The Big Host Backstory: What Every Local Business Owner Needs To Know

The Big Host Backstory: What Every Local Business Owner Needs to Know

By John O’Grady
October 24th, 2020
Hosting | Information

Dear Business Owners,

Let’s start with some real talk: who you choose to host your website can make or break your online presence. It’s not just about uptime or support. The way your hosting is managed affects SEO, load speeds, user experience, and ultimately, your ability to compete online. Unfortunately, many local business owners unknowingly fall into the traps set by Big Host providers—those sprawling corporations that treat your website like just another number in their massive machine.

At Rise Local, we’re here to shed light on the issues and guide you toward hosting solutions that truly work for small businesses.

Big Host Isn’t Better: The Harsh Reality

Let’s get one thing straight: Big Host doesn’t care about your success. Their goal is to commoditize hosting, turning it into something as standardized as sugar or wheat. They profit from your lack of time, knowledge, or resources to question the service they provide. What they don’t tell you is that their shortcuts and cost-cutting measures often come at your expense.

Here’s what you’re up against:

1. Resource Throttling: Your site slows down with just a handful of visitors. If you’re running a promotion or a seasonal campaign, this can be catastrophic.
2. Outsourced Support: Ticket systems and offshore call centers mean that urgent fixes are delayed—or ignored altogether.
3. Locked Configurations: Big Host often prevents you from making server-level adjustments critical for technical SEO.

And let’s not forget: they’re using your hosting fees to fuel their profits, not your growth. That’s why their services are one-size-fits-all, regardless of your unique needs.

The Big Host Playbook: A Quick History

How Did We Get Here?

It all started with cPanel, a web hosting control panel out of Houston that made server management easy and affordable. This enabled small, local providers to set up shop and cater to the specific needs of local businesses.

Then came the big buyout frenzy. Companies like Endurance International Group (EIG) began snapping up local hosting providers and rolling them into their portfolio. They now own brands like Bluehost, HostGator, and over 80 other hosting companies. Their business model?

• Consolidate as many local providers as possible.
• Outsource support to cut costs.
• Lock down server configurations to simplify operations.

This approach leaves small businesses with generic, poorly managed hosting that fails to support their unique requirements.

The Impact on Local Businesses

Here’s what happens when Big Host takes over:

1. Domain Ownership Confusion: The person who registered your domain may be long gone, but they still hold the keys. This creates a nightmare if you want to switch providers.
2. Unmanaged Websites: Many business owners end up with a Big Host account they control, but nothing is optimized, maintained, or secure.
3. Lost Support Networks: The local providers you once relied on are either gone or have been absorbed into the Big Host machine.

The result? A slow, underperforming website that drives away potential customers and kills your search rankings.

Why Hosting Matters for SEO

Big Host’s failures don’t just affect performance; they directly impact technical SEO:

• Slow Load Speeds: Google penalizes websites with high load times.
• Core Web Vitals Issues: Metrics like Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) are directly tied to server performance.
• Crawl Budget Wastage: Inefficient servers make it harder for Google to index your content.
• Security Vulnerabilities: Poorly managed servers are prime targets for hackers, leading to blacklisting by search engines.

At Rise Local, we built Zonedock—our custom hosting platform—to solve these issues. With root-level access and local servers, we optimize every aspect of your hosting to enhance performance and rankings.

What Makes Zonedock Different?

1. Speed & Reliability: Our platform ensures consistent performance, even under high traffic.
2. SEO Optimization: We configure servers to maximize crawl efficiency and boost Core Web Vitals scores.
3. Local Support: Our Dallas-based team is here to help, not hand you off to a ticketing system.
4. Custom Solutions: We tailor hosting to meet your business’s unique needs, whether you’re running an e-commerce store, service business, or franchise location.

What You Can Do Today

If this article resonates with you, it’s time to take action. Here’s a quick checklist:

• Audit Your Hosting Provider: Does your current host offer root-level access? Are they throttling resources?
• Check Your Domain Ownership: Ensure the domain is registered in your name, not your old web designer’s.
• Assess Load Speeds: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify performance bottlenecks.

Still unsure? That’s where we come in. At Rise Local, we specialize in hosting solutions that are fast, reliable, and tailored for local businesses. Our call center is staffed with experts ready to clean up hosting issues and optimize your website for growth.

The Bottom Line

Big Host may promise affordability and convenience, but the reality is a slow, underperforming website that costs you leads and sales. Don’t settle. Partner with a hosting provider that understands your business and prioritizes your success.

Let’s leave Big Host behind and take control of your digital presence. Contact Rise Local today for a free consultation and see how we can transform your website into a traffic-generating machine.

Thanks for reading,
John O’Grady
Rise Local Team