When you ask some website operators if they have website monitoring service in place, theyll 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 dont fully understand the nature of website monitoring or why its crucial to the success of your online business.
Why You Cant 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 arent working. Thats not to say that your host wont notify you if theres a massive outage, but the truth is that they might not. They more than likely wont notify you of every little outage your site experiences. Thats 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 youre 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 cant 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, whos 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 theres even an issue? You wont know theres 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 isnt necessarily the best, and that is something that you really need to remember. On the other hand, you dont want to overpay either. Look for a website monitoring service that offers different pricing plans. For example, if you only need 50 URLs monitored, theres 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 dont receive a text that month, youre paying for nothing. If, on the other hand, you find a service that charges per text and phone call, you know youre getting exactly what youre paying for.
The Bottom Line:
Remember, your web host isnt a website monitor. Sure, they may offer some reporting and analytic tools, but they arent being paid to monitor the performance of your site. Thats what a website monitor is for. Dont 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.