When searching for a new web host, the service level agreement (SLA) should be among one of the first things that you examine. It should outline things like the responsibilities of the host, support guarantees, website uptime and a number of key features.
Let's examine some of the things that a SLA should have and what the importance of these things are to you.
1. Support Outlines
A SLA should specify the steps and availability of someone in your web host's support department. It should also specify what level of support will be provided to your website, which includes things like managed hosting solutions.
This is important to you, as you may find out that the support department of a cheap web host only works two days out of the week, which can theoretically enable your website to be offline for as much as five days.
2. Host Responsibilities
The service level agreement should state the responsibilities of your host. This includes how often your website should be up, data backup solutions for your files and any other responsibilities that your host should assume.
These parts of the SLA are important, as they define promises that your web host has to keep within reason. If they fail to deliver, then you can ask for compensation.
3. Services Included Besides Hosting
The extra services that a host provides should be listed somewhere in your SLA. This prevents them from pulling things like a “bait and switch”.
Services like PHP, ASP.NET, CGI and your ability to edit .conf files should be listed in the SLA.
4. Refunds and Other Compensation Measures
In the event that your web host fails to live up to their promises, then it's vital that you have some way to seek compensation. This may be in the form of additional free hosting, a refund or some other agreement made between yourself and your host.
This needs to be in your host's SLA, as it defines your recourse without being forced to seek legal action with the help of a lawyer. Any reputable web host should have a plain refund section that can be understood by anyone. Another thing to understand about SLAs is that if you need to file a claim against your SLA, you may need to have some external data from an outside provider to back up your claim of how long or how frequently your site was down. There are a number of different companies that offer services like these, including:
Pingdom (www.pingdom.com) - click here to visit
Manage Engine (www.manageengine.com) - click here to visit
Dotcom Monitor (http://dotcom-monitor.com/sla-management.aspx) - click here to visit
5. Pricing Arrangements
An outline of your host's pricing models should be within the service level agreement. It should be listed in a clear and concise way.
If your host offers additional services, then they should be listed here with their corresponding prices. This helps clear up if that hosting is really $0.01 a month or if it's $9.95 for every month after the first one.
Let's examine some of the things that a SLA should have and what the importance of these things are to you.
1. Support Outlines
A SLA should specify the steps and availability of someone in your web host's support department. It should also specify what level of support will be provided to your website, which includes things like managed hosting solutions.
This is important to you, as you may find out that the support department of a cheap web host only works two days out of the week, which can theoretically enable your website to be offline for as much as five days.
2. Host Responsibilities
The service level agreement should state the responsibilities of your host. This includes how often your website should be up, data backup solutions for your files and any other responsibilities that your host should assume.
These parts of the SLA are important, as they define promises that your web host has to keep within reason. If they fail to deliver, then you can ask for compensation.
3. Services Included Besides Hosting
The extra services that a host provides should be listed somewhere in your SLA. This prevents them from pulling things like a “bait and switch”.
Services like PHP, ASP.NET, CGI and your ability to edit .conf files should be listed in the SLA.
4. Refunds and Other Compensation Measures
In the event that your web host fails to live up to their promises, then it's vital that you have some way to seek compensation. This may be in the form of additional free hosting, a refund or some other agreement made between yourself and your host.
This needs to be in your host's SLA, as it defines your recourse without being forced to seek legal action with the help of a lawyer. Any reputable web host should have a plain refund section that can be understood by anyone. Another thing to understand about SLAs is that if you need to file a claim against your SLA, you may need to have some external data from an outside provider to back up your claim of how long or how frequently your site was down. There are a number of different companies that offer services like these, including:
Pingdom (www.pingdom.com) - click here to visit
Manage Engine (www.manageengine.com) - click here to visit
Dotcom Monitor (http://dotcom-monitor.com/sla-management.aspx) - click here to visit
5. Pricing Arrangements
An outline of your host's pricing models should be within the service level agreement. It should be listed in a clear and concise way.
If your host offers additional services, then they should be listed here with their corresponding prices. This helps clear up if that hosting is really $0.01 a month or if it's $9.95 for every month after the first one.