Web Hosting Downtime Will Cost You Sales
A good shopping cart software and reliable web hosting are essential to
build a successful online storefront.  Many business owners spend a great
deal of time in selecting their shopping cart software, but gloss over
another important issue -- who their web hosting provider will be. This is
not to say that the eCommerce shopping cart software you pick isn't
important, it is, but you have to remember that it is only one piece of the
puzzle. Another piece is web hosting and where this shopping cart of yours
will be hosted.

It is a common mistake for business owners to forget how important web
hosting is, and let the price of web hosting influence their decision when
choosing a provider.  The quality of web hosting can play a determining
factor in the success of your online store.  Every minute that your store is
down, is another minute that you are not in business.

When selecting a web hosting provider to host your online storefront you
should be sure to find out if they have experience in hosting e-commerce
based websites.  If it is something they cater to they are more likely to
have the infrastructure in place not only to support your shopping cart, but
to help make it thrive.

Think of it this way. You have a brand new 2008 Porsche Turbo 911, a really
nice car. You hear a little rattle under the hood and think "I should get
someone to take a look at this". Who are you going to take your car to? Well
maybe you could take it to the mechanic just down the road who works on all
types of vehicles, maybe you'll get it back in a week or two as soon as they
figure out what the problem is, or you could take it to the Porsche
dealership and have it ready to go in a few hours. Which one would you pick?
By taking your Turbo 911 to the Porsche dealership not only were you able to
pinpoint the problem, but, you had an answer/solution to it in just a few
hours, where as the other mechanic might have been still trying to figure
out what the problem is. It may have cost a little more, but the time it has
saved you is well worth the investment. This is how you should treat your
online storefront.

The next thing you have to look at when choosing a web hosting provider for
your online storefront is their downtime. What is downtime you ask? Downtime
is where you web hosting is either unresponsive or unavailable to anyone
trying to access your online storefront.

Simply put, if your online storefront is down your customers can not access
it.  This means that no sales are going to come in. This is a critically
important factor when considering a web hosting provider. That is not to say
that the providers who offer the lowest prices, or offer a huge amount of
space will have more down time than another provider, but you should
remember that if an offer sounds to good to be true then it probably is.

Contact the provider you are interested in and asks questions about their
service to ensure they are providing a quality service to you. Also see if
you can get some references from satisfied customers, or testimonials which
you can use to help make your decision easier.

In any business there will always be the good, the bad and the in-between
service providers. To make sure you are getting the best bang for your buck,
but also the best service, you must do your homework and to ask questions.

A web hosting service provider who tries to go out of their way before you
are their client usually will bend over backwards to keep you satisfied when
you are their client.