| When you're setting up business online, the provider | | | | like days and will be costing you money. |
| you choose for your ecommerce web hosting is | | | | 3. Do they have a state-of-the-art site themselves? |
| absolutely one of the most critical decisions you | | | | You can bet that if a hosting company has an |
| make. In a manner of speaking, this is where you will | | | | unprofessional website then the company is also run |
| live for the rest of your business life - and you know | | | | sloppily. You want to make sure that your hosting |
| what a hassle moving can be. | | | | company has high standards for themselves. |
| It is the location where your customers will come, | | | | 4. Are they certified hacker safe? If you are going to |
| where your online "building" will be. You want to | | | | be collecting names and emails on your site, then you |
| make sure that your customers can visit your place | | | | absolutely have to know that your clients' information |
| and do business with you, and have a pleasant | | | | is safe. If this gets lost, it can kill your business. |
| experience so they'll come back again and again. You | | | | 5. Are they willing to help you get set up - at no |
| don't want to have any problems either, because | | | | charge? Services such as free transfer of your |
| you're open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and any | | | | domains, files, databases, etc. is a huge time saver, |
| time people can't get to you, you're losing money. | | | | and if they truly want you to do business with them, |
| You want to know that you can set up your shop | | | | they'll help you take care of these matters. A truly |
| and have everything work the way you expect it to, | | | | friendly host will give you a domain name at no extra |
| plus if ever any issues do come up, they'll be | | | | charge. |
| resolved immediately. Not in a few hours, now. So | | | | 6. Are they asking a reasonable fee for their |
| you want a hosting company that will be reliable, be | | | | services? Though they may be hard to find, there |
| trouble-free, plus won't eat into your profits. | | | | are several good and reliable hosting companies for |
| Here are several of the really important things to | | | | under $10 per month. |
| look for when choosing a good web host. | | | | Your web hosting should be one thing that you set |
| 1. How long have they been around? When it comes | | | | up once and basically forget about it after that. This |
| to your website, you want to work with a company | | | | is one aspect of having a website that you don't |
| that has been around long enough to have perfected | | | | want to spend your time on once you're underway. |
| what they do. | | | | If you currently have a host where you know |
| 2. Do they have great customer support that is | | | | everyone in the support department from calling so |
| available around the clock There is nothing worse | | | | much, then perhaps you should consider changing |
| than having your site go down and having to wait | | | | your hosting provider. |
| until they decide to come to work. The hours seem | | | | |