Why It Pays To Be Up: Uptime As A Determinant Of Web Hosting Capabilities

One of the challenges for any e-commerce site is to make sure that the website will always be up and running. This means that the site will always be live, and that site visitors and clients will not find it hard checking what the site has to offer. This is a main qualification when looking for help that can aid you in the upgrading and the maintenance of your websites. And what your really need is simply a web hosting provider that can deliver you nearly 100 percent uptime rate.

For those in the business long enough, uptime rate as opposed to downtime rate is easy to understand. For a newbie like you who is just starting out in internet marketing and online business, the following information will be very helpful.

When do you know that one provider delivers better uptime rate? In this industry, what is referred to as the uptime is that time frame when the website in question is operational. This means that your website is accessible to internet users, and your website can be used by your clients. This is in contrast with the downtime which you should avoid.

In downtime, your website will be down and cannot be accessed by internet users. And more importantly on downtime hours, your website cannot be accessed by search engines like Yahoo! Downtime is something that you don't want to happen to your site every time as you lose the opportunity to communicate and do business with potential customers and clients.

An understanding of uptime and downtime is necessary if you want to maximize what the website can offer you. These are relevant concepts in a sense that revenues will depend on the uptime rate- the higher the percentage of uptime rate the better since you have more chances of communicating with your potential clients and internet visitors.

Now uptime rate that can be offered by webhosting hosts may vary. Some will say that they can make your site running 24/7.

But in reality, the service will be interrupted at least 2x a day at 10 minutes each. The time off may be small, but remember that at any time your site is visible you lose the opportunity to connect with your potential clients.

Just to be sure, you need to be properly guided on uptime and in selecting your webhosting provider. Remember that the higher the uptime rate, the better. Industry data will reveal that you need to ensure that the rate is somewhere between 99.5 and 99.99 percent uptime rate. You can never go wrong with that figure. Here are other things to note in relation to uptime and doing business online continuously;

• Research and verify past history of the service provider. Is it known for reliable uptime?

• Ask for its backup system and plans just in case there will be 'online' disasters.

• Ask if you can get an uptime guarantee

Being online all the time is not just an option for any business, it's must. So make sure that your webhosting provider delivers what you want, every time.