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Branding

How to Decide if Your Web Hosting Service is Bad

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Bad Web Hosting

There are many web hosting companies offering cheap hosting services, but they come with subpar performance. You may have a gorgeous website and a great marketing message, but that’s all worthless if your hosting service isn’t delivering.

How to Tell if Your Web Host is Underperforming

Your website is slow. Maybe clients have already told you. The rule of thumb is if it takes more than 5 seconds to load a page, something’s wrong. To keep visitors happy, load time should be 2 seconds or less.

Excessive downtime. Every web host performs routine maintenance, usually during business off-hours. If you get complaints about accessibility, you’ve got an issue. Worse yet, if your site “disappears” on and off during business hours, then you’ve got a serious downtime issue.

Unsecured ports. A major factor in hacking and malware attacks is site port setup. If site access is set up incorrectly, its vulnerability skyrockets.

Poor customer service. If you can’t reach Tech Support, troubleshooting can be a frustrating experience. Worse yet, talking with techs can be like trying to interpret “techno-speak.” Their jargon foils your ability to get anything fixed.

Search engine rankings decline. If you website goes down or has slow load times, it can have a huge impact on your rankings.

Error 404: Website Not Found. Limited resources force some web hosts to go out of business, which means all your site files go with them—along with all your time, money and effort.

Tips to Keep Your Site in Top Shape

  1. Review your hosting plan. Does it include regular site backups and malware scans? If you have a WordPress site, does the host automatically handle WordPress updates? Note: WordPress upgrades are often security fixes that also necessitate other software updates on the site.
  2. Keep your site theme and plug-ins up to date. Although a site may still look great in a browser, if you haven’t updated underlying software, you’re heading for disaster. Be aware that your web host isn’t responsible for managing your theme or plug-ins. If you delay or ignore updates, site load times will slow and files become vulnerable to hacking.
  3. Know the difference between a site redesign and site updates. If designed well, a website might look great in a browser for a while, but without carefully selected host and regular updates, it’s a ticking time bomb.
  4. If you work with a designer/developer, make sure they understand your hosting service; i.e., FTP access, working with backups and load speed optimization, and keeping up to date about known issues. They can recommend the right a hosting service package, track software upgrades, schedule regular updates to your theme and plug-ins—all done to minimize your risk of a worst-case scenario.

If you haven’t had a site review in the past 2-3 years, now’s the time to get started. It begins with how well your website hosting service is performing. Don’t be fooled into thinking you got a great deal because of the low cost.

I’d be happy to discuss your situation at no charge. Just call 414-771-8906 or email nancy@cavanaughinteractive.biz and let me know your concerns. Don’t delay—the website you save may be your own.

Personalizing your brand

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Brand BuildingThe owner is often the most visible representative of a business. But a smaller business is at a disadvantage because it doesn’t possess instant identity as a familiar, trustworthy name.

A large corporation has a better chance of building a brand name because of its resources. It may be known by its logo, slogan and trademarked products rather than by the founder/owner.

So what’s an owner to do?

The logical place to begin is the website. Ask yourself: What does a visitor see on your site that helps to define your “brand?”

Here are a few suggestions to set your business apart:

• Images. Stock photos no longer a viable component of web design—especially if you’re trying to create a brand name. These days, the latest templates feature large picture sliders and parallax background photos. But what good are they if the photos don’t reflect your business? What can a visitor learn about you if you use the all-too-common “handshake” stock photo?

There are more effective ways to establish familiarity with your online audience.

  • Show your work environment. If you have a shop or restaurant, here’s your chance to build a real attraction.
  • Showcase your team. Not just a group shot, but pictures of people at working together, helping customers, etc.
  • Include your clients. Interaction with actual clients is a powerful testimonial. Visitors know the difference between a stock meeting photo and the real thing.

• Video. It’s been coming for a long time, and now it’s time to get serious. A brief introductory video clip—2-3 minutes—as a replacement for the slideshow on the Home page is the place to begin. Create a storyboard to step through your message, then use your business environment as the background. If you can’t afford a professional videographer, it’s still possible to shoot a clip with decent production values that won’t distract the viewer from your message. Many smart phones can record quality video files. If you have trouble steadying the phone, buy a tripod and practice your delivery a couple of times.

•  Blog posts. Your business identity should have a distinctiveness that is magnetic. An important ingredient for getting recognition is your ability to tap into your audience’s needs. Your blog posts should reflect that you understand of those needs. If your topics regularly “strike a chord” with their concerns, then your audience size will increase—not only on your website, but on social media networks.

Injecting individuality into your website helps to build a brand capable of competing with larger businesses with analogous services. People want to do business with people—not businesses. That’s where your ultimate advantage lies.

Want to talk about how to build your brand? Call 414.771.8906 or email nancy@cavanaughinteractive.biz. I can help you create a memorable brand that won’t disappoint.