In today’s digital age, if one is seriously considering an online presence in the world of business or retailing, the foremost thing needed is an online merchant account to accept credit cards. However, many times more important than even this, is having the right web-host from which to display your wares, services or products, as well as receive payments online.
Choosing The Right Web Host
But how does one go about selecting the right web-host? One method that best stands out is to read at least 10-15 web-host review articles. Broken down into a wide range of categories, web-host reviews should cover at least such things as: server platforms; various pricing plans; selection of web applications; and more.
However, a good quality web-host review covers other things as well. No matter how good are one’s services, products or items offered from a web site, if the site is not up for any time–not running or viewable–all is in vain. If people can’t access the web site, how can they make purchases or have their payments processed? Down-times and up-times now become the main issue.
Likewise, can the web site handle the various possibly conflicting scripts that go into incorporating a merchant account? A good web-master or developer needs to really be on the alert for this.
The quality of customer service or tech support offered and response time in answering timely or untimely issues that present themselves is also covered in a good web-host review article.
Good quality web-host reviews are a blessing in weeding out less desirable web-host services. This writer has saved much time and effort by reading several reviews and then doing research of the review site itself. Many times, word of mouth recommendations by colleagues, family and acquaintances always bear out above all other methods to select a good web-host.
Exercise Caution
Frankly, however, good quality review articles are few on the Internet due to one factor: many times they are written by professional content writers. Never being actually reviewed, many web-host sites and their listings were written and paid for as one pays for advertising. Usually, top five to ten placed listings are preferred paid positions by a web-host.
That said, the best method for determining a good web-host to accept credit cards; process payments and have a merchant account presence is–by doing it oneself. Selecting a web-host with a free trial period many times reveals the quality of the site much better than would suggest a web-host review.