1and1 website - cheap is not always the best

When choosing a web host or web design company you want to make the right decision. You want a company that is reliable. Other factors you need to take into consideration are:

• Is it free hosting for account setup?
• What is the support like?
• Does the company offer a trial period with a money back guarantee?
• Does the company offer unlimited domain hosting?
• Are there web design templates really professional enough?
• Will the product they offer really give your business the professional look it needs?

One such company that promises to offer all the above is 1and1 and with websites starting from £4.99 per month it would seem the company to choose.

However, is going with a web hosting company that provides the cheapest website prices always the right thing to do?  Many people are attracted to low prices and on impulse sign up without giving a thought to what the service is going to offer them.  This article explains key factors and considerations you should look at.

Price

Before being enticed by the very low price, thoroughly check out the pricing structure the company is offering and what you will be getting for your money. The first thing to check is the minimum contract length you are expected to sign up for and whether you will be required to pay any fees upfront.

The other thing to check is the usage policy that the company is offering you as when you are signing up to a deal you are also agreeing to terms and conditions set out by the company. The trap you end up falling into is if your allowance is 2GB as soon as you come anywhere near this you are forced into upgrading to a higher package. So always read the terms and conditions regarding price.

Reliability

The second most important thing to look for when deciding whether to take up hosting with a cheap web hosting company is reliability and support. If anything, these two should perhaps be the most important considerations when looking for a web host or web design company.  Research the company and look for customer reviews specifically what they say about reliability and support. The last thing you want to do is sign a contract and then realise the reliability is not very good.

Support

Always check the support contract if you choose a cheap web hosting company.  Look at what their procedures are for handling support queries. Being the customer you need to be certain that your requests are answered in a timely and efficient manner. If the hosting company is having downtime you need to know you will be informed of this and what the resolutions are going to be.

Check what response times are like for requests submitted? what is telephone support like? Do they responed within an hour of raising a support ticket?

As a customer you expect all support calls to be handled effectively, efficiently and within a time scale. If your support ticket has to be escalated find out how long it will be before the problem is resolved. After all, customer service needs to be of a very high quality.

After reading this article, hopefully you will have some insight into what to look for when choosing a web host and design company. If the company is offering low cost prices and packages then there is always a catch. Check them out, find user reviews and see what other people are saying about the other company.  The most important point to remember is shop around, look at what each company is offering in detail before you make a decision you may later regret.