All of us know that every business needs a website to help succeed. A large percentage of the population depends upon the Internet for their buying needs, or if nothing else to gather information.
These two use cases alone essentially require you to set up a website of some kind. But where do you start with your hosting? That’s where we show you what you’ll need.
So, now that you have decided to launch your business website, there are a few things that you need to pay special attention to. One of them is the hosting company/provider that you choose. There are hundreds of hosts out there with each one claiming to provide you with the best hosting services.
Obviously, that’s not possible. You’ll need to do some research before you choose the residence for your business. And if you thought you needed a helping hand, we are here to your rescue.
Here is what to consider when choosing a hosting provider, in order of importance.
Area of Specialization
Every business and website has its own set of requirements. While you may find hundreds of web hosts in the market, not everyone can provide you what you are looking for. To know what exactly you can expect from the server host, you need to understand what your business needs in the first place.
Knowing your business needs will let you choose the most appropriate service provider. Every server host will have its own area of specialization. This is their strengths, and weaknesses.
Some hosts offer good services for growing businesses but not very appealing shared plans, while others have a wonderful enterprise solution which won’t be suited for small-time bloggers.
Therefore, look at your own needs first and decide on how big of a site you’ll need, as well as the complexity of it. That’s where you can start to reduce your list of potential hosting providers.
Price
Price is one of the next factors that needs to be considered while choosing your host. Having a budget is a great thing, but do not make it a deciding factor or don’t be rigid while hunting for a good host. The cheapest hosting usually only has one thing going for it – the price.
Keep the quality of service in mind and then decide what works best for you. A skilled workforce, stable network connection, and state-of-the-art hardware doesn’t come cheap. Do not fall for cheap plans as they likely will not have any of these features.
Our advice is to go for the most expensive hosting that is within reason for your business. Odds are it will have better hardware and some decent support.
Hardware
The hardware used by the server host plays a huge role in your website’s feel and speed. You may have to read up a little to have an idea about the best machines. That time spent researching will pay off as the quality of the hardware will affect your server and your site performance too.
I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s a bad idea to pay for a server that is already several years old. Don’t be afraid to ask the hosting provider the generation of CPU, storage, and RAM they use. The newer, the better.
It is wise to be aware of the equipment used by the hosting company as several new and small providers install used machines. These cannot be trusted to deliver top-notch hosting services.
Tech Support
What if your website goes down and your host doesn’t show up to help? This is the greatest nightmare any business owner or manager can have. That’s why you have to assess the tech support system of the hosting company.
Think about it – how often will you know where to look for the solution to your website’s problems? Are you a technical-natured person? If your answers point to you not being able to solve the problems by yourself, you have to go with a Managed Hosting provider.
Managed servers cost more compared to an unmanaged hosting service. But consider the fact that you are paying for the support team to be available at all times.
If you have to save costs anywhere you can, and if you can take care of your server completely and are confident in your skills, then unmanaged or self-managed is your next best choice.
Also, check for the different ways they are available for contact in case of server downtime. Are they available on email, call, chat, etc.? Do they provide a 24/7 service in case of server failure? These questions are ones that need answers before you make any decisions.
Migrations
Do you have an existing website that you’d want to move over to something better? Maybe you’re looking to continue development of your site, or to expand.
Check what kind of migrations the hosting service provides. Do they migrate websites only, or data and emails as well? How many websites can be migrated for free, if any?
We recommend going for a provider that has free migrations as a bare minimum. You are paying to host your services there – the least they can do is make your migration more bearable.
Security
Rapid digitalization has also led to a drastic increase in cybercrimes. You may not find it a very important factor to consider while choosing a server host, but in reality, it does play a significant role.
Modern server hosts know the importance of website security. That’s why they might incorporate firewall rules and network monitoring processes to ensure that your website is protected from malware attacks.
With unmanaged hosting providers however, you’re likely on your own here. It is wise to choose a host that provides user access control and carries out anti-virus or anti-malware checks regularly.
Reliability & Uptime Guarantee
Choosing a host where their servers are down frequently will land you in a big mess. Before selecting a hosting company, find out whether the server operates 24/7 to host your website.
What’s their uptime percentage? If it’s less than 99.99%, stay away – you don’t want your website to be down for hours each month.
Nobody wants to have a site that is down. It leads to loss of business and ultimately a loss of revenue.
Your hosting company should have a powerful server to operate on that is equipped with excellent hardware and a good network connection. Also, redundant hardware is a MUST. Redundant hardware ensures each aspect of their hardware has a backup ready to go at any moment.
Trial Period or Refund Policy
Most of the well-reputed hosting services providers provide the clients with a refund policy or a trial period. During this period, you can try their hosting services and decide if you want to continue with the provider.
The trial period is usually very cheap or free, and only if you decide to continue will you need to pay full price (or a discount if that’s what the provider offered).
Also, consider the duration of the trial period. Choose a host that provides a refund for a period of at least 7 days. That will give you sufficient time to try the service and make a call on whether they’re any good.
Growth
Growth is one of the most important considerations when choosing a web host. Look for a host that can support your company’s growth by scaling your server and site when needed. Assess whether or not the server host fits into your plans for the future.
The process of transferring from one host to another is time-consuming and complex. So, choosing a host that can accommodate all your growth needs is the best option.
Final Word
To sum up, we would like to mention that to choose a good server host, you need to do some thorough groundwork. Shortlist a few service providers and then assess them against the important factors that differ between them.
Take your time and weigh all the available options deeply. By making a decision carefully and with all factors kept in mind, you will be saved from the hassle of getting trapped with the wrong service provider and the need to move from one to another.
We hope that this post will give you a fair idea about the important factors in choosing a hosting service provider.
No matter what provider you end up choosing though, we’re here to make things work great for you. Our Linux Server Support services are the best in the industry. We can help you with almost any server issue as long as you can provide us with SSH access.
