5 Things web hosts DON'T do but SHOULD

[InetDedicated]

The web hosting industry is one of the most on the edge competitive areas on the net. Bids on most PPC search engines have topped a crazy $15.00 per click for web hosting related terms. What most hosts fail to realize, throwing money at your marketing, without the backing effort will only get clicks, not sales. Here is a few of the major things that most industry web hosts don't do that they should in their marketing efforts.

Be true and provide the client VALUE!: Send your customers physical mail - maybe a welcome letter (email is to modern) providing helpful getting started tips and other pointers to novice users! Your more experienced clients will find that to be very customer orientied!

Give something FREE! Besides seeing practically the same list of features on each hosting site, most web hosts do not provide a reason to stick around with them or choose their service over another. Perhaps you can offer a free uptime monitoring!

Provide Customer Testimonals: Most providers do not provide TRUE customer testimonials. If your customers are truly happy with your service, they will talk about it!

Listen to your customers: Provide regular surveys of your customers! This can provide great knowledge to measure how your company is doing, and to gain suggestions and ideas on how to improve!

Stay in contact!: This is a very important prospect that most hosts forget about. Many hosts are just looking to aquire customers and take their money each month unless support is needed and 85% of support for most hosting firms in not up to par. This is a big mistake that alot of providers make. Keeping in touch with your customers via email, and post, your company will gain more referred customers and execellent feedback! Its alot cheaper keeping your current customers than finding new ones. Your customers are your boss they can fire everyone in the company from the CEO down!

These are 5 keys points to have a successful web hosting firm and keeping the customer happy! Keep these in mind next time you think about customer service and support :)

[WL-Michael]

Great add! Really great, this should help alotta folks. I like the physical mail. When I was being hosted before I was with LytenHost a site sent me a welcome letter via US mail and I found that very suprising and professional.

[xedis]

nice add, congratulations for this post. The worse part is this: how many of these so called hosting companies give a penny for what you're saying here. is sad but true... even you've admited that, they have no clue about customer support. And I Know this from my own experiences :confused4

[Jewlz_K]

Great post Inet

[InetDedicated]

nice add, congratulations for this post. The worse part is this: how many of these so called hosting companies give a penny for what you're saying here. is sad but true... even you've admited that, they have no clue about customer support. And I Know this from my own experiences :confused4


Very true and it is very sad. Those kind of companies put a damper on the reputation of all paid hosting companies. It will make the client think "Why should I pay for hosting, when I can get it free? I can deal with the ad's if it is going to be like this!"

[Dragonlordgod]

Great post ;-) - May help a lot of web hosts out there. Thanks for sharing.

[peace_hope]

Great information, It will really help me out in my hosting company.

[zenix]

Bravo Bravo.

When i registered a domain with 1and1 they sent me a Get Started Brochure and A welcome letter, i found that unbeleivably proffesional.

[TJR Networks]

Good tips. :)


Provide Customer Testimonals: Most providers do not provide TRUE customer testimonials. If your customers are truly happy with your service, they will talk about it!

Just make sure you don't make them up. The number of hosts that do shocks me. Not only that, but you can usually spot a fake review within seconds.

[InetDedicated]

Good tips. :)



Just make sure you don't make them up. The number of hosts that do shocks me. Not only that, but you can usually spot a fake review within seconds.

Very ture, and very good point.

[Jan]

Some more additions:

When they join forums, they should read the rules. (Can you trust a host who can't follow TOS of a forum?)

When responding to a request, take time to read and actually address what is required. (Can you trust a host who doesn't pay attention to detail?)

If someone on a forum picks up a fault with your site, don't start cussing and throwing insults around. (Would you trust a host who can't act with professionalism under a little pressure? Chances are he/she could be like that when you need support)

[InetDedicated]

Some more additions:

When they join forums, they should read the rules. (Can you trust a host who can't follow TOS of a forum?)

When responding to a request, take time to read and actually address what is required. (Can you trust a host who doesn't pay attention to detail?)

If someone on a forum picks up a fault with your site, don't start cussing and throwing insults around. (Would you trust a host who can't act with professionalism under a little pressure? Chances are he/she could be like that when you need support)

Before I-Net Hosting Corporation moved to it's datacenter in Atlanta, GA I had a problem with my last host. I had 8 dedicated servers with this company plus brought them alot of business. They were a good host UNTIL we had problems that could not be resolved through trouble tickets and email. Their phone support was not good at all. After talking with some of their tech reps I felt that I was a problem or annoyance even. Well none the less I had to stick around with this host for about another 5 months. I do completely understand you point Jan, very good one at that!

[BURN3R]

Heh InetDedicated, this whole topic is a pretty good advertisement for your own services aswell :)

[InetDedicated]

Heh InetDedicated, this whole topic is a pretty good advertisement for your own services aswell :)

What exactly do you mean by that?

[BURN3R]

Meaning, you show to us that you KNOW how customers should be treated and I right away checked out your site (since I'm looking for reliable yet affordable hosting myself) which then led to me making that topic about web design, no offense intended though, you really seem to know a lot about running a hosting company.
And I agree with the rest, these tips (and the the topic I made) should be followed by every serious webhost, then the (webhosting) world would be a much better place.