by Vanessa Wood
Design to Spec LLC – Darien, CT
“Free and Exposed” sounds like a tabloid headline or a great deal at a nude beach. Unfortunately its a trap website owners can fall prey to when they opt for web hosting that sounds too good to be true.
Free with Strings Attached. Read the fine print carefully when opting for anything that claims to be “free” web hosting. My favorite “deal” (Did you notice deal is in quotes like free?) is a hosting company that offers free hosting but only after you’ve signed up do you find out that it’s only free if you host another website at full cost with them or refer new business to them. So, unless you’re ready to host a second website your website is now hosted at double the cost of other hosting providers and with a small fraction of the storage of other hosting providers.
Hello, Is Anyone There? What’s hosting service without the service? You can find out a lot about a hosting service by simply visiting their website and clicking on the contact link. There should be a telephone number and business address readily available. Do they provide 24/7 service? Do they have a toll-free number? I highly recommend calling the customer service number before buying a plan just to experience the service you will receive when you are a customer.
Low Security. I have unique opportunities to see some pretty odd hosting hosting accounts that clients have purchased. One allowed me to call in and request changes without any ID, password, or security provisions. Wouldn’t that be fun if a hacker did the same and altered your website? Another poor configuration allowed one customer to view other people’s website files on a shared hosting account. Wouldn’t it be fun to have an inexperienced user sign in and make changes on your website files rather than working on their own files? NOT!
Letting It All Hang Out. One client was thrilled to discover they had website statistics on their hosting account, but less than thrilled when they discovered their statistics weren’t password protected. They were on the web for competitors and any one nosey enough to find.
So, when shopping for shared hosting don’t be lured by deep discounts, read the fine print, and call their sales department.
