| Reliable web hosting is vital for anyone attempting to | | | | another problem arose: when I tried to log into my |
| earn money with a business website. | | | | control panel all I got was a message telling me the |
| Choosing a host for your website is not easy when | | | | licence fee had not been paid. This time the reply to |
| you are an Internet newbie and don't really know | | | | my support ticket was quicker, it only took two |
| bandwidth from Band-Aid. What selection criteria do | | | | days. Unfortunately, however, it was completely |
| you use? If you are a total newbie, about the only | | | | unhelpful. The reply was "It seems to be a site-wide |
| thing you will know how to compare is price but if | | | | issue". Was I supposed to feel better because the |
| you do a search for web hosting you will have ads | | | | whole site was messed up and not just my bit? |
| coming at you for all prices from $10 per year to $25 | | | | They must have got round to paying the licence fee |
| per month. Should you go for the most expensive on | | | | because after a few more days, login was available |
| the basis that you get what you pay for or should | | | | again. |
| you go for the cheapest because saving money is a | | | | After that, I wanted to move to a new host but I |
| priority while you are getting your business running? | | | | had never moved a website before and assumed it |
| The first thing to rule out is free web hosting. There | | | | would be really difficult and technically challenging |
| are many great free resources to be found on the | | | | (actually it is extremely simple). As a result of this |
| Internet including excellent anti-virus and anti-spy | | | | fear my website remained where it was. |
| ware software. Free hosting is fine if you have a | | | | The crunch came when my domain name came up |
| hobby website but, if you are running a business | | | | for renewal. In response to an email from the hosting |
| online and wish to achieve credibility with visitors and | | | | company, I visited their website to make the |
| search engines, free web hosting won't do the job. | | | | required payment. Their PayPal link and credit card |
| I discovered the hard way that cheap web hosting is | | | | options did not work and there were several error |
| not necessarily the bargain it might seem. When I | | | | messages showing on the pages I visited. |
| started looking for hosting for a new website, I | | | | Emails to their support and billing departments went |
| already had top class hosting that had come with my | | | | unanswered. My only means of arranging payment |
| first website. There was an option to add on further | | | | was via their website, so I kept trying. Each time I |
| domains for an extra $5 per month. That was cheap | | | | visited, there were more error messages, nothing |
| enough but I thought it would be a good idea to | | | | worked and it began to look as if the site was |
| have my new website hosted completely separately | | | | actually melting bit by bit. It seemed the company |
| (you know, the old eggs in one basket caution). | | | | had just packed up and left their website to self |
| When I started checking around, there seemed to be | | | | destruct. |
| millions of web hosts all offering what (to my | | | | Enquiries revealed that the only way I could renew |
| untrained eye) seemed to be the same thing but at | | | | my domain name ownership was through the hosting |
| wildly varying prices, so I settled on a cheap hosting | | | | company because they had registered it on my |
| package. The cost was £1 per month (which | | | | behalf and they retained control of it. As they could |
| was about $1.70 in those days) and I certainly got | | | | not be contacted, there were only two options |
| what I paid for! | | | | available. The first was to pay an agent a pretty |
| At first everything was fine: I paid up, they hosted | | | | hefty (and non-refundable) fee to try to contact the |
| my website. The trouble is, you don't realise you | | | | hosting company and negotiate the purchase the |
| have bought rubbish hosting until things start to go | | | | domain name from them. The second option was to |
| wrong. | | | | lose the domain. |
| The first sign that all was not well came a few | | | | When you have to choose web hosting, the first |
| months later when I was unable to locate my | | | | thing to look for is quality of support. To keep prices |
| website. I raised a support ticket and waited. Four | | | | low, the easiest way for the company to economise |
| days later came the reply "everything seems ok | | | | is to provide sub-standard support. Forget the offers |
| now". Four days of downtime without a sensible | | | | of unlimited bandwidth, hundreds of email accounts, |
| word from support made me feel more than a little | | | | spam filters and other freebies. If support is |
| uneasy. | | | | non-existent, give the company a miss no matter |
| Things seemed fine for a while after that but then | | | | how good their other terms might seem. |