Depending on the kind of operation you run from your home office, your small business website could be a key source of contact information or a vital link to customer orders. Either way, experiencing server downtime can be one of the most embarrassing and costly lapses in customer service. If you spend money on online advertising, your paid clicks could end up going nowhere. Likewise, a stalled server can force prospects to visit competitors farther down on search engine results.
Although most small business website hosting providers guarantee server uptime, web hosts don't always monitor sites themselves. A hacked website or a malfunctioning script that prevents prospects and customers from seeing your company's information can still report to data center technicians as being "up."
Knowing about server downtime helps small business owners execute emergency backup plans. For instance, online advertising campaigns can be paused or redirected to backup sites. Fortunately, a growing number of independent site monitoring services can keep an eye on small business websites and provide distant early warning for episodes of turbulence and downtime. Each of the services profiled here offers both free and paid membership plans, providing different levels of service depending on the needs of your business.
SiteUptime provides reliable small business website monitoring for over 70,000 sites. Its strongest asset is a network of servers that can test a client's site from four or more locations throughout the world. This global monitoring service filters out regional ISP issues, and can help assure customers when downtime is limited to users on specific networks or in specific parts of the world.
ServiceUptime offers an extra defense for small business website owners who worry about hackers and phishers. A content filter can be programmed to check for key words, phrases, or secret code on a client's website. Hacking attacks or broken scripts that cause error messages to appear can be distinguished from other types of server downtime, so the right technicians can be alerted.
HostTracker offers peace of mind for home office professionals with e-commerce websites. Paid membership plans include small business website monitoring intervals as low as one minute. For business owners who rely on advertising and need to weather sudden bursts on traffic, HostTracker's up-to-the-minute tracking provides essential data.
All three services offer notification by text message in addition to e-mail alerts. After all, if a server goes down, it's unlikely that you'll be receiving any e-mail to your main address. However, a quick notification to your wireless device can help you get your small business website back online quickly.
