Hosting Company
Nobody is naive enough to trust someone they've never met, right? Amazingly, that's not entirely true. Great relationships can be built online and through forums. Such great relationships that hosting company can pop up overnight, and hundreds of website owners will run to sign up with those companies. How does this happen?
Hosting Company : Offering The Moon
New hosting companies find out where website owners spend time. They then build trust within these communities. Once that's done, they offer those website owners the world through the best hosting plans and amazing deals. But, nothing is ever as good as it seems, and this is especially true when it comes to impossibly perfect hosting plans.
So, here's how not to run a hosting company.
Hosting Company: Offering Customer Support That Doesn't Exist
It's important to provide your clients with customer service that's reliable. It's not a good idea to offer around-the-clock customer service if you can't provide that service. I know you're laughing at that thought, but so many hosting companies offer service when it's really just one guy in a basement with one phone – not exactly top-notch customer support!
Hosting Company: Swearing By 99% UpTime
Listen up, folks, 99% uptime doesn't exist. It really doesn't. I know that it seems like something you want or need, but it's a lie most of the time. It's that simple. So, what's a good uptime? Realistically, most hosting companies should be able to offer you 85-90% uptime. Believe me, that's a big difference, and it's one that you'll pay for if you fall for the 99% line.
Hosting Company: Offering Up the Cloud
So, you might not offer the moon, but don't offer the cloud either. What does that mean? Everyone is jumping on the cloud bandwagon these days, but few (very few) companies offer true cloud hosting. Telling your clients that you have cloud services may sound good (and it might be what people want), but it's really not a good idea at all if you can't actually deliver the cloud.
Hosting Company: Using False Testimonials
So many companies offer ‘client testimonials' on a website, but did you know that many times these testimonials aren't true? Worse, some companies say that other companies use their services – without ever working with that company! If you are just starting your web hosting service, relax. You will get some great clients, but that might not happen right away. Sit tight and wait for the best people to come to you – don't make it all up.
Hosting Company: No Real Security
This one is a big deal. If you can't provide your users with a secure hosting deal, don't bother. This might sound harsh, but it's vital that the people signing up for your service feel secure. Further, that security has to be real, or you could be facing a big legal issue. What does your security setup look like? Can you make it stronger? Can you make it better? Do these things before you offer your service to the public.
Those are the top things you should never do when starting a hosting company. For more advice, keep reading this blog, or post a comment to the site where you're reading this article.
Photo by Puliarf Via Flickr Creative Commons
