18 Feb 2008 04:11:49 | Priyanka Agarwal
Effectiveness of Web Hosting Directories (WHDs)
John is very happy today, for the first time in his life he has
created his very own website. Now he is looking for a web host
so that he can put his identity on the net. Casually he asks his
friend Mac about it. Mac tells him that web-hosting directories
are the best place to look for a web host. Getting curious John
then asks Mac what exactly a Web Hosting Directory is. Mac
responds that web hosting directories are a web hosting
marketplace where prospective hosts list their products, plans,
prices and other important information so that according to
their requirements, customers can choose a suitable plan. Along
with the details, it also contains web hosts’ rankings. John is
now extremely happy as his dream is finally going to come to
fruition. Like John, there are many beginners who are in search
of a reliable web host and come across web hosting directories.
Here a new question arises: Are these web hosting directories
really trustworthy sources for novices like John? To find an
answer it’s very important to understand the working of WHDs.
Basically web-hosting directories are of two types: paid WHDs
and free WHDs. For paid directories, either web hosts pay a set
amount for placing their banners on the site, or they pay
commission if they get customers via that medium. On the other
hand, free WHDs like www.askwebhosting.com and www.hostbyte.com
etc. web hosts list their services without paying any fees.
Some people believe that paid WHDs are very easy to manipulate
as the ranking of web hosts can be changed in unfair ways.
Others have the view that WHDs that are actually free reflect
the true ranking of web hosts companies. Whatever the case may
be, paid or free, people should believe the web hosts rankings
only if they are based completely on votes of customers who have
actually given their remarks and have left their website address
as well.
It is not possible for any web hosting company to have 100%
positive reviews. It is also observed that at times customers
who are satisfied with their web host forget to express their
opinion about that host. However, a biased customer who is not
satisfied with their web host does not forget to mention their
opinion of that web host. This implies that a negative review
doesn’t always reflect the true picture of a web host company.
No doubt web hosting directories are very useful if the newbie
like John wants to compare prices and features of different
companies. But, when it comes to choosing a web host he/she
should make an intelligent choice by referring to other resource
sites (forums etc.) as well.
About Author :
Priyanka Agarwal M6.Net http://www.m6.net