered on a major news story, generally it's bad news. Unless it's positive press, you may want to cut your losses and switch hosts as soon as possible. You should get your hands on some business publications and read them, as they will tell you how your web host is doing – whether there are changes in management, a company buy out, or even a slight change in policy that could have a major impact. The more knowledge you have, the less likely you are to be taken advantage of.
The last thing that bad web hosts continually do is change the prices and the services they offer. While every company has to alter prices and services from time to time to survive, bad cheap web hosts will frequently increase prices while decreasing service. Every time there is a price increase, you must do a little sleuthing to discover exactly why this price increase happened. Was it because there was going to be some layoffs? Is the web host not able to turn a profit? Whatever it is you need to know so that you can react appropriately.
Cheap web hosts are not right for everyone, and a lot of the times they're less than upfront about what's going on behind closed doors. You have to maintain a high awareness so that you don't get taken advantage of, and so that your company's website doesn't suddenly disappear. The sooner you can recognize that your web host isn't that good, the better off you'll be. The best advice is that as soon as the web host starts to sink or even show signs of sinking – jump ship, do it before it's too late.
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