eNCarolina Article Knowledgebase

Being reliable is the single key factor that you should look for in a web host. Webmasters and online entrepreneurs rank reliability as number one in importance when surveyed.

It is not easy to describe all of the components of reliability. Except in glaringly obvious exceptions, most web hosting companies know what they are doing, have the newest equipment to do it, and charge around the same to do it for you. The main difference between them, then becomes how they deal with you, and how good their customer service is.

When you have a problem with your website, will you receive timely, no-nonsense answers? Unfortunately, with many web hosts, the "no-nonsense" concept seems to be decidedly lacking.

When you are discussing a problem with the technical support person for your web host, it might seem like they are on the line with a few other people at the same time. This is because of the number of clients they have, and the fact that when something goes wrong, almost all of those clients will be on the phone. This can make for difficult conversations to resolve the issue.

Often, technical support staff will believe from the beginning that you are to blame for the problem. They will generally give you their normal response, "You've tried this? You've done that?" to suggest that you are at fault for your difficulty.

It is not difficult to sympathize with this approach. In many cases the problem really is at the user end. But often enough it is not, and there is nothing more maddening than spending several hours trying to trouble shoot your website and then finding out that a simple reboot of the server at the host end fixed the problem.

Unfortunately, many people who work in support roles at web hosting firms have a minimal understanding of why customer service is important. One difficulty lies in how support employees feel better than their clients. They also realize how difficult it is for a client to transfer to another company, enabling them to get away with poor, rude service.

Fortunately, this is changing. It is not too difficult to change hosts, and there is much step-by-step information out there to help you to do so. Many hosts will be happy to help you transfer your domain to their systems.

When searching for quality, dependable, user-friendly service you will find that there is not a totally guaranteed method to know in advance if you have found it.

It is hard to find honest reviews or comparisons on the various web hosts. Most of the comparison sites are not reliable because they are trying to promote their own site and may even doctor "reviews" to be favorable to them. Public opinions that are posted may also be may be fictitious and praise the site they are posted on and criticize their competitors.

Forums on sites about web hosting can also supply reliable information, though they may be subject to the previously mentioned manipulations. However, the rapid pace of change in the web hosting industry means that comments over a year old are probably no longer applicable.

One good suggestion is to look closely at the website of the host itself. If it is overly technical and confusing that may indicate the host is not particularly concerned with communicating with clients. That usually spells trouble. You may find it difficult to navigate their support system, and getting plain and simple answers to your inquiries may be next to impossible.

You can tell if a company is customer focused by their website. You are looking for a simple layout and products designed for the customer, combined with a support system that is easy to work with. Contact customer service before you have a problem, and see if they are willing to work with you.

A quick but thorough check of recommendations by actual web hosting clients would prove helpful if they include their names and website addresses. To be more proactive, try writing or calling these users yourself.

There is no single predictor of whether a web host will provide high quality customer service. However, the best indicator continues to be a no-nonsense, plain language approach. Look for that in a web host.