We’ve all heard the expression: “Pay peanuts, get monkeys”. So, why do so many people, when it comes to their business, still feel compelled to look for “cheap cloud hosting providers”?
Yes, affordability is an important consideration but it should not be number one on your list. In this article, we’re going to look at 5 reasons why you should consider investing in a reliable cloud hosting provider.
1. Slow page load speeds
Have you ever clicked onto a website and found yourself waiting for a painfully slow page to load? Be honest, did you stick around and wait? Or did you hit the back button and look elsewhere?
The fact is, if a cloud hosting provider is cheap—or free—then there’s usually a catch. Instead, look for cloud hosting providers who are renowned for offering fast page load speeds instead.
2. A negative impact on your SEO and rankings
The likes of Google and the other big search engines do take page load speed into consideration when ranking websites. It is their job to put the most relevant website in front of a search query, however, aesthetics, speed, and user-friendliness play a big role in that too. If people keep clicking off a link prematurely because it takes too long to load then eventually, Google will pick up on this and start ranking your competitor websites instead.
3. Downtime issues
Cheap hosting often comes with a plethora of server issues – and when the server that your website is hosted on is down, that means nobody is going to be able to visit your website when they are actively searching for your services.
Sure, you may be able to save money on hosting, but, how will that impact your business when you are losing out on customers?
Bear in mind that free cloud hosting is significantly different to something like using free to use invoicing software.
4. Poor security
Again, cheap hosting comes at a price and that is usually at your security’s expense. You may feel like your business is too small to warrant malicious attack, but you’d be surprised. If you are serious about keeping would-be-hackers out and your data safe, you need to invest in high-quality hosting.
Never underestimate the true value of cybersecurity for small businesses.
5. Support
One thing that you can almost guarantee from cheap and free cloud hosting providers is a lack of customer service and support. This means that if you find yourself in a situation where you could really do with some expert assistance, you may find yourself waiting days before hearing anything back – and even then the assistance could be less than satisfactory.
Before making your decision when choosing Australian cloud providers, it’s always worth double checking that they have quality customer support, such as calls, emails, tickets, and chats. Without these options, you’ll otherwise be left in the dark.
Final thoughts
Don’t be put off by the higher price tag that reputable cloud hosting providers have. The fact is, you’ll be far more likely to better optimise your costs by choosing the best providers. “Cheap services” may be attractive at a glance, but again, there’s always a catch. Ultimately, with quality hosting, fast page load speeds, better rankings, higher security, round the clock support, and minimal interruptions to your uptime, you’ll be able to make more money, thus justifying the investment.
