webmaster talk

Online business will never replace brick-and-mortar, but an online presence will be integral to the business model of any successful business. Already, e-commerce revenues are in the billions, and are growing exponentially. Any business that wishes to be competitive in this new marketplace cannot ignore the power of e-commerce.Perhaps, like many small business owner, you have taken the first step in putting your business online: You have done your research, identified your brand, chosen and registered a domain name that speaks to your brand. That was the easy part.

But after domain registration, what follows may be one of the most important decisions you make for your e-business: finding the right hosting company. This is as important to the quality of your business as finding the right partner, and many people – even experienced Webmasters – find the experience daunting. I would like to share my hosting experience with you, in the hopes that it will make your decision-making process a little easier.

RELIABILITY

Hosting isn’t glamorous, but as you know, it is the backbone of your Web-based business. That is why I refer to it as the “silent partner.” A good hosting company is dependable, with a steady uptime track record. After all, what good is a Web site if it’s down? A good hosting company should operate like the electric company – every day you wake up, it’s there, working. However, even the most reliable companies need to periodically take the system down for maintenance. Your hosting company should inform its customers in advance of any downtime, and should perform its maintenance during off-peak hours – so as not to unduly burden your Web business. The next things to look for are the Four Ss: Service, Software, Support, and Space.

SERVICE

An extremely important (and often overlooked) factor is Service. Unfortunately, many hosting companies end their relationship with you the moment the server sale is made. This leaves unanswered the crucial question, “Okay, I’ve got a server – now what?” This is critical when you consider that some companies are so controlling that Web masters are discouraged from customizing and/or managing sites for their clients! Other hosting companies give you space on a server, but nothing more – you have to configure the server and set up all the back-end functionality manually!As you have probably done this before, I don’t need to tell you what a time-consuming and laborious task this is. You’ll want to find a Web host that is on-call 24/7 to answer questions. My Web host even has discussion boards where fellow customers can offer advice and helpful tips. Good service means providing a community of resources throughout the life of your e-business.

SOFTWARE

In addition to service, the ideal hosting solution also provides easy-to-use Web management tools. This is the third “S:” Software. My hosting company offers tools that are easy enough for a novice to quickly understand, and customizable enough for a Web master to optimize. In my experience, one of the most useful tools is an e-mail manager.The e-mail manager has saved me a lot of time during manual configuration. It allows me to quickly set up e-mail accounts, add or remove POPs, create auto-responders, create aliases, and more. And because the tools are Web-based, I have instant access, no matter where I am. This advantage is particularly useful for people who travel frequently, or whose customer base is spread out over a wide geographical area.

SUPPORT

Even for experienced Web developers, Support is a primary consideration. Questions always arise as you develop sites and add features and/or functionality. The ideal hosting company will be there to assist you along the way, as well as to talk you through any rough spots. Since support issues are rarely constrained to regular business hours, make sure that your chosen hosting company offers support 24/7 (just in case), and also provides several different contact methods, such as telephone, e-mail, and Web-based access.

SPACE

Finally, “Space” refers to how much server room you will need to store and manage your digital data. How much space you will need can be determined by how much content you plan to post, how much data you will store, and how much traffic you are expecting. Ideally, you should find a company that offers both shared and dedicated servers; that way, you can start small, and expand as your online business grows.

Shared servers are simply servers that are shared with other businesses. Most small to medium-sized businesses prefer shared hosting because it is cost-effective and can be scaled to the amount of space that your business needs. Of course, if you require more space, a dedicated server option is likely best for you. Dedicated servers range in size, with my hosting company, for example, offering servers anywhere between 4.2 gigs (the DEDA1) to the huge DEDA5, which has 18 gigs of space.

I hope my experiences will aid you in your hosting selection process. You need to consider reliability, service, software, support, and space. That way, you can wisely choose the “silent partner,” who will deliver steady uptime, sophisticated time-saving tools, and supreme customer support.

This article written by Lisa Schmeckpeper of LRS Marketing . Copyright © 2000 [LRS Marketing].