If you are a business owner and are about to hire a web design company to build you a new website or redesign an old one, you should know beforehand, who will be hosting your website.
What is Web Hosting?
In a nutshell, web hosting is an ongoing service (much like cellphone service) that provides storage for your website files and database.
Why Do You Need Web Hosting?
In order for a website to be accessible on the web (www or World Wide Web), a website’s files and database need to be stored on a web server that is connected to the internet. This is facilitated via a web hosting plan from a web hosting provider. Web hosting plans can be paid monthly, annually or years in advance (2 years, 3 years, etc.) depending upon what is offered by the hosting provider.
Who Can Host Your Website?
Any hosting provider can host your website. Even you can buy and set up your own servers to host your website, although, that may not be practical for most website owners.
What if my Web Designer/Developer Wants to Host My Website?
Just politely tell them, “No thank you”.
We recommend that you get a hosting plan, directly from a reputable hosting provider. In this way you control the ongoing operation of your website.
What are the Cons of Hosting my Website with my Web Designer/Developer?
Believe it or not, there are some major drawbacks from hosting your website with your web designer or web developer. Here are three of them.
You Pay More
Typically when you host your website with your web designer/developer, you will end up paying more for hosting because they usually act as a middle man (between you and the hosting provider as a hosting reseller), and as such, you pay a middle man’s markup.
You Do Not Control Your Website’s Files and Database
When you let your web designer or developer host your website, you lose control over your website’s files and database. Why is this important?
At some point in the future, you may decide to end your business relationship with your current web designer, for whatever reason. Maybe they are not being responsive to your continued needs, etc. When this happens, you will have to move (migrate) your website files and database to a new hosting provider.
You Get More Stressed
If your current web designer has been ghosting you, then this can delay or prevent you from being able to migrate your website files and database to a different host, because you will not have the login credentials to do so.
Now, you will have to find a new web hosting provider, determine which plan best suits your needs and then find and pay someone else (a new web designer/developer or the new hosting provider) to move your website files and database to your new hosting provider’s web server.
In some extreme cases, an unethical web designer could require you to pay an additional (and exorbitant) fee to get your website moved to a different hosting provider, or delete your website files and database from their hosting provider’s server. And when your business no longer has a website, you can lose a lot of money.
This can all be quite stressful, especially when you are trying to run your business.
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