HOW MANY WEBSITES ARE CRAMMED ON YOUR SHARED SERVER? YOU SHOULD KNOW.Web Hosts Don't Always Do the Right Thing:
Does Yours?
Web hosting is a business. Hosting companies are in business to hook up their clients to the world wide web. That’s their function. Unfortunately, some of these web hosts employ what can only be called “unethical business practices.” Not illegal but definitely not cool.
As a business, the hosting company has to make decisions to improve its performance while, simultaneously improving the company’s bottom line. Think about that for a sec. It’s not an easy thing to do.
That’s why many smaller, “unethical” web hosts slice services razor thin and don’t always act for the benefit of their clients, which, of course, would be the ethical thing to do.
Let’s look at some of the unethical behaviors common to the hosting industry. And, when searching for a web host, be sure to ask about some of these points. They may well affect your business – and not for the good.
Please don’t cram my server with 3,000 other sites
A web host uses servers (nothing but big ol’ hard drives) to store web sites. And with hard drive storage space growing exponentially, a web host can shoehorn a lot of web sites onto a single server. This makes money for the web host (site server cramming) but often diminishes the functioning of all of those shared-hosted websites competing for bandwidth, CPU access and other common server functions.
The ethical host will limit the number of sites it places on a server to ensure that all clients have ready, easy and complete access to server resources as needed. These hosting companies are run ethically – and smartly. The host company owners recognize that their long-term business success depends on thousands of smaller successes on the part of their clients.
Keep Me Online, Please
Perhaps the most important aspect of web hosting service is uptime. When your server is down, so’s your e-biz. Often, unethical providers are slow to respond to system failures which may cause more than a few problems with your site:
- Customers and clients won’t be able to access your site. No sales.
- Webring owners may drop your site if ring users contantly find an error code when they log on to your site. Many of these rings employ automated software to ensure that all members abide by their agreements and if your site is often tardy or off line, you’ll get the boot eventually.
- Another potential problem of humungous magnitude? If your site happens to get spidered while your server is being rebuilt, you may well be dropped by search engines for lack of attendance. That’s about the end of your business.
Please, Oh Please, Tell Me What’s Going On
If you’re planning on shutting down a server for maintenance, don’t just do it. Tell the site owners involved and provide them with the opportunity to back up data and put out the “Down for Maintenance” sign.
In fact, every time a web host adds new hardware or new features, an automated email should be sent out to let webmasters know about the new benefits you offer. Regular communication with people you do business with – people who are paying you – is just an ethical (and smart) thing to do.
Stand and Deliver
Not all web hosts deliver all services but if your adverts claim that server side software, like CGI, is in place, it darned well better be. Or, if the host is planning to add new services – PHP, MySQL, ASP and other goodies, these should be ready to go online when promised.
It’s more than a little sleazy to sell a client on the interactive benefits of active server pages (ASP) and not offer the service. That’s a client who’d be willing to break any service agreement s/he signed. “You promised ASP. I don’t have ASP. I’m gone.” And rightfully so.
Provide Service Tickets
The web host system is a complex tangle of plugs and wires and all it takes is a loose wire to create problems on a single site. Provide clients a means of creating service tickets for your IT staff.
These tickets should be delivered directly to the service department and followed up with an auto-responder stating that the ticket was received and steps to fix the problem are already underway – even at 3:00 AM.
Service tickets should be tracked in a central location in the tech support department using a content management system that tracks each ticket from receipt to resolution. There is nothing more frustrating or unethical than to leave a client hanging without any word of hope.
Remember where the cash flow is generated. By your clients. And if they don’t feel that they’re your top priority at the moment (when troubles are afoot) they won’t sign up for another 24 months of second-rate service.
Owners of these important companies have an obligation to keep uptime at 99.9%, to provide communication between host and company, to provide a 24/7 tech support line and a means for producing a service ticket.
They should receive all services promised the day they sign up. They should receive notifications of maintenance downtime and downtime should be as short as possible.
In any industry, web hosting included, there are business owners who run their companies ethically – with customer needs always placed before company needs. Then, there are the crooks, liars, cheats and people without conscience.
When choosing your web host, consider the company’s standard practices to ensure that the business is a straight-up operation. Not sure where to do the research? Visit any webmaster site and go with a company other webmasters recommend.
Never settle for less than the best when it comes to a company’s ethics. These "rights" and "wrongs" form the foundation of the treatment you can expect from any given host.
Go with the company that does the right thing – for you.
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