Every company needs a website in the modern, digital era that we live in. It is now as important as having a physical store. But, once the website is created, the files and data must be stored somewhere so that they can be viewed by anyone at any time. Web hosting solutions can help with that.
This post will define how you can select a good web host provider for your online store.
How To Pick The Right Web Hosting Provider For Your Website
Several hosting packages are available, some of which are intended for very large corporations and others for new enterprises with simple websites. Depending on your requirements, you may have to choose between shared, VPS, cloud, or dedicated hosting.
However, apart from understanding the type of hosting you require, it is also important to pick a web host that has few or all of these factors.
- Location of the server
.The server closest to your audience is ideal since it will load the site more quickly the closer they are to the server. Most individuals will not wait for more than a couple of seconds before leaving the page, so the load time is important for your business. - Consider these factors while you research hosting providers:
- Where is your audience from?
- Does the hosting provider have a server in that location?
- If your audience is all around the world, then does the hosting provider have servers distributed globally?
If any of the web hosts don’t match any of the factors then they can be eliminated.- Reputation
. Select a reputable and trustworthy web hosting company. Try to find out how long they have been in this industry, the number of customers they have, and the type of audience they cater to. Check if they have several servers in different locations, or if they rent their servers. Answers to these questions will help you understand the reputation of the web host.
- Disk space
- A standard website requires a lot less storage than a website that is about gaming or videography. These websites employ resource-intensive apps and maintain large files. Make sure that the hosting solution you choose offers enough disk space that meets your requirements.
- Moreover, inquire as to how the storage will be added if necessary. It is ideal to have a simple approach because you might need to expand rapidly to an unexpected traffic rush.
- Policy for backups and restores
- Are backups a part of the plan or are they an extra expense? And how frequently does the hosting provider backup?
- Daily backups is recommended, and they have become even more important due to cyber attacks. If hackers gain access to the data, without backup, it can lead to a disastrous outcome.
- Control panel
- Web hosting firm typically offers a control panel or dashboard to manage your website. But what level of control do they grant? Is complete access to the web hosting control panel available? When choosing a host, evaluate this factor.
- Bandwidth and availability
- The length of time your site is accessible online every day is called uptime. Visitors will notice an error indicating the page that isn’t available if your site is down. When users see the website as unavailable, most of them assume that the website has disappeared. So it is critical to have a website with high uptime.
- This can only be ensured if a web hosting firm has a plan to prevent downtime and supply sufficient bandwidth. Find out if the web host promises a certain level of uptime. Usually, it is advised to choose a hosting provider that offers at least 99.9% uptime.
- Find out how they manage volume and surge in traffic as well. If they have poor architecture, your website can fail if it receives a large number of visitors.
- Security
- Even simple websites are susceptible to cyber-attacks. Cybercriminals will: edit your website’s content and post material that can be embarrassing. You may be locked out of your own website, or perhaps they could launch a DDoS assault that will block your audience from accessing your website unless a ransom is paid.
- Checking what security measures and standards your web hosts take is crucial.
- Look for a reliable web host that provides DDoS protection and monitoring around the clock.
- Customer support
- Last but not the least, ensure that the web hosting company has good and strong customer support in place. Reputable hosting providers include several support channels, including chat, email, phone calls, and a ticketing system. Also, find out if the customer support service is available 24×7. So that, in case, you need any technical assistance, the customer support personnel should be able to resolve it within a short span.
- Conclusion
This post has 8 factors highlighted, there are many more, but, these are the crucial ones.
One ought to consider these factors. Apart from this, it is also recommended to go through customer reviews and ratings to find out the authenticity of the web host.
Along with choosing a web hosting company, you can also choose to go for outsourcing your dedicated support staff. You can hire support staff that will be committed to completely taking care of your customer’s needs, allowing you to focus on your business.
There are many firms that offer outsourcing support. You can choose to go for complete dedicated support or semi-dedicated support based on your needs.
