7 Things To Keep In Mind When Choosing a Web Hosting Provider

With the right web host provider, you can greatly improve your website performance, and ensure a smooth, hassle-free experience for both you and your customers. Choose wrongly, and you could end up with all kinds of headaches and unnecessary expenses.

There are several web hosting aspects that you need to be familiar with before choosing a provider.

In this article, we will take you through key factors to consider when choosing a web hosting provider for your business.

1. ? ? Understand the different server types ?

If you've spent time browsing through multiple web hosting services, then you have probably seen terms like shared hosting, VPS, dedicated, and cloud. They represent the different available server types, but not every web host provider offers them all.?

The various types of hosting services differ from one another in significant ways. So, get an understanding of the main factors that differentiate each server type.?

?2. ????Server speed?

When the Amazon website crashed for 30 minutes in 2013, it cost the company a whopping $66,240 per minute in revenue. A weak server and unstable network connections can take your website offline, and needless to say, that’s not good for business.

Checking the server reliability is a critical step before selecting a web host provider. It is a good idea to do a quick check of a few service providers before you decide on one.

Google requires a website to load fast to perform well in SEO, so the server response time is one of the most important factors. Google's standard response time is typically less than 200 milliseconds for a website (you can check on Google Page Insights). Ensuring that your server provider has a fast response time will get your business a good score from Google.?

Another point to note is that server response time is also affected by the server location. For example - say you sign up with a web host provider who boasts of high-performance server speeds and connections. If their servers are located in a different country from your business, there will be a lag in response time as it will have to run through international connection terminals.

3. ? ? The ability to upgrade your servers

Hosting plans come in all shapes and sizes, but if you’re just starting, there’s a good chance you might opt for a shared hosting plan. If that’s the case, we recommend you choose a provider that lets you upgrade your server.

The reason is, even if you find a good shared hosting package, you’ll still have a limit to the resources available. Once your business grows and you start seeing more traffic to your website, shared hosting will not be enough to accommodate all that bandwidth.

Being able to upgrade your server package will reduce the hassle of having to sign up with a new host and migrate your website.?

?4. ? ? Software Updates?

This is an essential service you shouldn’t miss! The server software and infrastructure has to be updated regularly to ensure high performance as well as up-to-date cyber security support.

One of the perks of signing up with a top-tier web host provider is that they will ensure their software and infrastructure is up to date which will help to improve the performance and security of the systems. It might seem costly at first, but in the long run, your website will be much better off.?

?5. ? ? Availability of backups?

With the current rise in cyber crimes directed primarily at small business websites, having a backup system is a must for every business.?

Such cyber threats like ransomware and phishing scams often result in irreparable damages that will take your website down. Therefore, it is crucial to find a web host provider that provides a recovery system or allows you to take your own backups.

Some key questions to ask your web host provider include:

• Do they conduct regular full backups?
• Can you manually back up your site?
• Can you use programs to create auto backups?
• Can you restore the backup files yourself or do you need help?

6. ? ? The quality of customer support?

No matter how great your web host provider appears, there will be times you’ll face server issues that you can’t fix alone. This is when a good customer support team becomes critical for success. Try to pick a host that offers responsive 24/7 support to their clients, whether through live chat or telephone. This way, you can immediately resolve your website issues.?

The best way to find out about the quality of support services is to check if the provider has any reviews online. Research them either on social media platforms or forums to get a better idea of the quality of their support team.

7. ? ? Automatic renewal?

Web hosting and domain providers offer either monthly or annual renewable services. Most service providers will generally send a notice about renewal fees, but most of the time, customers miss these emails.

We highly recommend setting your payment mode to automatic renewal to ensure payment goes through on time. In addition, always check your card details to ensure it is valid and up to date. The reason for this is that if you miss a payment, you risk losing access to your website, files, and all your data.?

Summary

There are many more factors when it comes to choosing a web host provider, and it’s best to take your time and weigh all the options. Always contact the server provider and ask for any details you are unsure of before making any purchase. You will be saving yourself a lot of trouble in the long run by being mindful of the points we’ve listed above.