Choosing a web hosting service can seem a daunting task, especially if you are someone who is new to websites, but rest assured it is not as difficult as it might seem at first. In fact, if you apply the same due diligence and common sense to choosing a website host as you would when choosing any other type of service, you should be able to make the right choice. As part of that due diligence, you will want to research each hosting company and within that research, seek to ascertain a hosting provider’s credentials and performance in relation to a few key factors. Many of these will be available online and may appear on the hosting provider’s website. If a hosting provider is able to tick the box with regards to meeting each of the seven hosting parameters that follow, then they are definitely worthy of your consideration. Positive Reviews Any web hosting company which has provided the promised levels of service and performance to its existing customers will undoubtedly have positive reviews which will attest to that. Look for reviews on their website, but also do searches online especially on review websites where you may find more detailed reviews, and where customers may leave the hosting company a score out of 5 or 10. Proven Performance As well as knowing that the hosting company has satisfied customers, you will also want to know that it meets all the necessary levels of performance that your website will require, especially if you are running a business that your own potential and current customers will visit. You want to know specific functions: bandwidth allowance, load speeds, disc space, and uptime. A Choice Of Hosting Plans If a hosting company is offering at least 3 different hosting plans, then it shows that it has considered for its potential clients in the sense that it knows not every business needs the exact same features when it comes to hosting its website. Any hosting company which has just one plan should be avoided, for the simple reason that if your business and, subsequently, your website grows, it may will likely not be able to meet your future hosting requirements on its single plan.
It’s a common practice for most business owners to emphasise design, content and SEO when it comes to maintaining a web presence, and the web hosting part is generally ignored. However, the truth is that web hosting is the canvas that will hold together everything you put online; even a tiny glitch can result in all your efforts in ensuring top-notch content, white hat SEO and customised themes and layout for your website going to waste. From boosting your revenue, ensuring optimum site traffic and SEO to securing your website and retrieving any lost information – the exemplary web hosting service can do wonders in making your business shine amidst the competition and keeping your performance sky high even during the highest traffic volume. So what are the criteria for selecting a web hosting service, and how can you determine which web hosting plan will work best for your needs? The following tips will help you out. Take a look: The Type of Hosting First, decide which hosting option is best for you by researching online or contacting a professional web hosting service provider who can guide you in the right direction. For a rough analysis, four critical hosting services are available – Shared hosting, Dedicated hosting, Managed hosting and Virtual Private Server. Shared hosting is a more affordable choice that suits start-ups but may not be as scalable as dedicated hosting, where no resources are shared, and you have the sheer amount of disk space and bandwidth.
