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  • From: "jay gee" <JayGee AT jghelp.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] web page hosting?
  • Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 11:25:26 -0700 (PDT)

David Heininger wrote:

> I have recently started shopping around for a new WPP (Web Presence
> Provider, I think) i.e. a server/host for our Ranch web site. I have a few
> needs and a whole bunch of wants from my new host-to-be but there are just
> too many choices out there. A simple 5 minute web search turned up dozens
> if not hundreds of providers, all apparently able to meet each of my
> wish-list criterion, and most were WAY cheaper than I imagined possible.
> Many of them are in the $5.00 to $10.00 a month range for more storage
> space, data transfer/usage, multiple email accounts etc, etc, etc, then I
> could ever imagine using. This makes me immediately suspicious.

Don't be too suspicious. Although there are marginal
web hosting firms out there, there are also plenty of
solid ones. Finding them among the 1,000s is the key.

Prices for services, bandwidth allowances, email
account options, have all become more friendly
than a couple of years ago to folks like you and
me who have or plan to set up a web site.

> How the heck can I sort the wheat from the chaff here and narrow the field a
> bit?

Call and talk to the folks whose service offers appeal
to you. Find out how long they have been in the business
of hosting web sites and what level of support they
provide. Unless your site has lots of problems, support
is not generally required aside from having the occasional
question answered.

BTW, I pay $10 /mo for jgHelp.com hosting because it
is all I need.

> I am very interested
> in reliability and in believing that the company is going to be around for
> longer than the time it takes to deposit my funds. As I am looking at soon
> incorporating e-commerce component into our mix I am concerned about
> security and also interested in access to able tech service for ironing out
> any bugs quickly and efficiently as they arise.

Having an ecommerce hosting arrangement jacks up
the annual hosting cost considerably so shopping that
feature around is important if you plan to install a store
section on your web site, with secure server linking.

Find out what kind of credit card and electronic funds transfer
fees and charges are involved and whether they make
accepting monies online a more expensive than profitable
operation at the end of the year. After all, it is about profit.

Lastly, keep in mind that your web site may not be selling
as you had hoped due to how it is laid out. Or the copy
you are using is not effective at inspiring action and closing
a sale. If the copy remains the same, having the ability to
collect online may wind up unused.

The rule of thumb is that if your web site sells strongly
without online cash acceptance, it sells more with it.
If it doesn't sell strongly, fix that part first, then add in
the ecommerce features later and enjoy the ride.









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