Not many business owners think about hosting when building a new website for their business. But failing to choose the right web hosting can have a great impact on your website and, of course, your business.
How do you choose the right host? Should you simply go for the least expensive option? The answer is no. Your host is your website’s foundation, and you don’t want your foundation to be low-quality!
Why Choosing the Best Web Hosting is Important
Choosing a web host may not seem like a big deal but if you choose wrong, your business might suffer.
Here’s how your web hosting provider will influence your website:
1. Have a Dedicated Support Team 24/7
There will be situations when your website stops working or goes online. This might be a result of an error on your part, but it can also be due to your host. Imagine having to deal with this on your own. Especially if you have no technical skills!
If this happens, it’s great to have a support team that will resolve the issues, help bring your website back to a fully functional state, and save you the hassle.
2. Protect Your Website
Many of us tend to overlook website security or only think about it when it’s too late. But why wait until something bad happens? Of course, there is no 100% foolproof solution that will keep your site secure but there are certain steps you can take to protect it. Some of these steps include building firewalls, keeping your site software updated, using security plugins, etc.
However, none of this will matter if security is not your host’s top priority. An established host will have certain things in place such as firewalls and frequent website backups to protect the webserver and the datacenter.
3. Protect Your Content
Losing files is unfortunate, but it does happen. You might have chosen a host who ended up going out of business. Or their protocols failed and your website’s backups are all lost.
That’s why you need to consider the host’s trustworthiness when making a decision. Choosing a new or cheap host is a great way to save money but it may hurt your business in the long run.
If you choose a high-quality host, you can rest assured that this won’t happen.
4. Boost SEO and Site Performance
Your website’s loading speed and performance are directly correlated to how high you rank in the SERPs. If your website takes ages to load, your bounce rates will be very high and your UX extremely poor. In some cases, this can be because you have a great number of plugins or you’re using a poorly-coded theme. But in many cases, it can be your host’s fault.
If you have taken steps to optimize your website but it’s still very slow, it’s probably a great time to switch to a new host.
5. Prevent Loss of Sales
Do you use your website to sell your products or services? If that’s the case, every time your website is offline means losing money. That’s why the host you choose should ensure maximum uptime. Even though no host can guarantee 100%, look for those that offer at least 99% uptime on average.
How To Select the Right Web Host?
Choosing a reliable host is crucial for ensuring that your website remains safe and functional throughout the whole year. If you’re just starting and choosing a hosting company for the first time, or you want to switch hosting providers, here’s what features you should take into consideration:
Outstanding Customer Support
When choosing a hosting provider, look for one that offers reliable customer support. Many companies will claim that their support is available 24/7 but that doesn’t mean they’re experienced and efficient. Make sure to test the customer support staff’s response before committing to a long-term hosting contract.
Consider the Different Web Hosting Options
If you want to make an informed decision, take some time to learn about the different web hosting options available like VPS, Shared, Managed, and Dedicated hosting.
Outstanding Uptime Track Record
As mentioned earlier, the hosting company should ensure maximum uptime. Look for providers that guarantee at least 99% uptime on average.
Ability to Scale
When your business starts growing, your site will attract more traffic. The hosting provider you chose should be able to scale and upgrade in order to accommodate your traffic growth.
Background Check
Finally, once you’ve narrowed down the list of potential hosting providers, make sure to do a thorough background check. See how long the company has been operating, check if they have testimonials from satisfied clients, go through their average downtime stats and maintenance schedules, etc.
Consider Cost
Cost shouldn’t be the only consideration but you should certainly think about it. When it comes to web hosting, going for the cheapest options isn’t a good idea because that might mean extended downtime. In addition, basic shared hosting is a good choice only if your website is generating small volumes of traffic. If, on the other hand, the traffic volume is high, a managed or dedicated hosting is a much better option. This will cost more but it’s definitely more reliable and will pay off in the long run.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right web hosting provider matters more that you might think. So, instead of choosing the cheapest option available, take some time to consider several different hosting options and choose the one that works best for your website and business.
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