Tips for Choosing the Best Website Hosting Provider

31 August 2022

Having a website for your business is essential these days. Not only is it a great way for people to learn about the products and services offered, but a website is also a crucial communication tool for customers when they need to get in touch.

This means it’s necessary to find a rock-solid website hosting provider you can count on. But with so many website hosting services available, how do you choose the best one for your company?

We’ve put together some tips on how to find the best website hosting provider for your business website. Before we jump into those tips, we’ll take a look at the types of hosting available.

Types of Website Hosting: Learn the Difference

There are three types of hosting services available from web hosting providers.

Shared Hosting

A website is hosted on a server that also hosts other websites. That means you share server resources with other sites. This is the most inexpensive type of hosting; however, bandwidth and hard drive space on the server will be limited.

Your site may not perform well if other sites on the same server constantly use most of the resources.

Dedicated Hosting

This is the best choice for larger businesses that have high traffic and/or websites that require plenty of resources. Your site will be hosted on one server that’s dedicated solely to your site. You have more control of all parts of your website. However, if you’re not techy enough, it may be necessary to hire a third party to manage your service plan. This can be expensive.

Virtual Private Servers

This type of hosting is for businesses with sites that are customised and need more space than on a shared server but don’t need the bandwidth or storage space provided by a dedicated server. While this is similar to a dedicated server, a VPS does share resources with other sites. This type of server also requires someone who is techy. If you’re not able to manage the server on your own, then you’ll need to hire a third party to manage the website for you.

Cloud Hosting

This type of service combines a large number (hundreds) of servers together, which then function as one single, giant server. This type of service is billed as making it easier to scale and upgrade your server requirements as needed.

Pricing for cloud hosting does vary quite a bit. Many companies use a pricing structure that allows you to pay for what you use.

The type of web hosting you need will depend on the amount of traffic to the site, the type of website you’re building, and whether or not your site will need specialised software.

Once you’ve determined which type of plan is necessary, then it’s time to look for the right website hosting service provider.

1) Uptime

The amount of uptime provided by a web hosting service is crucial to your business. A hosting service provider should be able to ensure your site will be live and available most of the time. If your site is down too often, this will give a very negative impression to site visitors and customers. That means you could lose business and even see a decrease in revenue.

So, look for a hosting service that offers 99.5% uptime at a minimum.

2) Reviews

When searching for a website hosting service, be sure to check each company’s reputation. You can do a Google search to find reviews and testimonials from others who have used each company.

3) Available Storage, Bandwidth & Traffic

Your website will need a certain amount of storage space, depending on the type of site you need and the functionality required. It’s best to find a website hosting provider who has the amount of space you need without running out of server space. However, if you have a tight budget, then it’s important to find a cheaper plan where you don’t have to pay for unnecessary space.

In addition, you’ll need a service provider who has a high data transfer rate. Many companies claim to provide unlimited bandwidth. However, in that case, some service providers do have a limit. Once this limit has been crossed, they then charge extra for additional bandwidth. You want to avoid this type of service, especially if your site is expected to have a high amount of traffic.

4) Watch Out for Hidden Costs

Always check to see if there are any hidden or additional costs for extra bandwidth, renewals, upgrades, and more.

It’s always a good idea to comparison-shop before choosing a specific hosting package. Look for one that provides the most services without breaking the bank.

5) Server Features

Always check to see what server features each website hosting service offers. Ask how many domains can be hosted under one account and how much storage and bandwidth come with each package.

If you’re going to run an ecommerce site, then it will be essential to find a hosting service provider who offers SSL (secure server) features. This is especially needed if you’ll be accepting credit card payments.

6) Support

Most website hosting service providers offer customer support via telephone and email. However, it’s also a good idea to find a company that provides a live chat service. These are usually available 24/7 and allow you to directly access support techs and engineers when there’s a problem. That way, the issue can be fixed quickly, rather than waiting for hours.

7) Server Location

If you’re concerned about where the hosting service’s servers are located, you can ask them directly and/or do a search online to find where they are physically located.

8) Speed

Look for a hosting service provider that offers a fast connection. A fast connection allows your website pages to load more quickly. This makes search engines and site visitors happy!

On the other hand, a site that loads slowly will drive site visitors away. And your site will be ranked lower in the search engines.

So, look for a website hosting provider who has fast speeds. You might be able to tell this by visiting the company’s website. Check to see if their web pages load quickly or not and whether images also load quickly. If not, then move on to another service provider.

9) Content Management System (CMS)

If you’re a newbie, then it’s best to look for a service provider who offers a CMS that’s intuitive and easy for novices. The CMS is important to creating and managing your site. It provides a method to interact with your site, publishing content, selling products & services, and more. All the functionality of your site is tied to the content management system.

One content management system to consider is WordPress. This is a free, open-source software that’s easy for anyone to use.

10) Data Backup

Another important service to look for is a web host service provider that offers regular data backups. If your site should go down, then it’s easier to get it up and running again with a backup.

There you have it! Use these tips to help find the best website host service provider for you and your business.

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