So you want to be a web host? With literally tens of thousands of web hosts to choose from, you need to set yourself apart from the rest and continue to keep your clients satisfied. Practice these ten habits to have longevity in the profitable web hosting industry.
The 10 Habits of Highly Effective Web Hosts
1. Deploy a User Friendly Website
The first thing your visitors notice is your website. Don’t let aesthetics, shoddiness, or unprofessionalism scare them off. Put yourself in the shoes of a customer coming to your website for the first time. Keep it simple when it comes to navigating to the product line and then the Buy Now page. Make the payment process as quick and painless as possible, and you won’t have any customer backing out at the last minute.
2. Round-the-Clock Customer Service
Web hosting is a 24/7/365 business. You and/or a co-worker must be available all day, every day for customer support. You will get e-mails and phone calls at the worst times: holidays, vacation, 4th quarter of the football game. Quick, informed answers to sales and technical questions is essential for your customers, especially those who aren’t tech-savvy.
3. Multiple Means of Communication
In addition to monthly e-mail newsletters, most of the following communication avenues are also required: phone help line with flexible hours (either your employees or an outsourced service), e-mail support, live chat, and a section of the website for helpful tutorials.
4. Invest Wisely
Put a good chuck of your revenue back into your equipment, employees, and continuing to get your name out there with advertising. Always have the advertisement take the customer to the right place. For instance, if you promote your dedicated server line, make sure the ad directs you to the dedicated servers, rather than just the homepage.
5. Keep Up with Web Hosting Trends
Keep your ear to the ground for new web hosting trends by frequenting sites like WebHostingTalk.com and TheWHIR.com.
Bookmark server security sites like Rack 911’s blog to stay up to date with new vulnerabilities. Give your clients peace of mind that you are aware of the problem.
6. Be Social
Don’t just promote yourself on social media avenues. Get out there physically and attend industry conferences and trade shows to meet your peers and potential clients face-to-face.
Be social inside your company too by finding your best customers. Take your 5, 10, or 20 best customers and make sure everyone in the company knows and treats these people like the kings they are.
7. Get Paid on Time
Also find your worst customers; which clients have not paid you? Send out multiple outreaches and notifications. If this fails, file a formal, polite letter through the post office. If the client still refuses to pay or doesn’t show up in small claims court, you should be awarded the right to secure most or all of the debt.
8. Track What Works
See where your new clients come from and how they got to your website by studying visitor analytics at Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools.
If you advertise online, track which keywords, banners, and referrals are making you money, and reexamine what hasn’t been working.
9. Backup & Update Files
Create backups of servers at least once a week, preferably daily. Protect yourself by informing customers that only they are responsible for their own backups, and that they should have an automatic daily backup system in place.
Be sure you’re backing up your personal computer as well, but DON’T back it up to your hosting account.
10. Protect Yourself
Lastly, use online templates to create business documents like proposals and agreements between you and future clients. You should have an updated and accurate Terms of Service, so you will be protected. Have a lawyer review your documents before going live.
Successful hosts, what advice do you have to share with the class?
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Jared Smith is HostDime’s Content Strategist. Twitter | Google Plus
HostDime.com is one of the top 50 web hosts in the world. Facebook | Twitter