Cheap dedicated servers anyone? Dedicated servers with 24 x 7 support. Unlimited everything, in fact let me pay you! Too good to be true? Well maybe the part about me paying you is but the point I am trying to make is that you are trusting your income, your families bread and butter, your employees pay to companies that do not care about you or your business. So why do so many people use these cheap hosting providers such as web fusion, 1 and 1, fast host and uk2 to name but a few? I think there are several reasons.

1. Misleading marketing – it is easy to be drawn in to the hype about free this, free that, unlimited, 24/7 etc. Cheap isn’t always cheerful and bigger isn’t always better. Look for comments from real businesses. How do they demonstrate their support and customer service? What accreditations do they have?

2. Lack of understanding. It’s no wonder that with all the technical jargon banded about by techies that it is easy to assume that all hosting providers are the same. But when you actually focus on what is important, which is who do I speak to when it goes wrong, not if but when, will they help or will they hinder? Can you actually talk to someone who can help? Do they understand that this server is running your business, without which you cannot earn any money and pay employees?

Companies that provide a personal service, who understand your needs and who care cannot provide the service without employing like mind individuals who do care and want to help. Companies that provide cheap services cannot afford to employ and do not want to employ these people. It’s not their business model.

So if you’re considering getting a cheap dedicated server, think carefully.