We’re sometimes asked what “hosting” involves and what people are actually paying for, so we thought it would be a good idea to provide an explanation for what the annual charge of £120.00 covers.
We pay for server space and like any company who does this, we then charge clients who host with us, to “rent” server space so that your website can be seen and so that if your email address contains your domain name, you can successfully send and receive. However, we think we provide a little bit more value for money, as the annual charge also includes a “trouble-shooting” or advice service:
- we create, within reason, as many email addresses as you require to run your business successfully – we do not charge per email and you can subsequently add email addresses to your package without incurring additional charges
- we help in the set up of your emails if necessary
- we contact and liaise with our internet service provider, on your behalf, in the rare event of any server issues or any individual problems you may experience
- we set up third party access for anyone subsequently working on your website eg SEO specialists
We’ve kept the cost of annual hosting constant since 2006, despite cost increases from IONOS, to us, as a client. We have no plans to increase it but we do need all clients to appreciate that prompt payment of hosting invoices helps us to do this. In instances of late payment*, we have to spend admin time chasing invoices – when we’d much rather be designing. Thank you to all of our clients who do pay hosting promptly – you’re helping us to keep our hosting charges affordable.
*Unfortunately, if we have to keep chasing, our ONLY recourse/sanction, is to take down a website until payment is made. We categorically do NOT want to ever do this – please help us to not have to do this, by settling hosting invoices in a timely fashion. Especially as we will already have been invoiced by IONOS and paid, to ensure that your website remains online.