Mistake #6
Ignoring web hosting support services

Usually the first time web hosting support occurs to an online business owner is after suffering through a problem that was not diagnosed or resolved promptly by the web host’s technical support team.

Business or hobby

For someone operating a personal, non-commercial web site, web hosting support is not usually a top concern. But when trying to run a legitimate online business a web host’s ability to resolve problems quickly is critical. Too many online business owners learn this the hard way.

For any business, large or small, your web host's technical support capabilities are crucial to your business' success because of the impact they have, albeit transparently, on your customers' perception of your professionalism.

Technical problems will inevitably occur but it's the speed and competence with which your web host resolves them that differentiate the good hosts from the poor ones.

How much risk is too much?

It’s simple. The more you depend on your web site for income the more you need the ability to communicate with your host in real time. And the more important it is for your web host to diagnose and resolve problems quickly.

Time is money

In addition to the e-mail hosting support offered by virtually all web hosts, the best ones will also offer 24/7 support and the ability to reach them by phone if necessary.

Some level of free technical support will be included with most hosting packages, but more advanced support may involve certain charges on either an hourly or per incident basis depending on the terms of your web site hosting plan.

How to evaluate web hosting support

It’s a given that every web host claims to provide first class technical support. So how can you determine who’s telling the truth? One simple and effective method is to pick up the phone and call them with a question.

Assuming they actually have telephone support, you’ll learn a lot simply from how promptly they answer the phone…or if they answer the phone at all. Or if you are required to leave a message, how soon they call you back.

Quiz them

Aside from simply answering the phone or returning your call promptly, you should try to learn as much as you can about the web hosting support team’s ability to actually diagnose and resolve problems.

While you may not be able to report an actual problem until you are a customer, you can, as a potential customer, ask them a number of pertinent support-related questions in an effort to judge their competence.

For example you might question them about the procedures for transferring a domain to them; or ask them about the capabilities of their free web site builder versus one of the more popular tools such as Front Page or Dreamweaver. You’ll be looking for how knowledgeably and courteously they answer your questions.

The bottom line

Get all the facts. Make sure you consider the various levels of web hosting support offered by your potential web hosting partner and weigh the facts objectively when evaluating the overall cost and, thus, value of any hosting plan.

P.S. One more word of caution

No matter how good a web hosting company’s tech support is, you are ultimately responsible for the continuity of your own business in the event of a catastrophic problem.

One day, heaven forbid, you may be forced by circumstances beyond your control to suddenly have to pick up and move to a new web host. For more about this, see the item on web hosting support in the section "10 Things Your Web Host Doesn’t Want You To Know."

--> Mistake #7