One of the many things to consider as the head of an SME is of course the existence of your online presence. The main factor involved in this, and rightly so, is the building of the website itself, from menus and images to layout and content, there are many important decisions to make. However one area that is often deemed an afterthought is that of finding somewhere or someone to actually host the website.


This article will attempt to guide you, the SME owner, through the minefield of jargon and help you make that decision that could make or break your online presence. The four key areas to be discussed are that of Downtime, Support, Cost, and finally a guide to some of the key terms and phrases you might hear when researching your potential web host.


Downtime


Nothing is more damaging to a business’s website than that site being inaccessible. Downtime occurs when the hosts’ servers are not functioning properly and therefore all sites being hosted on that server return a ‘Service Unavailable’ error message. In effect this is the equivalent of a shop not being open during normal business hours on the busiest shopping day of the year. Downtime, also referred to as outage, can be caused by a software failure, human error, power failure, or an overload in data. A good hosting company will offer a 99.9% reliability guarantee along with a compensation scheme if they breach this promise.


Support


As is the case with every business, effective customer support can be a deal breaker, and nowhere is this more prevalent than for a web hosting company. They want your business, so make them work for it! Beware of hosts that only offer email support, even if it claims to be available 24/7. Many emails don’t get through the strict spam filters that are used these days and if your server is down then you will want answers immediately. Opt for firms that promote their 24 hour telephone support using a free phone number. It has been known for customers to get stung for telephone costs when invoice time comes around. You should also try and call them before you purchase hosting space so that you can get an idea of their professionalism, knowledge, and competence, and if possible build a relationship with an individual who you can go back if you should need assistance.


Cost


For a small business without the luxury of unlimited funds and venture capitalists, cost might seem the most important factor in deciding which web host to choose, but never has the old adage of ‘you get what you pay for’ been more relevant. The standard of hosting varies so much that it is simply not worth skimping on cost. Any firm offering ‘free’ hosting should generally be avoided as it usually means you will get advertisements on your site that are irrelevant, give the site an unprofessional look, or even advertise your competitors! In addition to this, hosts offering unlimited data transfers and bandwidth are worth avoiding as it generally means they are overselling and might not be able to cope with high levels of data capacity.


Obviously for a relatively small site, costs should be lower so don’t ever look to pay over £100 per month for the service, £80 per month should be sufficient to get the level of service and support required. If your website grows and your hosting contract comes up for renewal expect to be offered upgraded services for an increased fee. Ultimately it is your decision as to how you play this, only you really know if you need this upgrade but by all means do seek advice from those in the know, maybe your website developers.


Jargon Buster


You are probably only too aware of how fast-moving the world of e-commerce and online trading is. You may have an established offline business that you want to bring to the online community but feel lost in all the acronyms, buzzwords, and tech-speak that comes with it. If this sounds like you, then you might find my jargon buster useful. It is by no means comprehensive but might just give you a helping hand on your way to expanding your business to the world of online.


cPanel - A control panel that can be used to administer the website including updating SQL databases & amending email rights

Domain - Usually refers to the .co.uk or .com part of a web address. Your domain name is usually related to the business name

FTP - File Transfer Protocol. A method by which files can be sent over the Internet

Linux - An operating system popular for running servers. A rival to Windows based operating systems

PHP - Short for HyperText Preprocessor, a programming language often dealt with by servers that can make changes to your site

POP/IMAP/SMTP - Different methods by which emails are sent and delivered. Not a huge factor as the end result is generally the same.

Server - The physical hardware used to store and run your website

SQL - Structured Query Language. A special purpose programming language for creating and updating databases

If you come across any other confusing terms (which is very likely) why not test the customer support of a web host with your question.