Web hosting: Don’t neglect your online marketing infrastructure

Your website is probably the hub of your company’s online presence. It may be where customers come to learn about your products and services, get your contact information or address, place orders, or get customer service. Even if you only have a static “billboard” website—the online equivalent of a flyer—it’s important that your site be accessible, or your potential clientele may think you’re no longer in business!

In a recent article for The Examiner, I described a web hosting nightmare, and how to avoid it. The article was inspired by the sad tale of some recent clients, who had paid an unscrupulous web developer nearly $7,000 for a site that barely functioned, was hosted on the designer’s own server (never a good idea) and was nowhere to be found on Google because it was actively search-engine-hostile.

To add insult to injury, these clients—two of the nicest entrepreneurs you would ever meet—were further abused by the web developer when he demanded a $500 ransom to give our clients a backup of their own site, so they could move it to a real web hosting company.

Unfortunately, this tale is all too common, and illustrates exactly why it’s never a good idea to park an important part of your business on a hard drive in some web designer’s basement.

We use several web hosting companies, and they all have some things in common:

• They offer redundant hardware to help ensure as much uptime as possible
• They are staffed 24/7, including weekends and holidays
• They offer newbie-friendly technical support, also available 24/7
• Their servers are secured from hacking and regularly backed up
• They offer one-click installation of popular programs like WordPress
• Hosting costs less than $7 a month for unlimited bandwidth

Here’s an infographic that illustrates the kind of technical capacity you should look for in a professional hosting company. This is why Bluehost is one of our choices, along with HostGator. (Pssst….if you use the coupon code spring2013savings you’ll save 25% off your entire order at HostGator.)

Infographic courtesy http://bluehost.com/thebasicsofbluehost

Kathleen Hanover

Certified Go-Giver Speaker and Copywriting Trainer

Kathleen Hanover helps entrepreneurs tell their story, attract their ideal audiences, and persuasively communicate their value. As a highly-regarded marketing copywriting trainer, she teaches persuasion psychology and the magic words that build rapport and sales. And as Ohio's first Certified Go-Giver Speaker, Kathleen shares the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success from the international best-seller, "The Go-Giver," by Bob Burg and John David Mann, with business and community audiences alike.