A Free Lunch? Only if you Make it Yourself

[PyroPixelCom]

The problem facing small businesses is always the same: money, and how to save it. Consequently, many SMEs turn to reseller hosts for salvation, seeking to cut costs by taking advantage of the free service sites that usually accompany the host's offering. There is always the risk of losing business by relying on a portal site, which many SMEs take in stride, realizing that it is necessary for the evolution of the market as a whole.

Reseller hosts offer SMEs a range of services from third-party portal sites to online postage services. Given the bloated state of the hosting industry, resellers believe that the constant competition will constantly refresh the industry - to the benefit of consumers. But the quid-pro-quo of competition is that where one person wins, another loses. What does such a high failure rate mean for the safety of your online presence?
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As in the offline world, fundamental business practices still apply. On the one hand, competition forces companies to improve the quality of their services, as well as offering unique products in order to find their niche in an industry where many companies offer duplicate sets of services. But on the Internet, the downfall of a hosting company usually means the downfall of the other businesses that rely on them.

Because the low-cost (or even free) services associated with reseller hosts are very attractive for SMEs, many of them jump in without giving any thought the fact that the majority of reseller hosts possess limited resources or lack of in-house options. Not that this is always a bad thing. Online service sites are a cost-effective resource for businesses that wish to help themselves. With scant technical support and limited failure protocol, the sites are designed to be easy to use, but in reality are tough to modify and update. In general, service sites are geared more towards the "tinkerers," who enjoy the learning process and constant vigilance required to build and eCommerce venture without the help of a third party.

As always, the adage seems to hold true: you get what you pay for. In the future, the automated internet may exist, and will be as intelligent as one-on-one service, but until that level of technology is reached, a reseller is not a good idea unless you have some technical knowledge you can apply to the operation of your Internet presence.

[StreetballForum.com]

My webhosting companies always go down in the first few months of business because of money That's why i gave up on the whole webhosting company craze i was into..

[Creative SEOer]

That's a good read. Thank you.

[Carter15]

Very interesting. Good post!