Is The Host of Your Web Site
Holding You Back?
By Queen Mason for Red Triangle Enterprises, Inc.
Copyright 1999, Red Triangle Enterprises, Inc.
If you have a web site or a domain, sooner or later you will probably have to change servers. We did, and we couldn't be happier. Our former domain host was holding us back in many ways, including the following:
1. They could only be reached by telephone between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. central time M-F, and sometimes we had to leave a message even during those hours. When we left a message, we had to leave an e-mail address, because they were too cheap to return phone calls. Sometimes we had to wait hours or even days for a response.
TIP: We have found that customer service and technical support are of primary importance in the host of a domain. In fact, you can judge the quality of a domain host by the quality of their support system. If you ever experience technical problems with your domain at 2 a.m. on a Sunday morning, you will appreciate the importance of 24-hour technical support!
2. Even though we paid our former domain host extra to have our online order forms on a secure server, we had to take them down because we weren't covered under their certificate! (We got a security alert warning when we tested our "secure" forms.) When we complained about it, we were told that we would have to pay $400.00 a year for our own certificate (they didn't tell us this when they took our money, nor was our money ever refunded).
TIP: Before you purchase space on a secure server, make sure that you will be covered under the host's certificate. Putting up online order forms on a secure server is useless if you can't offer your customers every assurance that their transaction will be secure.
3. When we first purchased our domain space, our former host promised that they would help us in every way. Yet when we had a question about configuring forms in FrontPage, we were told that they couldn't answer our FrontPage questions (even though their web site designers used FrontPage exclusively). They offered to sell us a one-hour telephone course on FrontPage (on our dime, of course) for $149.00!
TIP: Test the customer service of a domain host or get referrals before you buy your domain space, if possible. We didn't, and we paid dearly for our mistake.
Choosing a host for your web site or domain is one of the most important decisions you will ever have to make concerning your online business. If you're lucky, you will make the right choice the first time. But if you're like most of us, you will have to change servers at least once. Changing servers is a disconcerting notion, but it isn't half as bad as losing business!
For more information about web sites, visit Red Triangle's Web Site Page at http://www.red-triangle.com/website.htm. For more information about domains, visit Red Triangle's Domain Page at http://www.red-triangle.com/domain.htm or write to: Red Triangle Enterprises, Inc., Dept. Web Sites and Domains, 39040 Hubbard St., Palmdale, CA 93551 USA
