If you’re looking into selecting a web host for the very first time, it can be quite confusing because if you read the websites of each host, every single one claims to be the bestweb hosting company offering what might seem like a cheap hosting deal but like with most things you get what you pay for.
And then if you’re not familiar with the technical jargon related to the various hosts’ offerings then it is easy to feel a bit out of your depth. However, if you are looking for some guidance that is easy to follow (and doesn’t require an IT degree to understand) then you have come to the right place.
Now if you’re looking for some advice that will just say ‘this is the number 1 web host’, unfortunately it isn’t quite that simple. When people are looking for web hosts, there can be a wide variety of requirements. For example, some people might be looking for the cheapest option available and just need a very basic website setting up with limited features. Other people may be looking to use their website as their main marketing tool for their global, highly successful company and want to sell products through their website.
Whilst most web hosts will offer a number of different packages to suit your requirements, it would be good advice to develop a five-year plan to work out your longer term requirements. Many people make the mistake of opting for the cheapest web host option, spend ages creating content and then realising after 6 months or so that they need more than the host can provide.
That is why it is so important to do the planning work first. Ask yourself how you want to use your website. Do you want to write SEO friendly blogs to generate more traffic to your website? Will you be creating videos and other interactive content and you need to ensure your website can handle them without slowing down?
Here are some of the key factors in choosing the right web host for your website:
Storage –Storage is one of those things that you never really appreciate having until you run out of it. With web hosting, if you have a limited amount of storage space and you keep using more space up, you will eventually hit a wall. If you are unable to purchase further storage space then you may have to start a new website all over again.
Support – The levels of support on offer from each host varies greatly. Many offer 24/7 support but then you could find yourself in long waiting lines when you have an urgent query. Do your homework and find out what the average waiting time is for hosts.
Bandwidth – If you’re going to have lots of visitors and you’re going to be uploading lots of content for them to download, bandwidth could turn out to be critical for you. Make sure that you get a host that offer unlimited bandwidth if this is going to be key to your goals.
Security – Cybercrime has become a huge issue and if you are committed to keeping yours and your customers’ data safe, you should be looking for a host with a good reputation for security.
Uptime – Uptime is the amount of time that your host is online. Some hosts have long, frequent periods of unavailability, which could quickly lose you loads of customers. Most hosts offer at least 99% uptime guarantees.
Back up – Again with cybercrime issues, backing up a website is becoming more important to businesses. As well as criminals trying to hack websites, it is also far too easy to delete parts of a website accidentally. If you have a host that provides auto back up then you won’t have anywhere near as big a problem if you do lose data.