Running a business efficiently means making sure you’re using the best tools and providers available. Your web hosting solution should be the best you can get your hands on so your business’ website will always be up and running.
But have you ever considered what your hosting provider thinks about you as a client? They’re running a business just like you, and if maintaining difficult clients isn’t in their best interest, chances are they won’t hesitate to drop you.
To keep that from happening, do everything in your power to stay on their good side. You don’t want to let mistakes on their part slide too often, but you also don’t want to be overly pesky or entitled when it comes to services. We’re here to help you strike the right balance by advising you on some things to avoid in order to keep your provider from slapping your business with a service ban.
1. Don’t nag.
It’s absolutely OK to approach your web hosting provider when you have an issue. It’s also OK for them to take some time to investigate and address the problem. Once they’ve told you they’ll get back to you, you need to wait patiently for them to do their thing.
Now, sending reminders once in a while is a good way to inquire about progress. Perhaps a call to a technician or two may also be in order. But, nagging and being angry or rude won’t solve anything. It may even make things worse. Give your provider adequate time to resolve issues. After all, if your site is experiencing downtime or lag, chances are your provider’s other clients are experiencing it, too and they may have a lot on their plate to manage.
2. Don’t pester about freebies or extras.
Most web hosting providers throw in freebies when you sign up for service. Things like online marketing coupons or extra hosting space are usually offered to make clients like you feel welcome. But, don’t forget these are all gestures of goodwill and aren’t necessarily guaranteed.
The smartest thing to do is to read the Terms of Service (yes, that boring document we’re all in a hurry to click away) and see what you will be getting out of your hosting provider and in exchange for what. Any extra services, features or products you ask for beyond the scope of the ToS are generally at the discretion of your hosting provider.
This means you may ask for extras, but they are not obligated to provide those extras. Ask once or twice, but don’t become a nuisance asking for freebies.
3. Don’t rush to make complaints.
Honest reviews keep us all, well, honest. Businesses make sure they offer the best service they can so they can avoid scorching reviews that could hurt their sales. Once a complaint has been filed, they may reach out and try to settle the matter or address the issue at hand.
You, too, are entitled to your opinions and are free to file complaints. But, before you jump to the nearest review site or write your own blog post, it would be better for both you and your hosting provider to sit down and talk about what can be done.
This way, you can express yourself and let your provider know exactly what you need from them, while your hosting provider could take a lesson from it and implement your suggestions as a standard feature – all thanks to you. Most companies are more than willing to work with their customers in order to maintain a positive relationship and keep the revenue flowing, so contact them directly with any issues you have before making a big, public-facing fuss.
4. Don’t be a a cheapskate.
Your goal should always be to cut costs wherever possible. Budgeting and saving money is a good way to ensure your business’ healthy profits. Yet, there’s a difference between watching every single cent that goes out and being a cheapskate.
Opting for the minimal package and then loading it up with a data-heavy monster website that stores a lot of its own data, runs transactions that put a strain on the bandwidth and processing power, and takes up all the disk space around it will only create misery for everyone.
The two options available here are to either streamline your processes (and curb your website’s need for resources) or simply pay for a larger package and find the whole site a cozier hosting solution.
5. Don’t make impossible demands.
Now, we all know once you’ve signed up with a hosting provider, you’re pretty much going to get all the features and gifts they want to give you. But, there are some website owners – both individuals and businesses – that sign up for a package of features and start demanding impossible additions or modifications.
Well, first – unless you have signed on to an open-ended package solution, your hosting providers should grant you a few favors. But, ask too much and you’ll soon see yourself running out of favors.
Secondly – if you really think you’ll be needing extras, you should consider signing up for a larger virtual private server (VPS). That ought to give you as much leeway as you might need.
It’s a two-way street!
Remember, you need your hosting provider as much as they need you. It’s a two way street, so play nice and they will, too. At the very least, you won’t end up being banned from the web hosting realm!
