It’s something that many of us stick with for a long while without considering a move, a bit like the lack of effort we put into changing our utility providers. Our web host generally sits in the background and we usually don’t notice them unless something goes wrong with our site. If you want the best service all the time, however, it pays to have a look around when you’ve got a spare moment.
Perhaps it’s time that you asked yourself a few important questions.
Is Your Web Host Responsive to Your Needs?
If you have a scalable business, then the chances are you are looking to grow in the future. What you currently get from your web host may not be suitable as your company begins to take off. This more than likely includes the amount of bandwidth as well as security monitoring. Now may be the time to check with your host if they can adapt as your business grows and what it will cost if you need to scale up. If you don’t like the answer then it’s probably a good idea to look elsewhere.
Are You Getting Complaints?
If people can’t access your site, then they may well contact you to complain. This could be because your provider operates a shared hosting business model that can be slow if a lot of people are using it. This will generally mean that you are better off moving to a different hosting solution such as a VPS or cloud server. This can be a particular problem for ecommerce sites which often develop to the extent that they have large amounts of traffic. Of course, choosing the right host in the first place can make sure that you don’t encounter this type of problem.
Are You Getting a Customer Service Response?
If you’ve been trying to get hold of the customer support helpline for the last 24 hours with no joy, then it’s obviously time to rethink your host. This is the one big area that many companies let themselves down. They make a big play of delivering ‘exceptional’ customer service but then fail to deliver once you sign up to a contract.
Is Your Host Expanding?
There are new apps being created that can be installed on ecommerce and other business sites all the time and your host needs to keep up to date with this provision. You don’t want to have to go hunting round for the latest developments and trying to figure how to integrate them with your hosting system. They should be doing that for you. You should be just clicking a mouse button. If they’re not delivering, pack your bags and head to a new hosting service.
Is Your UX Easy to Update?
You want ease of use, which should apply to all hosting platforms nowadays. If you have trouble even doing the most rudimentary updates to your site then it’s probably time to look around for a simpler, more intuitive hosting service. There are plenty out there.
Does Your Host Have a Backup Facility?
Making sure that your host gives you the option of backing up your sites so that you don’t lose valuable data if something catastrophic happens is vital. You should be able to do this on a regular basis and do it simply. Don’t wait until you accidentally delete all your data (including that of your clients) before you realize that your systems weren’t backed up, as this story recently in The Independent illustrates.
