The importance of a reliable hosting provider

It is impossible to overstate the importance of a reliable hosting provider when you are operating a website – especially a site that is intended to generate revenue for its owner. Whether you are a small webmaster operating a single site or an established company that is managing a large network of commercial websites, your web host is perhaps the most important service provider you will have.

In order for your site to make money, it must be available to visitors 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – without interruption. And you’ll find that almost every web host will guarantee something like 99.99% uptime for your sites. Anything less than that is simply unacceptable. But reliable and effective web hosting companies separate themselves from their competition with the support that they are able to provide to their customers. This is where true reliability comes into play.

If you’re making changes to your site or changing the structure of a database, you need to know with certainty that your host is going to be available to answer questions and offer support should it become necessary. Things will be happening quickly when you find yourself in these situations, so e-mail and phone calls must be answered immediately and you need to be able to make contact with hosting staff that can access your site’s server and give you the information or help that you need.

The more complex your websites, the more important it is to have a competent and reliable web host who can support your evolving online business. In many instances, the best web hosting solution is not the cheapest, but your small investment in a better web host can pay big dividends when you need immediate support. When shopping for the best web host for your websites, try contacting their support departments at odd hours and see what kinds of responses you get. Talk to existing customers and get their take on the web host’s performance in urgent situations. A little research can go a long way toward ensuring that you are working the best web hosting provider available.