Don't Sing along with the Web Host Blues

A Web Hosting Article Contributed by Ian Hess

A Good Web Host is Up and Serving Your Web Pages %100 of the Time

Luckily, your Web host is technically a computer that can be left mostly unattended until there's a problem. Then your Web host is most certainly a human being, hopefully one who is rushing to solve your server's problems. However, in the name of profitability, a shoddy Web host may not have bought expensive server hardware, and may have under manned their support team. In this case, you can expect to experience frequent down times along with no one answering the phone. The best Web hosts commit to an uptime of %100, forever. Even if it sounds impossible.

Refrain From Singing the Web Host Blues With Them!

A poorly run Web host will think they're doing their best, because they simply have no more time to do any more. When you get them on the phone they'll sing the Web host blues. "We're working every minute, doing the best we can to serve you." You'll probably even feel obligated to be understanding about this. That's because singing the blues is addictive. But, when you finally come back to reality, you'll admit to yourself that, up or down, every Web host has no more time, and every Web host is convinced they're doing their best. So what?

Don't Take %99 Web Host Up Time as Acceptable

Web hosts have multiple systems in place to make sure your Web site is pumping out pages and files to your clients every moment of the day.

Every server has built in redundancy so that if one of its discs fails, a second copy of your site is located on one of the functioning discs; and if an entire server should happen to fail, they have a back up copy of your site on another system; and if one of their data lines entirely fails or slows down, then they have excess lines to rebalance the traffic load; and if the entire city looses power, they have back up power supplies that can light up their entire data center for hours on end.

In today's market a competitive Web host not only knows that %100 up time is necessary, but they configure their entire business plan to get behind this level of service.

After all, when your server goes down, the front doors to your business have just been slammed shut.

Don't allow a %98 or %99 Web host to ruin your profitability. Find a %100 Web host!

A Sailing Ship Full of Gold is Deadweight on the Ocean Floor

A Web host may well advertise a thousand wonderful features. They may be recommended by all kinds of sharks, whales, and other fish in the affiliate marketing sea. But if this Web host has a recorded uptime of %98, then all the features in the world are meaningless; because, like the title says, a sailing ship full of gold is deadweight on the ocean floor. Those features are worthless when your business site is down!

Many folks don't do the math. %2 of an entire year is roughly 175.32 hours, and you have no choice on which day or week this downtime occurs. So stay afloat. Find a %100 Web host, and refrain from partaking in a single stanza of the Web hosting blues.