Need Help about Web Hosts

[Julie Wilber]

Can you guys post some of what you look for in regards to hosts?

What are you top three requirements when you look for a Web host and make your final selection?


Thanks!

[Vic - WolfPaw Computers]

#1 Knowledge
#2 Availability (support & servers)
#3 Customer Service

[chucklasker]

For MIVA Merchant sites? When researching and determining who to use, I care about:

1. MIVA Merchant knowledge/understanding.

2. References from other MIVA Merchant site owners.

3. Ugly web site (I guess this must be true, because the two hosts I recommend have ugly web sites!!) It's like, if you go into a small town and there are two barbers - one has great hair, one has mangled hair. Which one do you go to? The one with mangled hair, because HE cut the other barber's hair.

[marketraise]

Advertising

Most free web hosts impose advertising on your website. This is done to cover the costs of providing your site the free web space and associated services. Some hosts require you to place a banner on your pages, others display a window that pops up everytime a page on your site loads, while still others impose an advertising frame on your site. There is really no hard and fast rule which is to be preferred: some people hate a pop-up window, other webmasters dislike having to stuff banner codes onto their pages, and many people cannot stand an advertising frame (which may cause problems when you submit your website to search engines). Whichever method is used, check that you're comfortable with the method.
Amount of web space

Does it have enough space for your needs? If you envisage that you will expand your site eventually, you might want to cater for future expansion. Most sites use less than 5MB of web space. Indeed, at one time, one of my other web sites, thefreecountry.com, used less than 5MB of space although it had about 150 pages on the site. Your needs will vary, depending on how many pictures your pages use, whether you need sound files, video clips, etc.
FTP access

Some free hosting providers only allow you to design your page with their online builder. While this is useful for beginners, do you have the option to expand later when you become experienced and their online page builder does not have the facility you need? FTP access, or at the very least, the ability to upload your pages by email or browser, is needed. Personally, I feel FTP access is mandatory, except for the most trivial site.
Rgards
Chronis Tsempelis
Marketraise Corp.

Suite 200 and 400,
41-A East Merrick Rd.,
Valley Stream,
NY 11580
Cell: 516-398-0996
Tel: 516 887 1929.

[Red Flare]

Responsive support.
First host I went with was LOUSY with support. I am surprised they were listed as "premier" hosting partner. It sometimes took me weeks to get a simple question answered.
Now, all is well.:D

[TexasCrazy]

Tons of web hosts out there with free support, low prices, fast connection, wide feature set.

What separates good from great hosts is ecommerce software knowledge (not just a shopping cart), proactive support (asks what goals does my customer have that I can help them with), and security (is end user and web owner protection of credit card data and other info. job one for them).

[chucklasker]

Responsive support.
First host I went with was LOUSY with support. I am surprised they were listed as "premier" hosting partner. It sometimes took me weeks to get a simple question answered.
Now, all is well.:D

MIVA's partner lists have nothing to do with experience, capability, customer satisfaction, etc. They don't evaluate them. It's just how much money they pay to be a partner, a "Premier" host, etc. I could sign up as an OLM reseller and pay to be a "Premier" host, while working from my home 2 hours a day.

[Vic - WolfPaw Computers]

I dont know if they enforce it or not, but technically no you couldnt.

One of the requirements to be a Premier Partner is to own your own equipment - a reseller would not qualify.

Then again, if you're willing to pay the Premier Partner fees....

MIVA's partner lists have nothing to do with experience, capability, customer satisfaction, etc. They don't evaluate them. It's just how much money they pay to be a partner, a "Premier" host, etc. I could sign up as an OLM reseller and pay to be a "Premier" host, while working from my home 2 hours a day.

[dotCOM_host]

Then again, if you're willing to pay the Premier Partner fees....
... you probably own your servers. The partner fee is a drop in the bucket and in the grand schema of things, that's less than even a small hosting company spends on advertising and customer acquisitions every month.

[Julie Wilber]

Ok, if you all want to discuss this further, that's fine, but please move it to another topic.

Thanks!

[leslienord]

Knowledge - knowing the ins and outs of hosting MIVA products is number 1 in my book. Being able to help me with all the other stuff I "play" is an added plus.

Customer Service - it doesn't have to come in the form of phone support, I had all the telephone support I ever wanted with DataPipe but I only used it when I had to explain to them the proper way to configure my server for MIVA Merchant.

Respect for the little guy (or gal). Many of the clients I work with are small businesses, sometimes just starting out. Who to say that site that's on a shoestring budget just might make a million dollars? You ever hear of bird diapers (http://www.flightquarters.com)?