Good Customer Service Critical In Low Cost Hosting
Apart from all the standard concerns when shopping for low cost web hosting - disk space, bandwidth, server platform, and number of emails - don't forget the critical factor of customer service. A cheap web host is by no means a bad web host, but customer service does vary from company to company. In many cases low cost web hosting is economical because corners have been cut somewhere and in far too many instances that "somewhere" is customer service.
When comparing low cost hosting be sure to ask if the customer service department is open every day or if the host offers twenty four hour service. Most cheap web host providers won't offer that level of service but some do. Remember that low cost hosting ranges from $1 to $20 a month so if you are willing to drift toward to the upper end of the low cost web hosting spectrum you can reasonably expect fuller service from a company.
There are many sites that list of sources of low cost hosting but most of those sites are simply an advertising venue disguised as a directory. An exception is findmyhosting.com where visitors can read about low cost web hosting and cheap web host companies, learn the vocabulary of web hosting in general, and have access to comprehensive reviews of the performance of various low cost hosting entities. There is no better gauge of the effectiveness of customer service than to read what others have to say about their experiences with a cheap web host.
An exciting development in customer service is the availability of live chat to resolve issues. Particularly at a cheap web host the technicians who man the chat window may only be able to solve simple problems but at the very least, communicating with them will get your trouble ticket submitted more quickly.
Consider also that if you find yourself constantly needing customer service to resolve issues with your low cost web hosting, you may need to switch providers. Low cost hosting is available because shared hosting has become the norm online. Small web hosting entities rent servers from larger entities and resell space to their customers. The rapidly increasing size of hard drives in relation to the corresponding decrease in their price has made shared hosting arrangements all the more feasible.
The servers in which these hard drives are housed are not second rate and there is no reason for low cost hosting to be sub-standard. If your customer service is sub-standard, however, it could be a warning sign of greater problems afoot at the hosting company. Long wait times on the telephone are a norm in customer service, but it is unacceptable for simple problems to go unresolved or un-explained.
There are many factors you must consider in evaluating the effectiveness of a cheap web host to broadcast your site to the Internet. As prices continue to fall for hosting services and as more small entities get into the hosting game, these choices won't get any easier. Disk space, bandwidth, appropriate server platform, and good email service are all extremely important but sooner or later you are going to need to talk to someone. There is nothing more frustrating than a ringing customer service line that never picks up unless it's a clueless person on the other end who cannot resolve your problem when someone finally does answer.
In looking at potential providers for low cost hosting, don't ignore the customer service factor. Read reviews about the performance of the cheap web host and if at all possible talk to people who have had experience with hosting through the company you are considering. While it is not difficult to change web hosts, it is an annoyance and represents potential down time for your site. Make sure that you are going to be able to communicate with your low cost hosting company before you sign on the dotted line and agree to rent out space on their server.
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