How Much Does Website Monitoring Really Cost?

When it comes to the success of your business website, there are certain tools that you need to invest in to ensure that your enterprise has the best possible chance for success. One of the tools that many website owners overlook is that of website monitoring service. Without a proper website monitoring service in place, your business may not be realizing its full profit potential. The question is, how much does website monitoring service really cost? Here's what you need to know to determine the figures. A Word to the Wise about "Free" Website Monitoring Services

In the world of Internet business tools, you tend to get what you pay for. If you pay nothing, you can't really expect much in return. While there are website monitoring providers offering "free" services, these services are very limited in nature and are often built as "teasers" to lead you into signing up for more advanced (and more costly) services that they provide.

How Much Do Paid Services Cost?

Exactly how much you pay for website monitoring services will depend on the service you select for your business. Some providers charge a set-up fee while others provide this service free of charge. There are website monitoring providers that offer flat-fee pricing while others only require you to pay for what you actually use in a given month. Ideally, you want to choose a service that does not require a set-up fee and does not charge a flat rate per month. This will ensure that you aren't overpaying for the website monitoring service you are investing in.

What's the Real Cost of Website Monitoring Service?

To understand the "true" cost of website monitoring service, you have to not only determine how much you are being billed for the service each month, but how much money the service is actually saving you. It is no secret that each minute of downtime costs your business money. Let's say that, on average, your business achieves an uptime ratio of 99.9 percent. While that’s a good uptime number, it still means you're exceeding seven hours of downtime each month. If each minute of downtime costs your business $50, this means that the downtime that your website is incurring is costing your company in excess of $350 per month. Of course, that number could be higher or lower depending on your site's actual sales volume.

Now, let's say for a moment that the website monitoring service you choose can reduce your downtime by 50 percent. It does this by providing you with timely notice of your site's downtime, which allows you to get your site back up and running as quickly as possible. Let's also say that you end up paying $75 per month for your specific website monitoring needs. Taking all of these factors into consideration, you're website's bottom line is actually coming out ahead. By reducing your downtime by 50 percent, the website monitoring service provider you select ends up adding a total of $275 per month to your bottom line, more than paying for itself. Of course your exact numbers will vary depending on exactly how much downtime your site experiences, how much profit your site averages per hour, as well as how much you pay on average for the service you need.

Don't Jump Over Dollars to Save a Penny

If you've been avoiding website monitoring services based on the fact that you believe they are an unnecessary business expense, you may want to rethink this line of thought. These services can actually increase your site's bottom line rather than retracting from it if chosen wisely and used properly. This is why this type of service is has taken the online business world by storm.