HOSTING HOTLINE

There are over 13,000 Web hosting companies worldwide, not to mention all of the “consulting firms” that offer hosting among their many services.HOSTING HOTLINE

There are over 13,000 Web hosting companies worldwide, not to mention all of the “consulting firms” that offer hosting among their many services. With this kind of competition, every detail counts, since central to your success will be your hosting company’s Website.

This week and the next two, we’ll cover some of the most effective ways to increase the traffic to your Web hosting site – how to get more visitors, clients, and most importantly, how to gain recognition in the hosting industry!

We’ll look first at general elements that hosting companies should consider in improving their sites. We’ll then consider the type and depth of content a hosting site must display. Next, we’ll address the all-important support section, and consider your options in terms of support functionality. And last, but by no means least, we’ll look at the composition of a good hosting sales page, and how you can tweak your pages to optimize sign ups. Ok, let’s get started!

Web Site Improvement

There’s a variety of general elements that hosting companies in particular should consider as they develop or overhaul their sites:

· design and loading speed;
· promotion of special offers;
· logo and color scheme;
· speed of the site, and the communication of technical details;
· catering to different visitors’ tastes.

Clean Design And Loading Speed

It is very important that the potential client sees that aside from being a professional host, you also know your way around Web design. So, although you may provide solely Web hosting services, the way you present your information, brand, and business is crucial.

Many companies spend thousands of dollars to employ Web designers who work diligently to provide a lean, communicative and usable site. The provision of easy navigation, and the facility for the client to move to the order page from anywhere on the site in a single click, is imperative.

Promote Special Offers

Your homepage is, of course, CRITICAL. Here, present special offers, or previews of your hosting plans – anything that may catch the eye of the new visitor, or potential buyer who’s having second thoughts.

Both Fastwebsites.com and Dialtone.com use their homepages to their advantage in this way by providing information on specials at the visitor’s first point of contact with the site.

Other than the regular quick and punchy introduction to your standard hosting plans, you may also want to provide obvious links from the home page to a dedicated “specials” section of your site, to encourage clickthrus and further browsing from interested users.

Logo and Color Scheme

Try to use a logo that’s easy to remember, and include the elements of the logo through the entire site. For example, let’s say that you’re using a red square near your company name. Try adding small red squares near the navigation, contact links, and other strategic, often-used elements of the design. This is very useful for branding, and it helps make your logo unique and easy to remember.

Be careful when you choose a color scheme! Too often you see sites that are astonishing in terms of design, and yet don’t have the right look. It may take several reiterations of the original design concept before you’ll reach perfection, so keep working and don’t compromise. Make changes until it looks right.

Speed Of Site And Communication Of Technical Details

It’s critical that your site loads quickly, as the experienced Webmaster understands that his site will be hosted on your server, and you basically need to demonstrate how fast your servers are through your own site. So whatever you do, don’t let your customer wait too long for your page to load.

Provide on the homepage quick “information bytes” about the speed of your servers, hardware specifications, and anything else that will demonstrate to users the advanced technology your company uses. Once you’ve grabbed their attention on the homepage, link through to more detailed information on subsequent pages, to sate the wise Webmaster’s need for technical detail, as Dialtone has done here.

Make use, wherever possible, of any appropriate interactive tools to show the customer any information that may encourage him to sign up for your services. If you decide to present comparison charts to indicate your company’s superiority of service quality, support or other features, remember not to provide URLs to your competitors’ sites. Your service may indeed be better than theirs, but the customer can too easily follow the link to the competitors’ site, start reading, and get carried away — even signing up for their service!

Cater to All Tastes

If you have the resources, try to create two versions of the site for different Internet connections: One with a low resolution and fewer graphic elements, and another “full” version, which may include large Flash files and other interactive tools.

If you’re thinking about DHTML menus, JavaScript applets and such, the “full” version is the right place for these add-ons — just don’t place all your eggs in one basket. Some of the largest companies in the business use these tools, so don’t just take them for amateur design tricks. Have a look at the menus of the following companies:

· Rackspace.com
· Cihost.com
· Dialtone.com

Look good, don’t they?

But be sure to remember: some visitors still use old browsers and systems, so if you do decide to go for these advanced technologies, always provide an alternative for those who are in a hurry, or have slow connections.

A Prime Example

The company that I think best exemplifies the features I’ve mentioned so far is Pixelbrick.com, which has designed these hosting sites:

· Rackfast.com
· Hostrocket.com
· Dialyourweb.com
· Dominet.net

I’m not affiliated with these guys in any way, nor am I familiar with their offerings — these are simply clean, fast-loading sites, and therefore provide a great example.

Stay tuned for part 2 of 3 in next week’s issue!

Lonny has been working on the Internet since 1996, and now has his own network of technology-related Websites, among them The Web Hosting Portal FindSP.com, of which he is the CEO and Founder. Lonny can be reached at lonny@findsp.com.