There's a saying that if you read it on the Internet......then it can't be true! And nowhere is it more appropriate than in the fields of Web Design and Web Hosting!

At The Web Design and Hosting Co we take a different approach. We want all our clients, and potential clients, to be aware of all the pitfalls and misrepresentations that abound in this industry. So whether you want to know or not, we'll give it to you straight! We have a clear code of practice and insist that all customers are aware of the choices they have available to them.
So for this very reason, we introduced our MythBusters section.....where we'll lay to rest, once and for all, the various ludicrous promises and assertions related to our industry that you'll encounter on your Internet travels.

Free Web Space!
Most ISPs (Internet Service Providers) will provide free web space to their e-mail clients with usually 5 or 10 MB of web space. If you just want a small personal page or business web site that doesn't change much with very few images or products and you don't intend to have people pay for your products with their credit cards online then this may work for you. However if you are starting a small business and want your business to grow then this will not be a good option for the following reasons.
What you're unlikely to get:
* Reliable server to prevent frequent down time.
* Enough bandwidth (if your site draws too much traffic you may be charged extra).
* A secure server so people can order products online.
* A shopping cart or no secure ordering with it.
* Backups of your files in case their server or your computer crashes.
* A CGI-bin so you can install small programs like forms and guestbooks.
* JavaScript compatible so you can install drop down menus, applets, etc.
* E-mail forwarding or autoresponders
* Server Side Includes (SSIs, allows the header, menu and footer to be drawn up into the page so you don't have to change multiple pages every time you add a new page to the site)
* 24/7 support in case your site develops a technical problem and goes offline.
* You won't have access to their .htacces file and cannot set up a 301 redirect and thus search engines will not pick up your new url if you move (even with refresh code) and you'll have to shut down the old site and start over with the search engines.

Free Domain Names!
The old adage that "You get what you pay for" is true in this instance because such domain names rarely end up being truly yours because you will usually have to append your business name on the end of your ISP's domain name, for instance:
http://www.yourISPdomainnamehere.com/user/yourname/yourcompanynamehere.html
Reasons this is not good for a business:
* This URL is too long for anyone to remember
* A URL with slashes looses PR (page rank) with every slash.
* Most surfers will recognize this as as a free site and will assume this is not a reputable business if you can't even afford your own domain name when they can now be purchased so cheap..
* Many search engines will not list this URL for the same reason so the traffic to your site will be minimal.
If your business grows and you later decide to get your own domain name then you have to start all over with search engines as you will loose all your previous Internet traffic because your address will change.

Unlimited Resources!
Beware of offers that offer UNLIMITED resources. This is generally termed "overselling"......in effect selling things that they don't actually have, or cannot possibly supply.
As an example, go into your local computer store and ask for an unlimited hard drive for your PC......and expect to get laughed at! Because there is no such thing as an unlimited hard drive.....therefore it is impossible to sell unlimited web resources.
Web hosting companies these days offer more and more disk space and bandwidth to attract customers. But this "war" for new customers has turned into a disaster where hosting companies forgot what is possible and what isn't. So unbelievable offers appear on the market looking for easy targets, such as new webmasters. Don't end up losing your website (and your business) due to a server crash.......caused by overselling resources. Remember.....if an offer looks too good to be true.....it probably is!
At The Web Design and Hosting Co we clearly define our hosting plans.....so you know exactly what's happening on your account. We have clearly defined limits on each server, not just based on disk space and bandwidth, but also on processor capacity and memory.
So you can relax, safe in the knowledge that your website is up and running when you place your trust in The Web Design and Hosting Co!

For more information on our managed Hosting plans......email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it