Will there be any major changes in Web Hosting in 2009? 2009 will be a difficult year for many web hosts. The economic hard times will not spare the web hosting industry and consolidation will be a result out of that. Smaller web hosts might be able to survive by trimming costs or by occupying certain niches that are too time consuming for the bigger hosts to pursue. Other web hosts will be forced to sell assets or to shutdown if they are not able to adapt to the new environment out there. Larger web hosts with enough cash flow will be able to grab those web hosting companies that are up for sale and increase their own market share accordingly. Interesting times ahead for sure.
From a consumer standpoint two things might happen. 1) Nothing happens if you are with a bigger web host. Things will be normal and your domain is just cruising along with the wind. 2) Your website is hosted with a smaller web host and the scenarios above might apply. The first thing you should do is to increase your backups to an offsite location (local hard drive or remove FTP site with a different web host). You should also keep an eye on things happening at your web host. If they have a newsletter it might be worth reading it in more detail to discover problems early and to act accordingly. If you are afraid of your web host losing the battle against the economy it might be worth moving your website early to a safe haven. How do you know if you are with a large or a small web host? Well, check their website or ask them. How many domains does your web host hosts? Do they own their own data center? Are they a reseller? The answers might tell you what to do. But keep in mind – not every small web host is at risk of shutting down. So, it is not the time to panic, but to be cautious and to be prepared.
Web Hosting will not go away and the products will grow to be stronger than ever.
Recommended Web Hosts that will most-likely survive this downturn:
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