Are You Relying On Your Web Host for Website Monitoring Services?

When you ask some website operators if they have website monitoring service in place, they’ll come back with a response that goes something like, “Oh, my Web host does that for me.” If your answer would be the same, then you don’t fully understand the nature of website monitoring or why it’s crucial to the success of your online business.

Why You Can’t Count On Your Web Host

Your web host is in business to host your site. They make money by offering you web hosting services. They do not make money to tell you when those services aren’t working. That’s not to say that your host won’t notify you if there’s a massive outage, but the truth is that they might not. They more than likely won’t notify you of every little outage your site experiences. That’s where website monitoring services come into play. These companies are paid to do one thing and one thing only – let you know when your site goes down or experiences issues with performance.

How Do You Know Which Website Monitor To Use?

There are a variety of website monitoring services on the market. The quality they provide is as varied as the prices they charge. If you want to make sure that you’re working with a service that is going to do the job right, you need to research a few things.

How Often Is Your Site Checked?

First and foremost, you need to make sure that the service you choose will be checking your site at least every 60 seconds. Some website monitoring services can check your site every 15 seconds. Never go with a website monitoring service that can’t check your site at least every 60 seconds.

How Many Servers Are In Place?

Once you know how often your site will be checked, look into how many servers the monitoring service has. If the website monitor only has one server and that server goes down, who’s going to be monitoring your website? Nobody. You want a website monitoring service that has at least three servers strategically placed across the globe.

How Will You Be Notified?

You also want to make sure that your website monitoring service is going to notify you via phone and SMS text message. If your email goes down and that is the only mode of communication that your website monitor provides, then how are you going to know that there’s even an issue? You won’t know there’s an issue until your email is back up and running and that email finally arrives.

What Are You Going to Pay?

Of course, cost is an issue. The cheapest service isn’t necessarily the best, and that is something that you really need to remember. On the other hand, you don’t want to overpay either. Look for a website monitoring service that offers different pricing plans. For example, if you only need 50 URLs monitored, there’s no reason to overpay for a package that monitors more than 100 URLs. You might also want to consider a service that charges you per text message sent rather than a flat monthly fee. After all, if you pay $10 per month for text message notifications and you don’t receive a text that month, you’re paying for nothing. If, on the other hand, you find a service that charges per text and phone call, you know you’re getting exactly what you’re paying for.

The Bottom Line

Remember, your web host isn’t a website monitor. Sure, they may offer some reporting and analytic tools, but they aren’t being paid to monitor the performance of your site. That’s what a website monitor is for. Don’t make the mistake of assuming your host will notify you of any problems your site may be facing. That mistake could cost you big in the long run.