The nagging question, “which web hosting company do I contact?” every time you think of hosting a website. It is therefore vital to do due diligence in the search for one. You can look at what each brings to the table.
Some will offer database backup solutions while others won’t. Some of the questions you need to ask yourself are; do they provide customer service? Are their security systems robust enough to keep off cybercrime? How much do they charge for hosting?
Such and many more questions are always in the mind of a beginner and can lead them into confusion.
To save you from these rhetorical but nagging questions, below are six expert tips that will guide you in the quest of finding the perfect web hosting company.
1. Master your hosting needs
It is unfortunate to get a good hosting company, pay them expensively, but not get what you wanted. It is for this reason that you should consider what you really want.
Do you want a hosting company that can handle massive traffic to your website or do you need a hosting company that can easily handle small traffic?
As a beginner, you can opt for shared hosting accounts. With such, you concentrate on building your site while the host handles the more complicated aspects of the website
Some of these shared hosting companies are;
- SiteGround hosting
- Hostgator
- Interserver
- Bluehost
2. Determine the type of website you Need
It is essential to give a thought to which kind of website you seek to build. The purpose of the website will guide you to know which features best suit your site.
Blogging :
Consider using WordPress or Blogger. They are easy to use and come with ready to use templates, 24/7 dedicated customer service, unlimited bandwidth and storage and also pre-installed user-friendly programs.
E-commerce :
It is essential for all businesses to have online stores and shops. They help to drive more sales and also the trend of buying online is taking shape. Soon all businesses will require an online platform to carry on with business.
For this, you’ll need a company that offers strong and added security measure that enables the protection of customer details and payment history.
The hosting company should also provide you with a platform where you can easily integrate PayPal and email marketing services.
Personal site :
For such a site;
- Consider a low-cost hosting company.
- The host company should also provide easy to use templates. Beginners prefer such sites.
- Look out for the bandwidth allocation and 24/7 customer services.
3. Assess security measures
Cybercrime has become a nuisance to all companies that rely on the internet to deliver their services. Hackers will steal client information or bring down websites.
It is for these and more reasons that the choice of a web hosting should be grounded on the security measures they provide.
The web hosting company should offer encryption, as well as DDoS protection and web application firewall.
4. Server reliability/ availability
The host company should ensure that your website is running 24/7 without a threat of being brought down due to maintenance issues.
You want your website to be online all through, hence go for a company that offers 99.99% connection.
To track your web hosting company, you can use server monitoring tools. They are available online for free or paid version.
5. Ability to handle Add-on domains
Go to a web hosting company that allows you to have several domains in your account. This requires extra hosting space. The best hosting companies will offer 50 add-on domains or more.
Pocket-friendly companies will offer at least 25 add-on domains space.
6. Required resources
As a new customer, you should put into thought all the essential needs. For example, if you are setting up a business website, you should consider email functionality.
Some of the resources you need to consider are
- RAM and storage space
- Data transfer and bandwidth
- Security and support
- Email and domains.
Web hosting companies help us in handling a lot of work that otherwise we can’t control.
Before choosing which company is perfect for you, always put into consideration the above. They will guide you from being conned or paying for what you don’t need.
You can also visit review sites. They can help you make informed decisions.
Author bio: Dayna Lutz is the content manager of Ottomatik which is an online platform for hosting your database backup on their storage platform. The company’s storage rides on top of Amazon S3 as well. In fact, they do all the legwork for you. Also, if you already have Amazon S3 credentials and want to store your backup files in your AWS account, controlled by you, then also you can use this platform.
