Do you own a business? Whichever field you are in, whether it is social media marketing or consulting, or any other business for that matter, you need a website. But have you thought about the technical aspects of having one? In order for your website to be accessible to your potential clients, it must be hosted somewhere.
This is why choosing a web host for your website is one of the most important decisions you can make for your business. The right hosting services can greatly boost your website performance. However, you need to know that not all hosts are the same. You will need to do your research and identify web hosting services that will give you all the features you need currently.
You could also be in a situation where you already had a web hosting service, but your experience with them was unpleasant and you wish to terminate the services. You can always make the decision to migrate to a new web host service. Fortunately, some companies offer free site migration and the entire process can be completed by a specialist in just a few days in a hassle-free manner.
If you are in the market for a web hosting service, these 5 things will help you to pick the right one for your site.
Why Do You Need a Website?
The first thing you need to do before choosing a web host is to ask yourself why you need a website. Write down a list of all your needs and after that compare every need you have to what your potential web host is offering. For example, if you are a photographer and you are looking to build a photography website, you will need to identify storage and speed as your primary needs.
Choosing Bluehost as your service provider can be a good idea in this case because if you are a beginner, you will love the simplified web building techniques especially for people who have no coding knowledge or experience. Bluehost is also fast and reliable and you will enjoy a free domain for the first year. If you need an e-commerce website on the other hand and bandwidth and security are key, you can choose a hosting service such as SiteGround since it’s very secure and a good choice for small to medium e-commerce websites.
What Is Your Budget?
It is also very important to consider the cost of web hosting and if it fits within your budget. Many web hosting companies give their basic services at a reasonable cost with others offering free trials for a given period of time. However, be sure to read the fine print of your contract because you will notice that some web hosting companies have very low promotional rates for the first year but once the promotion period is over the prices go up significantly. Be sure to include advanced features costs in your budget so that when you move from the basic level, you will not struggle to sustain your website.
How Much Traffic Are You Awaiting on Your Website?
Web hosting services will generally charge you based on the amount of storage and bandwidth usage. Bandwidth is the volume of data transferable between the site, the server, and the users. So, if only a few people visit your site, the bandwidth will be low. But if your website gets a top ranking on google you can expect the bandwidth to go up. Be honest with yourself and choose the right plan that will not stress out low-end shared servers at any given time.
Can The Hosting Plan Move Up with You When the Time Comes to Upgrade?
When the time comes for you to upgrade to a bigger plan, will your preferred web hosting plan move with you or hold you back? Sometimes, your upgrading plans can come sooner than you think. For example, your podcast can go viral and reach a wider audience, and therefore you may need to scale up very quickly. Choose a web host that is willing to provide you with extra space and resources without penalizing you for upgrading.
Don’t Forget Customer Support
The truth is, technical considerations are very important when choosing a web hosting service. But you also need to work with a web hosting company that offers great customer care at all times. Before you sign any contract, make sure that you are dealing with a web host that is always willing to respond to your queries and respond to them urgently. The last thing you need is the frustration of waiting for hours for customer support to sort out an error that has made your site unavailable.