You may not think that choosing a web host is important, but when your website goes down, your selection of a web hosting service will become critical.
How do you go about the task of choosing a host? Whether you’re finding a host for your new site or migrating an existing site to a new host, you’ll want to find a hosting service that will meet all of your needs.
The price of web hosting has come down considerably over the years, so look for quality and convenience over price. Erratic service can cost your business a lot more than monthly hosting fees.
Costs start at zero
There are free hosting services. We would recommend these for hobbyists; the compromises that are required are unacceptable for a business website. The first compromise is your website’s address. While free, it will read something like www.freehost.com/~mycompany/index.html. That will be quite a mouthful at a Chamber of Commerce mixer (even if you can remember it). It’s much easier and more professional to tell people, “we’re at mycompany.com.”
Another compromise is that your free site will probably be “ad supported.” Your site could be surrounded by text ads or, worse yet, animated ads that distract your visitors with movement and sound.
Yet another disadvantage of free hosting for businesses is that you cannot establish email accounts. If you’re using mycompany@aol.com as your business email account, it’s time to get your own domain name (easily done with no special training through godaddy.com or any number of domain purchasing sites) and set up email accounts through your own website. Your new email address, sally@mycompany.com, will reinforce your branding and add credibility to your business. Email under your own domain name is the digital equivalent of a business card.
Use the free site for your personal interests, not for business. Don’t expect a high degree of responsiveness to your requests for technical support, as you’ll probably get what you paid for.
Hosting on a dedicated server
On the optimum end of the spectrum, in terms of cost and maintenance, would be in-house hosting. This would require a full-time, on-site tech who can handle email functionality, domain redirecting, hardware and software issues, and communications with domain registrars, etc. This would also require a high-speed, dedicated line. It may be a smart option for a company that maintains a huge, enterprise site, but for most businesses, even when they have sizable, multi-layered secure sites, this option presents challenges.
Web hosting services
Most businesses will opt for a web hosting service. There are many advantages to this, not the least of which will be the availability of support and expertise. In addition to maintaining and upgrading extensive hosting hardware and software, look to web hosting companies to provide:
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Email accounts under your domain name
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E-commerce capabilities
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Databases to support updating and serving large quantities of information
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Website statistics
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Support for content management systems
Generally, the more you pay, the more services are available, though it doesn’t always work this way. Ask colleagues what web host they use and what sort of services they receive.
Want to learn more about local technology? Come to the next Redwood Technology Consortium meeting.
Lynn Harvey and Joel Mielke are owners of Carson Park Design, a full-service advertising agency in Eureka. Locally, they are members of the RTC and are active in both the Eureka and Arcata Chambers of Commerce and the Small Business Development Center.
Copyright 2008, Eureka Times Standard Newspaper. The print version of this article first appeared in the 5/29/08 version of the Times Standard.