Not many people use their webhost to their full potential. Whilst no two webhost offerings are exactly the same it is safe to say that 90%+ of people don’t use all the tools that the webhosts put at their disposal.

This can make things more difficult for you, cost you time and money, Far better then to understand how webhosts are able to help people who are looking to make money online.

How Webhosts Can Help You

Webhosts can do all sorts of things that can be a real benefit to you, many of which people don’t use.

 Webhosts often have knowledge of integrating certain software with their own offerings. If you are struggling to do so you should talk to a technical bod at your host who may well have the answers that you are looking for.

 They can give you great free software. Did you know that many webhosts have free software that can set up autoresponders, that can 1 click install many forums, directories and wiki software? That they can provide traffic stats etc without using Google analytics? Many hosts have some fantastic free software opportunities.

 They can help you pick a package that is right for you. It could well be that you are overspending at the moment – using a plan that is too big for what you actually need. By talking to a salesman at the company you can ensure that you have the right options.

 Install transferred sites. Many hosts offer a service to install a site that has been transferred from another hosting to them. This can save some headaches when it comes to moving them around.

 Speed your site up. Speed makes a difference in SEO, so you need the back end to be as fast as possible. Talking to tech support can help speed your site up and get you doing much better at bringing in the search engine traffic.

Security. You need a host to be as secure as possible – attacks and hacks happen all the time to websites.

When it comes to webhosting many people are happy to simply get the first offer they see, or the most affordable, or the biggest name. Few people, especially when first starting out, shop around for deals…their webhosting gets treated as something of an after thought.

And that is a big shame, because the webhosting is one of the most important decisions that you will make. When you think about it you are entrusting all of your sites information to your webhost. You are trusting them with files and passwords, you are trusting them to put up what you have done correctly, and you are trusting that they will keep it online.

You are basically trusting them with your entire business. You don’t get much important than that.

Think about everything that gets done with webhosting a minute

 They decide how much traffic (bandwidth) a site is allowed at any given time, depending on your package
 They decide what you can store and show online, depending on the package and their Ts&Cs.
 They hold all your information and files, and if you don’t back them up they hold the only copies.

And that is on top of having complete access to everything!

Do you want to let just any company have the keys to your business? No – you need to ensure that they are a company that you can trust, and that will still be going in a few months, not collapsed taking your sites and business with them.

On top of that they have control of other aspects. They can play a big part in deciding how quickly a site loads for example – which is an important part of SEO. A poor host will hurt your SEO and so limit your traffic.

A slow host will also provide a poor visitor experience for anyone that does visit your site – making them unlikely to buy or return again, and nipping any word of mouth advertising in the bud before it even gets going.

You basically put your entire business and it’s customers into the hands of your webhost.

People tend to look at two main factors when they are deciding on webhosting.

1) what it is going to cost them a month/year
2) the stats involved, such as bandwidth or disc space.

Both are important points, but there are other things that need considering. Good customer service, for example. And certainly you need to be looking at what software your host is able to offer you.

This is important as it can save you money on buying software already included, and in saving you time – and we all know that time is money, right?

Good Webhosting Software

 The first thing that any good webhosting software needs is a useful GUI (Graphic User Interface) design that allows you to easily navigate the backend of your new site. You want to be able to see what you need to do, where you need to access etc. Of all the offerings on the market Cpanel is both the most popular and the most effective.

 One click install. Many hosts offer numerous types of software options that can be installed far more easily than the software would normally Often it can be done with one click, or no more than filling in what you want your logins to be. Fantastico, for example, allows you to install WordPress inside seconds, as well as many other software options like forum software or wiki templates.

 Good webhosting software can also offer you free solutions that you can use to save money by replacing paid options. For example many hosting offers that use Cpanel also use an autoresponder which allows you to set up a series of emails for free.

 When it comes to webhosting it is important that they are also able to get your email right. You want to know that the software and systems that they are using are able to properly handle your email, that you are not going to lose any vital correspondence – and it is software that your web hosts use that is often the deciding factor

What is the first thing that you consider when you are deciding on a new webhost?

 The price?
 What they offer?
 How long they have been in business?
 Their reputation?

All are important points when it comes to choosing which webhost is right for you. But other things need to be given careful consideration as well, not least the level of customer service that the company is able to offer to you.

You might not realise it but the level of customer service that a company offers could be one of the most important aspects of choosing any webhost. Don’t believe me? Then let us take a look at what sort of thing a good customer service department at a web host can offer you.

Positives of Good Customer Service

1. Fixing problems. Problems can and do happen, even to the best of us…and web hosts are no different. Even top companies can have server failures etc. It is how often these occur and how quickly they are fixed that matters. And being kept appraised of what is happening should not be underestimated.

2. They can fix your problems. Of course it is not just the company that make mistakes, we do too. Many companies can offer to restore your site to a previous backup (usually a few days before), meaning they could really get you out of a jam if you mess up.

3. They can teach you. Many companies offer huge selections of software with their hosting – by asking a good customer service rep to show you how things work you could learn that you could save large amounts of money every year.

4. They can help you. Sometimes you just need advice, or a small service like moving a site to their hosting. These are the sort of thing that top customer service companies thrive on, and it allows you to get what you want done quickly and easily.

Of course there are other reasons why customer service is so important, from fixing price problems to quickly upgrading packages when needed.