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Buyer Beware: Web Hosting, Registration, and Site Building "All in One" Package Nightmares
by Vishal P. Rao ©Copyright 2004

Starting out in any type of online marketing or Internet
business can be confusing and overwhelming. There are so
many different aspects of a start-up: domain name
registration and purchase, Web site host purchasing, and of
course, the "building" of the Web site itself. This leaves
many consumers looking for an easier way to purchase
everything in one place, both to save money and to save
time.

This has led to the rise of "total packages" by many hosting
and Internet development companies, where everything is
included: domain-name registration, software for design of a
site or an online method of building a site, professional
design of the site, and of course, the hosting. This is
quite popular as it whittles down the process of getting a
site up and running for many new to the Internet and online
marketing.

However, with the convenience of Web-hosting packages of
this sort, there also can be inconveniences. No road is
paved "with gold" and this type of registration, hosting and
design package deal is no exception. There can be problems
that surface later on when purchasing a Web design and
hosting package that also includes registration. These
problems usually present themselves in the following forms:

1. Once a Web site becomes popular, the hosting charges may
rise exorbitantly, as the "special" that was presented
initially can become inapplicable once a certain amount of
traffic or the size of the site changes. This is more of a
problem for larger business sites than for smaller business
sites or "personal" or "theme" sites.

2. Some "specials" only exist for a limited amount of time,
and the charges can rise steadily after that period.

3. A Web site owner may have different needs as time goes
on, and the "package" no longer suits the needs of the
owner. This can include the inability to change the pages on
one's own, or the inability to effectively track traffic, as
some come with traffic statistics packages.

4. Downtime (when a site is down and can't be viewed) can be
significant enough to warrant a change of hosts or domain
name registrars.

5. A Web site, registration, and web hosting package company
may go out of business, leaving a client with no way to
contact them, and three services to quickly replace. This
also leaves a site open to loss of the registered domain
name, as well as loss of revenues while the site is "down".

6. A contract may exist which states that the "special"
prices are only offered contingent on remaining with a
certain company for a specified amount of time (which may be
years).

7. The actual "name" of your site may not even be registered
to "you" the perceived "owner", but to the hosting and
registrar company that initiated the purchase through the
package deal. This how the Web site hosting, design and
registrar packages "save" money many times for consumers, as
they "buy in bulk", registering hundreds of sites per month.

All the above seem simple enough to rectify. Simply "switch"
the Web site, hosting, and domain name registrar to that of
other companies.

This is the point, however, in which "trouble" can rear its
ugly head. Some hosting and domain name registrars seem
reluctant to "hand over" a site to any other company, as it
does mean the loss of a customer and therefore, revenue, for
themselves. The current hosting company and registrar may
likewise delay a transfer, or refuse to provide sufficient
information to a new host or registrar to effectively
conclude a transfer. It becomes even more tangled, if the
name of a site has been registered to them.

This is where it is possible for a "nightmare" of subterfuge
regarding a site to begin. Sometimes, after numerous
contacts, with no reply, a Web site owner will realize that
the switching of the site has become a real battle.

Some possible methods of avoiding the "trap" of packages
such as this:

1. Read all paperwork and contracts thoroughly. The fine
print is indeed, very "fine" sometimes, for a reason, and
reading everything thoroughly will save frustration and
misunderstandings later. 

Above all, make sure that the registration will be done in 
"your name", as the loss of a popular name, with a large 
amount of traffic, is a HUGE loss. Or better still, register 
your domain name yourself. With so many online domain 
registrars, it's very simple to register a domain name 
online. The only thing you need to do once you have bought a 
hosting package is change the "name servers" through the 
control panel provided by your domain registrar.

If at all you are not satisfied with your hosting company 
and would like to shift to a different company, simply 
change the name servers to point to the new company. That's 
it!

2. Make sure there is a contact phone number and physical
address for correspondence with the companies if the need
should arise. As in the case of Example #1, the lack of a
phone number and physical address was detrimental to
effective correspondence and resolution.

3. Take the time to research different plans and different
companies. If at all possible, ask to speak to some of their
other clients to ensure that they are indeed sensitive to
the needs of their own customers and are flexible enough to
adapt to changes in a site over time.

4. Take the time to correctly ascertain your own needs and
the needs of any site you'll be building. The package needs
to "fit your needs" explicitly.

5. If at all possible, use different providers for each
stage of a Web site: hosting, domain-name registrar, site
building. It does take longer to get a site up and running
with this method, but the overall control that you will have
over the site is well worth the extra effort, usually. If
one provider proves to be a disappointment, it is easier to
replace one service, rather than try to replace everything
at once.

As you can easily see, sometimes "time saving" strategies
are not really that, and can lead to heartbreak and
headaches. As with everything else, "slow but steady" wins
the race, and it does pay to take the time to initiate each
stage of a Web site individually.

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Vishal P. Rao is the editor of Home Based Business 
Opportunities - A website dedicated to opportunities, ideas 
and resources for starting a home based business. Visit him 
at: http://www.home-based-business-opportunities.com/
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