Like renting an apartment or an office space, you need to get the best value for your money when considering a web hosting service to pay for.
Many websites out there are offering different web hosting services. Some are as cheap as sand while some others could be very expensive.
While it all boils down to your preference and how much money you are willing to pay, there are certain considerations to take when deciding who will be your website host.
Your web host is an influential part of your website and you should only go for the best quality available for your financial muscle.
Here are certain things you should look out for in a potential web host.
1. Reliability
Is your website host offering a 24-hour service? You lose customers and money whenever your website goes down or is inaccessible.
“Your website visitors often won’t have the patience of waiting and trying again later, especially as there are many other websites out there who offer the same or similar services as you do.Your web hosting service provider should be reliable and consistent. Going for experience is important here.”_ Brandan from Umbrella Website Hosting
The best web host will offer a round-the-clock service, which means your website will always be reachable at all times of the day.
2. 24/7 Customer support
What happens if you suddenly encounter an issue with your website? Does your host have a support system in place to help you solve any technical difficulties? Is your host readily available to help out?
These are important questions to which you should seek clarity before deciding to invest your hard-earned money into a web hosting service. You should be able to contact your web host and get quick feedback via email, phone or other available channels.
3. Disk capacity
Web space is cheap. Try to get as much disk space as you can get.
Although this may not matter much as the onset, as your website grows, you may require more and more web space to store your content.
It is an important factor for you to consider and make sure your host can make more space available to you as your demands grow without charging extra costs.
4. Speed
The world is moving at a break neck speed and time is the new currency.
Everyone is looking for the fastest option and speed is synonymous with quality. From iPhones to android phones, everyone is focusing on speed.
Your website has to load fast to keep visitors interested. A research by Akamai shows that 40% of online visitors quickly abandon sites that take too long to load. And how much is ‘too long’? Just 3 seconds.
This further highlights the importance of your website’s loading speed. Your web host should be able to provide a fast and easy to load website that will allow you keep your customers and attract new visitors.
5. Ease of access
You should not have to take a special course to be able to use your website. Basic computer skills should be sufficient.
Your website should be easy to use. It should be simple enough for you to get the best out of it. You should be able to carry out simple tweaks and template designs on your website.
A well-structured, user-friendly control panel that allows you carry out essential tasks with minimum stress is a necessity.
6. Pricing and subscription
You should get what you pay for. Your web host should clearly state the terms and conditions of the package to which you subscribe without any hidden charges.
A standard pricing system is essential both for the first year sign up and for subsequent annual renewals.
7. Add-ons
Email is an important business marketing tool and many web hosting companies offer email hosting together with, or separate from, the web hosting package. It is important that you make sure of the subscription terms rather than acting under assumption.
Other features such as subdomains, advertising credits, SSL certification, shopping carts, one-click app installs are also important for your website. These are features that add more value to your website.
8. Back up
I have decided to save the best for the last.
Beyond all the factors discussed above, an essential feature of a good web hosting service is having a secure back up.
What happens if your site suddenly crashes? Are all your files and contents just – gone?
You must ensure that your web hosting service provider has a secure, and up-to-date back up for your website at all times. Not having an adequate back up or no back up at all can prove very costly for your website.
The need for back up can be easily overlooked. But it something you ignore at your own loss.
The price of web hosting is one of the costs of running your business. However, it is a cost that is necessary; more so in this technology age.
For the best value web hosting and domain names, visit https://www.umbrellar.nz/our-solutions/domain-names/
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.