Fathi Said here, with a couple of important updates about your hosting account here at IX Web Hosting.

But before I share them, I want to acknowledge something that hasn’t made me very happy.

When I look at the world of web hosting, I realize that IX Web Hosting – my company, the one I founded and the one I run – is just about average. No worse than the competition, but not much better either.

We have a giant data center in Columbus, Ohio that looks really impressive, we have a big support staff to answer your emails and phone calls, and we offer competitive pricing, but when I look at all that from my customers’ point of view, I have to say: “So what?”

I didn’t go into business to just create an ordinary service. And yet that’s where I find myself in the last month of 2009.

And that’s going to change. In fact, it’s already changing. In two big ways.

First, we’re changing the way you receive support when you have a question or problem with your site or hosting account.

The new system is called “Support Heroes” – and my commitment to you is that it’s not just a catchy name, but also a fundamental improvement that makes your life noticeably easier.

Second, we’re redefining our business model to move from “hosting provider” to “strategic partner” as you grow your web site.

When I sat down and thought about the contribution I want to make, it wasn’t enough to be a reliable place to stick your website. We decided to actually branch out from being just a “boring hosting company” and actually show you some of the killer techniques we use to get thousands of hits to our website each day!

You’ve created your web site with a goal in mind. Maybe to make money. Maybe to spread the word about an important idea. Maybe to connect people. Whatever your goal, I want to help you achieve it.

We’ve teamed up with some of the top online marketing experts to provide cutting edge strategies, tips and techniques to get more visitors to your site, and to get those visitors to take action once they get there.

So without further ado, here are the details about the two big improvements to your IX Web Hosting account:

Support Heroes

What if you had a personal contact at IX Web Hosting – an “insider” who knows your name, knows your business, and can pull strings to get you exactly what you need? We’re in the process of assigning a personal Support Hero to each IX Web Hosting customer. Your Support Hero will be an actual person who works in our Ohio office.

When you have a question or a problem, you can send them an email. You can phone them directly. Or you can IM them.

Support Heroes

Your Support Hero is responsible (and accountable) to get you what you want as quickly as possible, and not to leave you hanging. Since they’re your personal “account manager,” you won’t have to explain your problem again and again as you get transferred from one technician to another. And if you get disconnected, your Support Hero knows how to reach you, so you won’t have to dial the main number and be told your “wait time is approximately 26 minutes.”

Each Support Hero will handle your issue as if they were the owner of the company, because their bonus is based on how long you stay a customer, and how many of your friends you refer to us.

So the happier you are, the happier they are, and the happier I am. (I believe the business books call this a “win-win-win.”)

Now, sometimes our Support Heroes sleep, or take vacations, or are “busy helping other customers” (as the phone company voicemail messages say). What then?

Without boring you with the details, we’ve set up teams of Support Heroes who will pinch hit and report back to each other. And each Hero has their own team of technical specialists around the world, whom you may also get to know. But the ultimate responsibility for your satisfaction rests with your individual Hero.

Look for an email from your personal Support Hero within the next several weeks.

Online Marketing Advice from Top Experts

As you probably know, just having a domain name and a website doesn’t guarantee that anyone will find your site.

And if you use your site for business, it’s crucial that people find it when they’re looking for what you provide.

We’ve partnered with some of the top online marketing experts to provide you with exclusive videos, articles, and even live webinars – all completely free for IX Web Hosting customers.

You’ll discover:

quick and simple tweaks you can make to your site so Google can find it and know what it’s about
how to “cut to the front of the line” on the three big search engines
how to get some of the most popular sites in the world to link directly to your site
how to find out where the traffic you should be getting is going right now – and how to stick your site in front of all those people
what to show visitors once they arrive at your site, so they stay, play, and pay

Here’s the first video for you to watch:

My friend Howie Jacobson explains some killer techniques. It’s only 7 minutes and 29 seconds long and reveals the first thing you need to know if you want to get your site ranked high on Google.

Also, look out for a survey I’m going to send you in the next few days. Please make sure to fill it out, this way we’ll know what kind of free “traffic getting” videos and webinars you want us to make for you. This is going to be fun, and I can’t wait to hear stories about you receiving boatloads of traffic.

I want to close this entry by stating publicly what an honor it is to have earned your business, and that we’re going to do much, much better in 2010. I’m truly jazzed by the opportunity and I can’t wait for you to share my excitement when you experience what we have planned.

Wishing you health, happiness and prosperity,