Effectiveness of Web Hosting Directories (WHDs)

John is very happy today, for the first time in his life he has created his very own website.

Now he is looking for a web host so that he can put his identity on the net. Casually he asks

his friend Mac about it. Mac tells him that web-hosting directories are the best place to look

for a web host. Getting curious John then asks Mac what exactly a Web Hosting Directory is.

Mac responds that web hosting directories are a web hosting marketplace where prospective

hosts list their products, plans, prices and other important information so that according to

their requirements, customers can choose a suitable plan. Along with the details, it also

contains web hosts’ rankings. John is now extremely happy as his dream is finally going to

come to fruition. Like John, there are many beginners who are in search of a reliable web host

and come across web hosting directories. Here a new question arises: Are these web hosting

directories really trustworthy sources for novices like John? To find an answer it’s very

important to understand the working of WHDs.

Basically web-hosting directories are of two types: paid WHDs and free WHDs. For paid

directories, either web hosts pay a set amount for placing their banners on the site, or they

pay commission if they get customers via that medium. On the other hand, free WHDs like

www.askwebhosting.com and www.hostbyte.com etc. web hosts list their services without paying

any fees.

Some people believe that paid WHDs are very easy to manipulate as the ranking of web hosts can

be changed in unfair ways. Others have the view that WHDs that are actually free reflect the

true ranking of web hosts companies. Whatever the case may be, paid or free, people should

believe the web hosts rankings only if they are based completely on votes of customers who

have actually given their remarks and have left their website address as well.

It is not possible for any web hosting company to have 100% positive reviews. It is also

observed that at times customers who are satisfied with their web host forget to express their

opinion about that host. However, a biased customer who is not satisfied with their web host

does not forget to mention their opinion of that web host. This implies that a negative review

doesn’t always reflect the true picture of a web host company.

No doubt web hosting directories are very useful if the newbie like John wants to compare

prices and features of different companies. But, when it comes to choosing a web host he/she

should make an intelligent choice by referring to other resource sites (forums etc.) as well.

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Search Engine Chart shows the major search engines and the search engines that power their web search results, sponsored listings, and web directory listings.