Effectiveness Of Web Hosting Directories WHDs

Effectiveness of Web Hosting Directories (WHDs)

by: Priyanka Agarwal

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 The Author

Priyanka Agarwal

http://www.m6.net

danielp@m6.net