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How I Started My Online Business
How I Started My Online Business
I knew that I needed a website if I want to start my own online business. Back in 2002 when I was still a newbie in online businesses, I was afraid of losing money so I took advantage of free web hosting like Yahoo's Geocities. But then I realized that I should be willing to take calculated
risks - even the risk of losing money.
I realized that there are Disadvantages of Using FREE Web Hosting:
1.) Less credibility - not professional
A company website loses its credibility once it's hosted on a free server. If a company can't invest a small amount of money on hosting, then a website visitor may suspiciously think that it's a fly-by-night company.
2.) Difficult to remember the url
Which is easier to remember: www.churchworkers.com
or www.geocities.com/churchworkers
? Hosting companies allow other people to host on their servers for free because it's actually free advertising for them. You get hosting for free. In turn, you promote their website url whether you like it or not. So, site visitors will most likely remember their url, not yours.
Remember, you should be determined in succeeding in your online business. Therefore, you should think long-term.
MY DECISION TO INVEST IN WEB HOSTING:
I decided to invest in web hosting to "professionalize" my online business. But, the half-cooked entrepreneur within me prodded me to look for super low cheap web hosting. So, what did I do? I looked for cheap web
hosting at eBay.
I paid less than $5 for one whole year of hosting.
Not only that, I can host multiple sites as long as I don't go beyond the bandwidth limit. Isn't that a bargain???!
True enough, I got cheap web hosting and a constant headache. It was an awful experience! The hosting was not stable and reliable. One second, my website was up and running; then, a few seconds later, the server is down. Apparently, the hosting company doesn't know its server is down. I had to email them several times informing them of the status server. It would take several hours for the problem to be resolved. I would wake up in the middle of the night just to check if my website is up and running. Imagine all the lost income opportunities in exchange for cheap web hosting.
LESSON WELL LEARNT:
This terrible hosting experience taught me that I should invest in a reliable host server. Never mind, if it's priced higher than the others. It will be and is worth it. You get what you pay for.
You don't have to spend huge amounts of money to get a reliable host server. Look for promotional offers of hosting companies. Need better web hosting? Choose 1&1. Free: domains, marketing tools, search engine ad $$ and more. New! 50% off EVERY hosting plan!
This way, you have a reliable host server at a discounted price!
Experience is the best teacher.
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