How to Find the Host with the Most
by Kath Blackwell
WHAT'S IMPORTANT? - TOP FEATURE REQUIREMENTS IN A QUALITY HOST
So what do hosting companies feel is the most important factor, in providing the best service to their clients? Redundancy, financial stability, quality of service, support and a balance of price - were just some of the top answers given by the hosting experts we spoke with. You might be surprised at what each of them felt to be most important.
"I have been asked this question many times, and I can sum it up in one single word...REDUNDANCY," said Tony Morgan, of industry leader National-Net.com. "Redundancy means more than just having two connections to the Internet. A world-class hosting company should have redundancy in all network components...electricity, space, "environmentals," etc. In addition, there should be redundancy in processes and people. One of the key components is redundancy in people. If you call your hosting company and the owner of the company answers the phone...QUIT! This should really scare you. What happens, when one day he gets hit by a bus? Who will maintain your servers then? A world-class hosting company can survive and prosper no matter what happens to any one person."
According to Tony, another key element that should be important to the webmaster is "financial stability." Because there are so many new hosting services coming available - and just as many going "belly up" each day, it can be hard to tell which companies are financially stable and which ones aren't. Unfortunately, choosing a company that doesn't have the financial back-up and support to keep going, will only hurt the webmasters in the long run. "Some of the stories that I have heard are almost laughable when you sit back and think about it," says Tony, with regard to these fly-by-night hosting companies. "One company went to a few customers and offered them incentives if they would pre-pay for the upcoming few months...why would they need to do this? Another company changed it's billing procedures three times in six months, and each time it was designed to get the customers to prepay further and further out...this is a key indication that there are financial problems, and this should scare the dickens out of the customer base. Running a world class hosting company is very, very, very expensive. Many times, smaller companies try too hard to compete in this arena, and find they are spending much more money than they are making. This will assure a tragic end every time."
Ray Vanpraag, of Prime Internet (www.primeinternet.com) and Wild Web Sites (www.wildwebsites.com), warns that webmasters shouldn't judge a hosting company solely by its pricing structure. Price can be important to a new webmaster, but they should try to look at the bigger picture, before making such an important choice on one element alone. "The simple fact is that you get what you pay for. If the company is too inexpensive, chances are that they are trying to maintain a profit margin at the expense of support, services or network stability," he warns. "The ONLY thing that you should be concerned about when looking at a host is the quality of the service that you are paying for. Be realistic about your expectations when checking on a new host. If the host only offers bare bones and has inexpensive plans, then you might be okay, but if they offer ' full service ' and are too inexpensive, there must be something that is lacking. The sad thing is that you never know until it's too late. Be prepared to pay on an escalating scale for a host that has numerous services and specialized support for this industry."
Bill Desjardins, CTO of Ethernext Hosting (www.ethernext.com) feels that a balance of all of these elements is key to hosting success, and gives some excellent first-time advice: "Price and Quantity are the results of quality service. When a provider takes the time to provide quality as the first priority, things like not overselling bandwidth, and service level guarantees, should be important factors in making a hosting company decision. Don't hesitate to ask questions. Research is key for the new webmaster."
So how do these big guys feel about all those "buck a gig" hosting companies that have flooded the market? I remember not too long ago at an Internext Expo that under-a-buck hosting companies were the big buzz on the street. Are they even comparable to what the bigger service-oriented companies can offer?
"Have you ever heard the expression that begins... if something sounds to good to be true...?" asks Tony, of these low-cost solutions. "That should sum this up. In reality, it is possible to sell bandwidth this cheap. Yes, I said it. However, in my honest opinion, it is not possible to sell it this cheap in small quantities. It is not possible to sell it this cheap, and be able to pay for redundant connections. It is not possible to sell it this cheap, and be able to afford any tech support personnel. So...at what cost are you willing to gamble your entire company?"
"I always suggest that new webmasters start on the second to lowest plan, but never the bottom," says Ray from WildWebSites.com. "Most Adult Hosting companies will have this plan at the $40 - $50 level. If you can't afford that on a monthly basis, then you have other problems to worry about. Most businesses fail because of lack of funding and poor planning." Mike Jui, from Ethernext.com agrees: "I think with the recent drop in bulk bandwidth pricing, there are providers that think that they can sell on bandwidth pricing alone. The hosting companies that do not provide the quality service and support are not going to last."
NEW WEBMASTERS & HOSTING - GETTING A GOOD START
When just starting out with your first host, you should definitely take some time to research the different companies and find out what they have to offer. Think about the kind of site you are going to build. Will it be a free site, AVS, TGP, links list or pay site? Believe it or not - that will definitely make a difference in what kind of hosting solution you should choose. You will also need to think about how reliable you need your site to be. For example, a pay site owner needs to consider the happiness factor for his members. If the site keeps going down or is slow to load due to poor hosting, then it's definitely no bargain. If you are running your own TGP or links list - you'll also need a very reliable host that can handle a LOT of traffic, or you'll lose link trades and end up with a bad reputation in the webmaster community.
"Ask lots of questions," recommends Ray. "Don't be afraid to ask about uptime, service guarantees, security, and the qualifications of the server administrators, backup systems, range of services, and more. Take a good look at their Web site and read what they have to say about themselves. Even if you are not in the area ask if it would be okay to come down to their office tomorrow, first thing. You would be surprised at just how many hosting companies cringe when a customer actually wants to visit."
Bill suggests: "I think that new webmasters need to understand what their needs are, so that they can find the package that is best for them. Most hosting companies offer scalable plans. Look out for heavy overage charges. If you're not sure, contact the hosting company."
Another good way to check out what's available is to talk with other webmasters. Folks that you network and chat with around the "virtual water cooler" each day can be very helpful. Ask who they use, how they like them, what average costs are - not forgetting to factor in what type of site(s) they build and how much traffic they get. You'll also get lots of advice on which companies NOT to use, if you ask this question in an open chat. Everyone has a "horror story" - just remember not to ever make a hosting choice based upon one element, OR one recommendation. Get lots of facts, and lots of opinions.
WHEN THINGS GO WRONG - HOW IT HAPPENS & WHAT TO DO
Not every hosting story is a success. Sometimes webmasters and hosting companies are just not a right fit. Either the webmaster misunderstood the terms of the contract, expected something that just wasn't offered - or the hosting service didn't live up to its end of the bargain. Here are some examples of common mishaps that can occur when the webmaster and host meet under unfavorable conditions.
· According to Ray from Wild Web Sites, one of the common problems is with the webmasters expecting above-and-beyond services that don't usually come with a hosting package. "I lost count at how many first time Adult Webmasters asked us to update their content like it was just expected, then became upset when we tried to refer them to our design department for a quote on webmaster services. The newer webmasters out there really need to understand that a hosting company provides access to a server, on which to place their site, and ensures that the server remains functional. Other things, like helping with HTML, teaching end-users how to operate an FTP client, and installing scripts- are all extras that usually have some fee attached to them. This is not to say that a good Web host wouldn't help out a client in need, but it is a service that would normally have a price attached to it, unless you are paying the higher hosting rates, and the host company just includes it."
· Bill from Ethernext.com says that lack of research, preparation and an understanding of what services are needed is the problem he sees the most. "A hosting client should try to really analyze their needs before talking to a hosting company. Too many times, new hosting clients setup shop with providers based on price alone, and then struggle with customer service. New customers tend to be very technically challenged, and finding a provider that will work with them and help them analyze their needs should be important to them."
But what should a webmaster do, when faced with the reality that his brand new host isn't exactly what he'd expected - OR needed? "The biggest recommendation that I can make is not to procrastinate. The reason that I say this is that many times people will get 'a bad feeling' about their current host but will wait it out. Then all of a sudden they wake up one day and they need to move *TODAY*. When you are forced into making a snap decision, you will usually make the wrong one because you did not have time to investigate fully."
Rather than making that quick change to a new host - which can cause a whole new set of headaches and problems for both the webmaster and the hosting companies, Tony suggests, "At the VERY first sign of problems with your host, go ahead and start looking around. What do you have to lose? Take some time to investigate what these Sales Reps are telling you...ensure that they are being truthful with you. There are companies online that will monitor a site for you and will give you unbiased feedback, ask them to monitor some site that is hosted with your prospective new host. This will tell you how good their connection is to the Internet, how they fare in the uptime category, and what kind of latency issues they may have. All of this is important to your business."
THE HOSTING EVOLUTION - HOW IT'S CHANGED & WHERE IT'S GOING
"NationalNet has been around for a long, long time," said Tony. "And we have seen and done many different things in our time as a Web host. The basics are the same - and will remain the same. The competition is getting more diverse because so many companies can go to Level3, or Verio, or another provider, and rent a rack and put a server or two in the rack and call themselves a hosting company. The future, however, is going to be bright for NationalNet and other hosting companies that have grown the right way. These smaller resellers are going to continue to go belly-up and the better hosting companies will be there to pick up the pieces. There will be more acquisitions this year within the hosting arena. NationalNet is currently in negotiations to purchase three of our competitors and I know that there are a couple of other companies that are looking to do the same."
Wild Web Site's Ray, said that the biggest improvement over the years has been the range of services offered. "There are more and more companies out there these days like WildWebSites.com offering much more than server-space for your Web site. It's these services that make a hosting company not only well rounded, but provide the techs with a working knowledge of many end-user systems and programs. As an example, all of our techs here are familiar with most all of the programs that the webmasters are using to run their sites. In the future I see big changes in how hosting companies will operate, and how they will deliver their connectivity to the world. Some of the new technology being used to enhance networks is incredible. This will shake out the smaller hosting companies that can't afford to stay current with the changing times, but then again this always goes back to staying profitable."
Bill from Ethernext claims that bandwidth pricing and availability has been the biggest influence on the changes made to the hosting industry. "It has changed very much. I think the most deciding factor for this change is the change in bandwidth pricing. As for the future, look for faster, better low-cost bandwidth. The drop in bandwidth pricing is very much welcome, but the hosting companies that will survive are the ones that understand that quality customer service is what keeps the customer."
Overall, it seems that the advances that have been made to the hosting industry does more to benefit the adult webmaster than ever before. Not only do we now have more options, more opportunities, more levels of price plans, more service and more hosts to choose from - but we are also now able to demand a better level of customer service and hosting reliability than ever before. No more settling for a company, just because it's the only one around that accepts adult. Finally the world of hosting rests in the palm of your hand - what will YOU do with all that power, knowledge and opportunity?
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