How to Know When you Need a New Web host
Sometimes loyalty to your current web hosting company isn’t the best way to go, especially if you are paying a monthly premium that is too high compared to what other web hosting companies are offering at the same service level. While you may think switching web hosting companies will be a massive headache, you may find that it is not as bad as you think. If you do your homework and have your new web hosting provider in place before you cancel your old service, you could keep from experiencing any form of downtime at all.
But how do you know when it’s time to cut the cyber apron strings and move on?
- Look at your web statistics to see how you are doing
If you just said ‘what web statistics?’, then a few little bells should be ringing in your head. Web statistics tell you how well your website is doing, who is visiting it, how deep into the site they are going, and more. These statistics are vital in knowing how your website is faring in the internet retail market and it can alert you to changes that you have to make to bring in more business. If your current web host company doesn’t provide this to you, move along.
- What type of add on programs does your web host offer you?
There are so many new add-on programs available that if your web hosting company isn’t offering them or is making you pay extra for them because your account is older and the newer accounts have immediate access to them, get out of there. Bulletin and discussion boards, blogs, database storage, and driven pages, streaming video, client support software, and more should all be available to you as part of your web hosting package for free or for a small additional charge. These items keep your website fresh and interesting at all times.
- How much are you paying for your web hosting?
Most basic websites should not be paying more than 150 INR per month for web hosting services. Anything over 200 INR is gouging you and you can easily find a web hosting service that offers you everything your current web host provider does – maybe even more – for considerably less than what you paying. Look for hidden costs in your monthly bill and then find the web hosting companies that offer it at one low price. You could save a considerable amount of money without losing functionality. Here I would personally recommend you to go for HostingRaja who is a leading Indian hosting company. They have plans available at very reasonable prices.
- How’s the web hosting performance lately?
This is a big deal breaker especially if you are working with a good internet connection like broadband and things are not loading properly, quickly, or completely. This is a virtual server issue and more than likely your web hosting service has overloaded it yet again. Downtime is another big issue, especially if you are running a retail website. You do not want your customers coming to the site to place an order over and over and finding it down every single time.
- Customer support is less than efficient
When you know more than the customer support personnel, move on. Customer and technical support should be available 24/7 via telephone, e-mail or live chat. Additionally, if you are not the person designing your website, have the designer look over your final choice for a new web hosting package. They will be able to steer you in the right direction and might be able to recommend a better option based on the many different web hosting packages they have had experience working with.
- What type of managed services are you currently receiving?
Managed services include regular and off-site backups, broken link checks, database administration, guaranteed support response time, search engine participation, and more. There could even be limited marketing functions and activities involved. The web hosting company does this for you as part of your package. If you have no idea what any of these things are, you’re currently not receiving them and you need to find a web hosting company that will provide them for you.
If you decide to move to a new web hosting service, set up your new first and then make sure you do the following:
Review your host services against the new one you are interested in first and ask your current host for comparable services and pricing. If they decline, it’s time to move. Always check references on the new web hosting company you want to use and make sure their operating environment – user interfaces – are similar to your old service. Backup your website and then move it using an FTP client. Transfer all of your e-mail accounts to the new website so they get to you at your new home.
