Are you looking for a web hosting provider but you’re not sure which one to choose out of the hundreds of thousands of companies out there? This article is going to share key factors to consider when choosing a web hosting company. As a blogger, business owner, online entrepreneur, it can be challenging to know which hosting company to use on your website especially if you aren’t tech-savvy.
You will come across terms like unlimited disk space, bandwidth, and many others but if you know nothing about them, you may end up choosing the wrong web host. Ideally, you want to choose a reliable and high-performing host that’s available 24/7 through different channels. You also want a web host that guarantees high uptimes. If you choose the wrong web host, you’re not only going to surfer headaches but you will lose a lot of money in the long run.
To make sure you’re picking a good web hosting company, follow these practical tips.
1. Know Your Website’s Needs
Different websites have different needs. A small website will need fewer resources than a large business website. Ideally, when it comes to web hosting, you have three options: shared web, VPS, and dedicated hosting. So, you need to determine which hosting plan is good for your website.
Let’s take a look at each hosting plan:
Shared hosting: Generally, shared hosting is good for small to medium websites.
In this hosting plan, several websites share the same server resources. It is simple to use and beginner-friendly. Most people start with this option before upgrading to the next hosting plan we will talk about below.
Note that, given that several websites share server resources, the performance surfers when your website starts to generate more traffic. Bluehost is a good example of a shared web hosting provider.
VPS hosting: VPS is the short form for virtual private server. This web hosting plan is more flexible and suitable for fast-growing websites. In this hosting plan, several websites share resources of the same server but each one has a dedicated virtual server.
Resources are split by a hypervisor. You can think of VPS hosting as an upgrade of shared web hosting. A2hosting is a good example of a VPS web hosting provider.
Dedicated hosting: This is the most powerful hosting plan that offers great server resources and security.This hosting plan is suitable for high-performing websites with millions of visitors per month. When you choose this option, your website gets 100% access to the hardware. No sharing of resources.
You also have complete control over your server and you can install software and configure the server as you wish. Well, this hosting plan has a hefty price tag though but if your website is generating more revenue, it’s worth the pick.
DreamHost is a good example of a dedicated hosting provider.
2. Scalability
Choose a web hosting provider keeping in mind that your website will grow. And the last thing you want to see is having a web host that doesn’t allow room to grow. Ideally, as your business starts to attract a ton of traffic, you need enough resources. If your current hosting plan can’t provide enough resources for your visitors, can you upgrade to a higher plan?
Well, most web hosting providers allow room to grow, but some aren’t as easy to upgrade than others. So, choose a web hosting company that supports your website’s growth.
3. Support
If you have the technological know-how to manage and configure your own server the better, but if you can’t, then it would be better to choose a web hosting company that offers 27/4/365 technical support via multiple channels such as email, phone, live chat, etc.
A good rule of thumb is to choose a web host with in-house support.
4. Reputation
Before you choose your hosting provider, take a look at what people are saying about the company. Facebook, Twitter, the company’s website are just a few areas to check out to know what other customers are saying about the company’s customer support, availability, and other factors.
You can also read third-party website reviews to know more about different web hosting companies before choosing yours.
5. Speed
Different factors affect website speed; and your web hosting company could be a key culprit. Given that people expect a website to open pages within 2 seconds, it’s important to choose a web hosting provider that provides fast website performance.
6. Price
You can get a web hosting provider charging a few dollars per month while others up to thousands a month but remember the adage “you get what you pay for”. If you decide to choose a cheap web hosting company, then you can expect to get fewer resources which could affect your site’s performance.
So, basically, choose an affordable website that meets the needs of your website.
