There once was a time when the only kind of store was a “mom and pop” shop down on Main Street. A place where you went to look at things that you could pick up, feel, smell, and even try on. A place where a friendly face greeted you at the door. Usually, someone, you knew and knew you. Someone who had a clue what you might be interested in and who could help point you in the right direction without being overbearing or pushy. It was a place that you felt comfortable in and you could easily find your way around. And, if you couldn’t find what you were looking for, you could trust the person behind the counter to either order it for you, or tell you where you might find it.

For most, this experience is nothing more than a fond memory as we transition into online ordering through Amazon or Wayfair. As much as I love supporting local businesses, I too am guilty of shopping online. Especially for items that are not locally available, or when the weather is bad and I feel like staying inside and shopping from my phone or laptop. But what I will be comparing in this article is the differences between a small, managed hosting company and a large, stack ’em deep and sell ’em cheap hosting company. The differences might surprise you.

Personalized Service

Not a day goes by where I don’t see an ad on TV for GoDaddy. What started out as a domain name registrar is now a household name in discount hosting, GoDaddy has become the Big Box Store of online website hosting and domain name registrations. They’re not the only big dog out there, but arguably one of the most recognized. Since they have become a household name, people tend to use them as the go-to solution if they need a website. This is where all of the problems begin. Let me explain.

Once you jump into bed with GoDaddy, you’ll quickly find that if you didn’t register your domain name with them, they want you to move it over to them. Is this a real problem? Only if you like paying more for your domain names. Sure, they have lots of come-ons to get you to buy a domain name on the cheap, or buy hosting on the cheap, but what happens after the initial offer? Keep in mind that domain names and hosting have to be renewed on an annual basis, and this is where they get you. The first thing that happens when someone asks what we charge for hosting and website design, is they bring up what it costs to do it themselves at the big box store. When this happens, we’re no longer comparing apples to apples.

When you do business with NewsomCreative, we learn who you are, the personalities behind the website, and your goals for your online presence.