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If you do a web search for the terms web hosting or domain hosting, you will probably find a lot of web hosting directories and hosting indexes come up.
You're also probably wondering how many of them have true unbiased web hosting rankings... In my opinion: NONE of them. If you look carefully, you'll probably find an "Advertising" link, or more information under the "About" section of their website. These web hosting directories often charge anywhere from $200 to $3500 per month for an ad placement. They also use creative language like "Featured Listings" or "Sponsored Listings" or "Web Host Spotlight", etc to indicate advertisers who have paid for this special position. In addition their website is often cluttered with flashy banner advertisements, animated buttons, text ads, etc. Again, all are paid to be there... I've seen these hosting directories come and go over the years, many dormant and stale indexes are still up in cyberspace still collecting random hits once in awhile. So the next time you are searching for web hosting services, please realize that the web hosting directory or shared hosting index you come across is nothing more than a colorful brochure with paid advertising all over it. Very biased hosting recommendations like from paid hosting indexes aren't very helpful to most. Watch out for directories who are offering you the opportunity to advertise your business on their 411 directory website for only $400 a year. The thing is.. there are plenty of 411 directories. Some of them are official, some of them are nothing more than a website that someone made in a month, shoved a bunch of free listings on it, and now they run around looking for suckers to pony up $400 for a paid "enhanced" listing. These directories are similar to those unregulated online casinos. Who is watching them? How can they prove how much exposure your listing will receive in a given week or month? No.. the sole purpose of many of these online 411 directories is to do nothing more than find business that is ready to hand over $400 a year without paying attention to the real meaning of their ROI (return on investment). So if you get one of these "cold calls" in the middle of your business day. Someone offering you the chance to write a cheque, and get a enhanced text listing in their directory... Ask questions. Ask a lot of questions. See how easy it is to find this 411 directory. Don't get tricked by a sales pitch with no guarantees, no promise of exposure, and no promise of returns -- the point is, that they are out to take your money. I find commercial advertised web hosting directories and web hosting indexes are the last place you should go to find a web host. There, positioning goes to the highest bidder which is generally the most PROFITABLE web hosting company, who has a large advertising budget. As a consumer, do you want to host your website with the most profitable web host? Take a moment to consider that.. Would you like your water leak to be serviced by the most profitable plumber? Probably not. If they are making money hand-over-fist, it generally means they are cheating the consumer in one way or another. The plumber might use cheap materials, or bill for extra services that other plumbers wouldn't normally charge for, etc. Thing of that concept with web hosting companies too.. If your web hosting company his massive, has huge profit margins, and can afford expensive advertising on web hosting directories and web hosting indexes -- then chances are, they are probably offering very little value, and reaping huge profit margins off of their web hosting fees. The best way to find a web host, is always word of mouth. Listen to someone talking about it on things like the webhosting talk forums. A moderated non-biased discussion is always the best way to ask questions and find answers about choosing a web host. So the next time you see flashy banners, buttons, and text links, on commerical advertising web host directories, remind yourself, its nothing more than eye candy telling you which web host (or expensive plumber) is out there. I learned this life lesson once when I was dealing with a Notary Public. One office I went to had old run down furniture, but they were really really busy. Another office I went to had really upscale brand new expensive furniture, and their office was very quiet. There was a big difference in price. The first time, I used the professional looking expensive Notary Public, and I paid almost double in fees as what the first one was charging. They took longer, made a couple mistakes which had to be corrected, and were kind of rude with the way they spoke to us. The next time I needed the same service, I went to the run-down furniture office. The fees were almost 1/2 of the amount, the response time was quick, they made no mistakes, and it was great. So the lesson to be learned is, that if the service provider you are selecting stinks of riches and money, and big business, they are less likely to offer you personalized attentive service. Be careful choosing your web host company, your website and wallet may suffer. The internet is still the wild-wild-west. |