In their rush to have a website up and running in the shortest possible time, many business owners fail to carefully scrutinize their Web hosting provider. Despite their good intentions, their poor choice can lead to dire consequences.
But what exactly happens when you choose a bad hosting provider?
One of the drawbacks of choosing the wrong provider is that your business can lose potential revenue. Simply put, if your website is always down, your customers cannot learn about your business or, in the case of online retailers, purchase from your store.
A bad hosting provider can also pull your SEO ranking. According to SEO experts, increased downtime can prevent a website from getting good rankings.
A poor hosting provider can also make your website vulnerable to security issues and malware attacks. If your website does succumb to such issues, a reputable Web host will ensure that your website will be up and running at the quickest possible time.
But how do you know whether you have chosen the wrong hosting provider? Here are the 5 warning signs of a bad hosting provider.
Downtime is greater than uptime
While no hosting provider can guarantee 100 percent uptime, if your website is down more frequently than it is up, then you may need to choose another provider. Take note that downtime can decrease both traffic and conversion, and ultimately, your bottom line.
Poor customer service
Again, no provider can guarantee that your website will not encounter any hiccups. However, a bad provider can compound such problems with poor response and inadequate support. If you cannot talk to a person who will explain the reason for the problem you are experiencing with your site or if you cannot contact customer service due to their limited availability, you need to find another host.
Your website takes ages to load
Website loading time can influence site visitor behavior. Specifically, if your website takes ages to fully load, there is a high likelihood that your potential customers will abandon your website. One of the major causes of poor loading is the limited bandwidth allocated by the host. Often, bad hosting providers sell packages yet do not have the full capacity to accommodate the demands of their clients.
Bad security
Poor security can hurt your business in several ways. For one, it can leave your website vulnerable to potential attacks. Second, your customers may fear transacting with you because they might think that their security and privacy will be at risk.
Limited features
The features that you can access will depend on the package you are paying for. However, if you are paying top money and you only get a few useful features, then it’s time to shop for another Web host.
About Jeremy Littlejohn
I love web design and marketing and have a passion in helping business owners enjoy a results-driven online business. I am a loving father and husband, and legitimate business man with high integrity.
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