From Ana Rincon
It's tempting to disregard much of today's web hosting industry. A sometimes confusing and undisciplined field, it's also become extremely crowded. As more small web hosting companies add to the glut of competition, large companies like Yahoo and Qwest Communications are also joining the fray. And to the observer, it seems like all offer basically the same services at the same prices.
But recently, an important trend has been taking shape within the industry. Rather than simply hosting websites, many companies are diversifying to meet more of their consumers' online needs. "Hosters are getting much better at bundling services to reach the right audiences, such as tailoring services to serve small home offices or medium-sized businesses," says John Ciacchella, a vice president for the management consultants A.T. Kearney Inc., quoted in the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
For example, in addition to their web hosting plans, many companies, such as GoDaddy, offer do-it-yourself tools that enable customers to design and maintain their websites. Other companies, such as Yahoo!, offer online marketing services with their web hosting packages. Some companies, though, have gone even farther. These companies offer and manage all components of a company's online presence - in other words, they have become full-service agencies.
A case in point is San Diego-based Aplus.net, a web hosting and Internet solutions company ranked among CNET's "Most Popular" Web hosting sites for more than 30 consecutive weeks (and counting), as well as past recipient of the prestigious CNET Editors' Choice Award. Aplus.net's philosophy is that a true "one-stop shop" should provide all necessary services in-house, without relying on third-party vendors to fill in the gaps.
Aplus.net has broken down all the products and services necessary to create a robust web presence into five categories. According to them, a good web hosting company will understand these concepts, and have the ability to offer the solutions when and where they're most needed - saving small business owners the time and hassle of becoming experts in design, search engines, and dozens of other aspects of e-marketing.
Today's most valuable tool in growing revenue is building a powerful web presence with a smart, effective, and eye-catching website. It's crucial in and of itself, and also an important starting off point for all later online marketing efforts. A good hosting company will offer a wide range of tools to complement the initial design. From content and image management tools to website interaction and navigation tools, a web host that understands this principle will put clients' websites in the hands of experienced, qualified, and in-house professionals seasoned in creating effective, attractive web pages.
"A website's goal should be to dominate the search engine results in its respective market," explains Theo Ivanov, Aplus.net's Marketing Director. "This used to be a simple matter of placing the highest bid. Now, it's a complicated equation that includes click-through ratio and other confusing factors." A one-stop Web host should offer tools to master both paid and "natural" search results.
After ensuring that a website is easy to find, the next step is to ensure an easy and satisfying experience for its visitors. According to Aplus.net, a website must have practical and proven sales tools that quickly and easily direct users to everything they need, so they can make an informed purchase in which they will have confidence. Luckily, there are a host of proven add-on sales tools out there, from real-time sales tools to mass mailing tools, and many of them are usually included as part of standard hosting plans.
Imagine having the ability to track customers' every step. Now imagine being able to track what store they went to before yours, and which one they'll go to next. With a website it's relatively simple to track this information, and more. From visitor profile tools to Web Analytics, plenty of options exist for the online business.
A quality hosting company will provide awareness of and access to the many certifying organizations that promote online security, as well as tools to protect business identity, make credit card transactions safe, and much more. SSL certificates and spam protection are essential hallmarks of pillar five, but overall vigilance is the key to making your site safe and secure for consumers.
So, when shopping for a Web host, remember that breadth of service is now what differentiates hosting companies, not price. Why not get the whole package in one place?