I just helped a client of mine switch from their old Web hosting company to a new one. Not that the old host was bad, but… for a lot less money, here’s what they gained:
- More everything: more bandwidth, more server space, and more e-mail accounts, more publishing options.
- Better metrics: The new Web stats more accurately count visitors (by separating spiders and other nonhuman traffic), so the numbers are more realistic.
- Control Panel access for full control over the site settings.
- More reliable service: 24/7 monitoring, regular backups, etc.
- Widgets: dozens of available utilities, such as blogs, shopping carts, e-bay-style auctions, online training tools, message boards, art galleries, content management and more. All are free, open-source tools that just have to be configured and integrated into the current site. (They’re not going to use most of them, of course, but they’re available.)
Web hosting is a very competitive business, so hosts are constantly shaving prices, adding services and providing more value, in order to attract and keep customers. This should be good news for you. Once a year or so, you should check the market to see if you are getting the best value.
I use and recommend http://www.hostm.com/ (all the above for $7.95 a month), but there are other excellent services as well.
