Just imagine investing thousands of dollars and hours into a project you care deeply about. Then you wake up one morning and it’s all gone.
That’s exactly what happened to a professional photographer on a small island in 2008. The poor guy had poured everything into his business. He had worked hard to build a reputation with the local community. All around the island were brochures, flyers, and placards prominently featuring his web address.
Then he logged on one day to find that his domain registration had expired without notice. His web address was now pointing to a pornography website! He spent hours on the phone with the web hosting company and still wasn’t sure if his problem was resolved.
Church Web Hosting Made Simple
There’s too much at stake for church planters to take risks when choosing church web hosting. Reaching people with the message of the gospel can literally mean saving them from hell and giving them a new home in Heaven.
–Jacob Barr, iRapture.com
They Should Have Fast Servers!
Your website loading speed is your first impression. There’s a massive difference in whether your site loads in one second or six seconds. According to Google, the probability of a mobile site visitor bouncing increases 113% during that time. Fast SSD hard drives and a server with a fast internet connection can help deliver websites in a snap.
They Should Have Excellent Support
When you need help, it is good to have a knowledgeable team ready. Your host needs to be available and willing to respond quickly. “Time is valuable, so it is imperative for a customer service team to complete requests or answer questions as quickly as possible,” says Tanya Ruiz, Accounts Manager and Customer Support Specialist at iRapture.com. These days, live streaming and video archive support is becoming increasingly important. It’s a good idea to work with a company that can provide YouTube live streaming and video archive support.
They Should Be Affordable
While you get what you pay for, no one wants to be ripped off. If you feel that the price being charged is out of line or unfair, that should be a red flag. Being good stewards with God’s money means looking for products and services that are fairly priced based on what you need.
They Should Take a Moral Stance
Remember the pornography site from the island photographer story? Similar things can happen to churches and Christian ministries. The web hosting company you choose could be hosting sinful content on other domain names. It’s important when spending money to be sure that all related messages align with the church’s stance.
They Should Have Longevity
You wouldn’t pick a fly-by-night dentist, plumber, or accountant. So why would you do it with your church web hosting? Don’t move ahead with a hosting company until you’ve evaluated its strength. You’ll want one that’s been around for more than a few years and is in a good position to meet your hosting needs for years to come.
They Should Make Backups
You don’t have to let your domain registration expire to lose all of your hard work. It can happen for a variety of reasons. A good host makes lots of backups. In the event that a file is accidentally removed, they should also provide excellent support to make sure it’s restored.
–Tanya Ruiz, iRapture.com
Pick Your Church Web Hosting Company
As a church leader, you have lots of options out there. Determining which company will handle your church web hosting is an important decision that you shouldn’t rush.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to switch companies, iRapture.com can answer any further questions you have. Just give them a call toll-free at (877) 488-7999 for a free website checkup. You can also e-mail [email protected] to discuss any of your Christian web hosting needs.
Author
Mark Lilly
Mark Lilly is a freelance content writer standing for truth in marketing. See more from Mark on Twitter.
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