How to Choose a Web Hosting Provider
Nowadays, businesses use web hosting services—no doubt about that. One of the primary reasons is obvious – businesses target audiences.
Well, good news because there are many web hosting providers out there who are willing to render their services. So, that means it’s easy for you to target thousands to millions of audiences. Yes, but you still need to ponder on one important question:
“How do you choose a web hosting provider?”
Now, you’re wondering: how to do that?
Here’ an important tip you need to remember: consider the three S’s – speed, security, and support. An excellent and reliable web hosting provider should give assurance to the three S’s.
Scalability is also essential because business owners need to scale their websites rapidly. As you get more target audiences, you also need to be resilient in handling web traffic.
The fifth thing you also need to think about is the price of the web hosting service. People spend a few bucks to a thousand dollars for a hosting service. The price depends if your business is small or an enterprise.
Let’s say you’re managing a small business.
You can choose among a private server, cloud, or private virtual server. Pay for $10 up to $100 for the web hosting service of your choice.
But don’t think that these are enough for you to land to an excellent web hosting service provider. Let’s go a little deeper and find out what experts recommend.
Hosting Server Types
Before you aim to target audiences, consider first the different server types such as:
If you’re looking for affordable hosting, this is an excellent choice. Shared servers allow you to manage hundreds of websites. But shared hosting limits its users to do the following:
- Uploading a file using FTP or SFTP
- Shell Access
- Program Management
- Database Access
If that doesn’t sound good, then why not try the second server.
In this hosting server, a virtual machine (such as a simulated computer) runs a box of the server. Many hosting providers run many virtual private serve instances on a single box. Unlike Shared Servers, VPS performance is much better.
But remember: Users need to have an idea about server management and maintenance before using Virtual Private Servers.
A Dedicated Server is a wise choice if a user doesn’t prefer to share performance from other websites. In choosing a Dedicated Server, you rent a physical box. Imagine that you have a server behind your table, but the difference is the server is from the data center of the hosting provider.
Take note: You need to have system management skills if you want to use a Dedicated Server.
Are you familiar with Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services? These are big public clouds run by Cloud Servers.
So, what’s so special about Cloud Servers?
It’s simple – Hosting providers build the right configuration required by their users. Also, the great advantage of using Cloud Servers is that users can scale easily. That’s right! Don’t worry if you’re a facing a huge traffic surge! Pay extra bucks to the hosting provider, and you’ll get an excellent result.
Own a Domain
Don’t settle on the idea of “renting a domain name” Remember that you’re the BOSS of your business, so you need to have of your OWN domain. One great advantage of owning a domain is businesses can change web hosting providers easily if required. Also, SEO benefits await that can boost traffic and allow a user to acquire more consumers!
Unlimited Offers (Aren’t Always) Good
Alright – let’s be honest – we all like unlimited storage and bandwidth offers if it means you only need to pay $3 a month.
Don’t take the deal as a blessing. You might soon think of the opposite. You see, some web hosting providers aren’t that generous to give an unlimited offer without a hidden agenda.
For example, the hosting provider might interfere with a website’s performance without the knowledge of the user. Also, the hosting provider might shot down their services if the user reaches a certain data limit.
So, be wise in accepting unlimited offers because not all unlimited deals are worth it!
Have a Traffic Estimate
Wise website owners know traffic estimates and they’re honest with it. You see, a rough estimate of the traffic amount that goes on your site isn’t bad.
Why?
You can save a few cash if you think that only a few people would visit your site. Here’s why: Web hosting providers charge their users depending on the site’s bandwidth and storage usage.
Here’s an example:
If you estimate that only a few people would visit your website, the bandwidth would be very low. But if the product you’re selling is a best seller, prepare for a bandwidth surge. Hence, you need to spend extra cash for the additional bandwidth the hosting provider would give you.
The secret here is this: Always be honest with your estimates, and no problem would arise. Remember that honest estimates (about traffic amount) lead users to choose the right and reliable hosting provider.
Think About Customer Support
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, support is essential in choosing the right hosting service. Basic customer support offers you three things:
- Ticket
- Phone Support
Well, these are great offers because you need these three in order to manage your website effectively. We call this as a “non-managed” service that – believe it or not, has limitations.
Yes, the customer support team answers questions about a website’s configuration, etc. but they couldn’t be a “systems manager.”
A managed service is your best choice if you want to manage your site excellently. Few benefits of a managed service are:
- Proper system configuration
- Keeps tracks of security problems
- Patch a website
- Backup management
With a managed service, users are sure that their website is running smoothly anytime.
Now, you’re ready to reach high limits by choosing a reliable web hosting provider! Don’t forget that with your right choice comes success in growing your business!
