The truth is, in web hosting you can pay a significant amount of money and receive poor service. Certainly the reverse is true, but the point is inexpensive doesn't always mean ‘cheap' and expensive does not always equate to excellence in web hosting and design.
Many web designers who also provide hosting options may supply a reasonably priced plan for site development, however the plan doesn't always include the things you may need for your ecommerce store and the add-ons can add up.
There are web hosting/design options that include many of the most used features of ecommerce as part of the bundled price.
Some of the options available include…
* Customer Newsletter System
* Customer/Order Database
* Feedback Forms
* AutoResponders
* PayPal Shopping Cart Tools
* Search Engine Registration
* Full Feature Website Wizard
* Merchant CC ID OAC
* Authorize.net Setup OAC
* Pro Stock Image Library
* Premium Hosting
If you are shopping for a web design and a web host you need to consider all options. It is reasonable to believe that by paying more you can receive better service, but experience says that this line of thinking is not always true.
Sites have been developed with a fee for every photo, every page, every design element and every tool that was used to create the site. What if you simply had access to all of these things at monthly fee that is less than a night with the family at a fast food restaurant?
While some businesses may feel this is an inferior way to develop a website, consider what other business owners have to say about this type of web hosting option.
"Enables you to make your own website and there's no need for you to know any programming." - David Chalk
"I was quickly able to build a fully functional commercial web site using the easy-to-use templates with Slide Shows, Image Maps, Fully Functional Search Engine, Pay Pal Shopping Cart and more! Highly Recommended. Tremendous Value." - Don Fortner
"My staff laughed when I told them I was going to make our company website myself, but you should have seen their faces when it was done!" - Gerod Floyd
"I don't know why everyone does not do it this way." - Garfield McCormick
Whatever web hosting and design service you use, make sure to explore the total cost (site design, add-ons, maintenance, etc) before you make a decision. Your site could cost you a lot more than it needs to.
