| You've finished your site and chosen the perfect (or
at least the best available) domain name. You think your
headaches are over. All that's left is to choose a Web
hosting service, upload, and you're set - right? Not necessarily.
I am hearing more and more stories of Web hosting nightmares.
Situations where the host server is down for extended
periods of time, email is inaccessible for days or even
weeks, FTP access is unavailable, domain name fees aren't
paid, and on and on. These problems can cause irreparable
damage to an online enterprise. So, what can you do?
Let's take a look at what to do if you are caught in
one of these situations and how to improve your chances
of choosing a reliable hosting service.
What to Do About Problems
While it would be unreasonable to expect no problems
whatsoever (computers and the Internet being what they
are), hosting problems should be few, far between, and
of very short duration. Unfortunately, once your site
is located on a server, quick and easy remedies are
often difficult to come by. However, as in dealing with
any incompetence or negligence, I strongly urge you
to make as much noise as possible.
Contact the hosting service and ask them to immediately
remedy the situation. Ask for a time frame in which
you can expect the remedy to be effective. Take notes
of who you talk to and when. If the solution or time
frame is not reasonable or simply doesn't happen, escalate
the complaint to a supervisor or other manager.
If problems appear to be persistent, move your site.
It's cheaper in the long run. If you are unable to change
servers because you cannot receive the move confirmation
emails, contact your InterNIC registrar. There are solutions
available for problem situations. If you are unsure
of your registrar, your new hosting service will most
likely be willing to help.
Share your experiences. The Internet is a surprisingly
small place for being world wide. The willingness of
each of us to share our experiences, gives us unprecedented
power as consumers. If we each share our hosting experiences,
we can help each other avoid nightmare situations. The
Web Design Forum is a perfect place to do just that.
If you have a horror story of your own, I hope you'll
take a moment to post it there. Not only will we all
benefit - but it feels good to vent, too! Likewise,
let us know if you've had long-standing good experiences
with a hosting company. When reviewing comments (either
good or bad) be sure to note the timeliness of the post
- bad services can fix their problems and become good
services, or good companies can develop problems.
How to Choose a Hosting Service
First, identify your needs. Do you need a secure server,
CGI-bin access, Front Page extensions, streaming audio
or video, database access, or other specific capabilities?
How much server space and data transfer will you need?
What are your email needs - autoresponders, redirects,
number of boxes. How much are you willing to pay? Are
upgrades in service available in case site requirements
change?
Next, I make a list of wants. Things such as domain
name registration, usage statistics, access to raw log
files, online documentation, online account access,
24/7 technical support, and a money back guarantee.
Then comes what is perhaps the most important step....
Look Before You Leap
How can you tell if a hosting company is likely to be
reliable and responsive? Do some research. Ask around
on newsgroups or list groups and check the Hosting Experiences
folder in the Web Design Forum.
After your site is located on a server, it never hurts
to keep an eye on it. You may become aware of a problem
before it can cause damage. NetMechanic has a Server
Check service that monitors your Web server 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week, sends you regular performance
summaries, and alerts you when your server is down.
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