These days one of the biggest problems that many developing companies have to face is choosing a competent web hosting provider. Whether it is a business website, a blog, or an online store you will have to find a hosting service that you can trust and rely upon. To make this choice easier for you here we have prepared a list of factors that you should consider before choosing a hosting service. After you have completed this article, you will have the understanding to make the web hosting choice that best suits your requirements.
Focus on choosing the right kind of hosting service
One of the first things you need to decide before choosing a web hosting provider is the type of hosting you require. Basically, there are four types of web hosting services
i. Managed web hosting
ii. Shared web hosting
iii. VPS (virtual private server) hosting
iv. Dedicated web hosting
Managed web hosting is a new and fairly recent concept that is gaining a considerable amount of popularity among new and developing businesses. If it is your first time hosting a website then managed web hosting is the way to go. Managed web hosting takes the complications and hassle out of web hosting and makes it extremely simple. Managed hosting can make your work way easier by providing features like automatic backup and recovery, automatic updating, and daily server management and maintenance at very fair prices. Hostserver.com is one of the most reliable managed hosting services that have become quite famous recently.
Shared hosting is a great choice for smaller and developing websites. Shared hosting provides a system and framework for different customers and websites to share the same server space. It is relatively less expensive as compared to other kinds of hosting services and it can cost less than $5 a month. But if you plan on upgrading your website and you expect an increase in your traffic, then you should consider VPS or dedicated web hosting. In VPS and dedicated hosting a whole server of a virtual part of it is solely dedicated to your website which dramatically increases the reliability of your website.
Keep your hosting requirements in mind
Before you make a decision, you need to understand what your hosting requirements are you can make a decision about what kind of service to use if you don’t understand the requirements of your system. Understanding your requirements will also make it easier for you to choose a suitable plan with the proper specs.
Server specifications
After you have chosen the kind of hosting service you need to make a decision on the specifications of the server you require. You need to consider the amount of storage, memory, bandwidth, and security you will need. You also need to make a decision on whether you will require email functionality and other similar specifications.
Server uptime and performance
Another factor that has to be considered while choosing a hosting provider is the reliability and uptime of the service. This can be a game-changing factor especially if you intend to make money from your website. Reliability is important because even if the website goes down for a short time, it can end up costing you thousands if not millions.
The reliability and uptime of any hosting provider can be checked simply by searching it on Google. You will easily find a lot of online reports that show the reliability, uptime, and many other statistics about the intended website. Analyzing these reports can make the decision-making process much easier and more accurate. Also, make sure that the hosting service you choose provides you with compatibility to expand your website in the future. You should be able to upgrade the specifications of your server without changing the whole plan.
Customer reviews and blogs
Before you make a decision another way to get a basic idea of the performance of the hosting service is by reading customer reviews and comments. The stats that are written on reports are not what you get sometimes. So heading to the comment section and interacting with some people that have already used the service can really help you understand the service better and it can ultimately help you make a decision.
Hosting costs
Another factor that you should consider is the cost of the service you chose. Consider the state of your finances and try to figure out whether you will be able to make the payments in the long run. Also, try to choose a service that you don’t have to change in the future. Before you finalize the conditions of the service make sure that you uncheck any optional or unnecessary services that you may not need.
You can also save some money by signing up for a longer period of time. Saving money is important but don’t compromise on reliability. If you are low on budget, then you should definitely consider choosing shared web hosting as it is the cheapest kind. But it won’t really provide you any support for expanding. So if you intend to expand in the near future then choose VPS hosting as it costs a little more than shared hosting but is, in fact, cheaper than dedicated web hosting.
Backup and restoration mechanisms
Website crashes is a problem that almost every website has to face. The real question is how efficiently your hosting service can recover from a crash. The reasons for your website crash can vary from damaged files to unauthorized access of hackers’ files or even just random malfunctions. Website crashes can disrupt your traffic and can cost you a lot of money.
When you are in such a situation, it is best to have a recent backup of your website ready to go. If you have a recent backup, your website can be restored properly to a functioning state. A good and proficient hosting company must be capable of conducting regular backups for your site in case you may ever face a website crash. Consider how frequently the service backs up your website? What sort of plugins does the service provider for back up? Does the service provide assistance in the restoration of the website? How much time does the website take to restore your website?
These are some questions that you must ask yourself before making a decision on what web hosting service to use.
About the Author:
Barbara Morgan is a digital nomad based in the USA. She enjoys home-based work, cardio exercises and loves spending her vacations outdoor around nature. She regularly posts at hostiserver.
