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Web Hosting Annoyances

Posted: February 5, 2008 | Filed Under All Posts, Commentary, Segments

Web Hosts Think Your SheepI won’t lie to you, web hosts do some pretty annoying things sometimes to get your business.

I hate it when… the “Live Chat” link hovers over the web site content!

Dear web hosts, if I wanted to chat with your sales representative I would be more than happy to click the link on the side. I do not need the option hovering in front of my face like I am a moron who couldn’t find it located in a static spot. If your live chat link reminds me of a “punch the monkey to win an iPod” ad your not making a good first impression.

I hate it when… the words free, unlimited, or little green check marks in every single comparison chart box!

Any sort of comparison chart usually tends to make me angry just because if you have looked at enough web hosts they are nearly all the same. The top two or three comparisons (with things like disk space and bandwidth) are useful. The fact that you offer WordPress on every single plan or FTP access is not. If it is a comparison chart, give me some differences between the things you are offering.

I hate it when… web hosts list meaningless “services” they offer that make no sense or that are overly obvious!

This goes back to the idea that the web host thinks you are a total idiot so the sell you services that you know you are getting. Think of this as a shoe salesman selling you on the fact that your new pair of sneakers also come with shoe laces! Need some web hosting examples? Here are some obvious hosting features you’ll get that I have seen advertised:

  • Support! – “Yes, every web host supports their customers”
  • Hosting with a Domain! – “You need something to point people at, right?”
  • A Real E-mail Address! – “Not like those ‘fake’ ones you get with other web hosts?”

I hate it when… meaningless flash covers the top 1/4th of the web host’s web site and does nothing at all!

Oh this one grinds my gears the most, because there is no reason to have that huge flashing flash logo on the top of the page. Does it do anything for you? No! It is useless eye candy that somebody told the web host would “look pretty”. Give me the basics – don’t give me a flashing picture of servers with a sunset behind them.

What annoys you about web hosting or web hosts?

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  • you are totally right! not all users like you...
  • MontyM
    JP has a point. You really can't think that the client in question knows a lot because there are so many "not" power users (I guess that would be the nice way to put it). I say the more hand holding the better.
  • Sid
    He is totally right. New users should have some hand holding but a lot of the time hosts treat them like they are stupid.
  • JP
    I guess I see your points, but you can't assume your customers are power users. There is a whole class of people (and I would argue the majority) that need to have their hand held as they become adopters of Internet technology. The power users have their specific needs. Your approach borders on snobbery.

    You tried to make the point in your podcast that advertising support for WordPress or message boards technology is annoying and unnecessary. That's just not true. Ninety percent of my customers need to be personally walked through their initial experience with email and uploading files to their web site. To me, these are the attractive customers because they offer a very low attrition rate. They will be customers for life because they have been made to feel comfortable with Internet technology.

    I agree that anything which hinders usability (the hovering live chat window) needs to be done away with, but having a complete list of features and comparisons needs to be there. Comparison charts are here to stay. Your approach is just bad business because the people who don't care about all those features are the people who only care about getting everything for $2/month. They are not where the money is.
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