Clue #3 - Buy No More Than You Need

Most internet packages offer you more than you need because the provider knows that few small businesses are clear about their exact requirements. By being clear on your requirements, you can shop for access, hosting and email packages which meet all of your requirements. However, ensure your provider does not penalise you by bundling in items they know you won’t use, but are forced to pay for anyway.

Most internet packages are configured in the knowledge that few customers will use all the elements included in the package. For example, more than 90% of web sites are less than 10MB in size, yet many providers want to sell you packages with 100MB or more, knowing that you, like most small businesses, will never use this much.

So, what do you really need?

• Enough storage. Complete the audit recommended in clue number 1. In particular, find out exactly how big your web site is, and how often it is accessed. Don’t waste space. Be clear and concise, rather than verbose when creating copy for your web pages.
• Easy file management, in particular the ability to upload changed pages.
• Site monitoring, so you know where your visitors are coming from.
• Friendly and comprehensive control of your email addresses and hosting requirements.
• Email and Web Hosting packages that let you start small and grow, without being penalised.
• Access packages that include all your download requirements for a typical month plus a little more. Unused traffic allocations are wasted money. Unlimited packages in particular, are a gimmick. You can never use ‘unlimited’ and the ISP will almost definitely be sharing your allocation with too many other customers, degrading your service.

Buy what you need and add as you go. Don’t buy something until you need it. It should always be easy to add, but is rarely easy to get out of a contract for an expensive ‘Swiss army knife’ package.

In this brief recommendation, we have suggested that most internet packages are intentionally over-configured. Paying extra for capacity or features you don’t need costs extra. You will usually need less than you think, so start small and grow.

Ask your service providers to help you detail how big your site is today, and how much traffic it is generating. Shop for the most cost effective services which meet each of these thresholds, and ensure they let you upgrade without penalising you for starting small.

Previous Clue | See All | Next Clue