You’ve finally created the online business you’ve been dreaming of, and now you need to find a web hosting service that will allow you to set up your website store and connect with potential customers in order to make your business dreams come true. Of course, there are tons of web hosting services out there, but which one should you choose? This guide can help you figure out which web hosting service is right for you.
How to choose a web host?
Without the best web hosting, your ability to run a successful website is going to be seriously hindered. A WordPress host has everything that WordPress needs to function at its maximum potential including PHP support, MySQL access and other great features. With so many options available it can sometimes be difficult to find the right one that fits your needs but we’ve got you covered with our in-depth reviews on some of the best WordPress hosts available today.
- Bandwidth
The first thing you need to do when shopping for a web hosting service is to evaluate your disk space and bandwidth needs. If your site features lots of graphics, dozens of pages, and large amounts of traffic, you’re going to need decent bandwidth and disk space. Unlimited plans are available, and they make life easier. You don’t have to worry about hitting your monthly limits on disk space or bandwidth, because it’s all unlimited. You also don’t have to worry about being charged extra fees for exceeding these limits, as most providers include this in the cost of the plan. - Compatibility
Keep compatibility in mind, too. In the excitement of looking for a website hosting provider, you might overlook one critical thing: the type of operating systems that are supported. If your site is built on WordPress, then you’ll need to find a web host with wordpress hosting packages. - Reliability
Reliability and availability are critical characteristics to consider when shopping around for web hosting. The best web hosting companies offer availability rates of 98 and 99 percent, frequently referred to as “Uptime.” Web hosting companies such as HostGator, Bluehost, and SiteGround all offer reliability that exceeds these standards. If your website relies heavily on social media features such as streaming video or a live chat service then you should look for a host that offers the latest in server technology like nginx or nodejs . - Security
Security is also an essential concern. Choosing a web hosting provider without learning about its available security features is a big mistake. Things like firewalls, daily backups, and user authentication should all be included. The industry standard is to have your website hosted on a secure server with the latest SSL certificates installed.
Things like firewalls, daily backups, and user authentication should all be included. The industry standard is to have your website hosted on a secure server with the latest SSL certificates installed.
Hosting Packages and What They Mean to You
The larger or more complex a website, the more comprehensive a configuration package it’s going to need. The main ones are broken down as follows: A shared web host will give your site plenty of bandwidth but not much in the way of physical resources like CPU time and storage space. A VPS has those limited resources but doesn’t offer bandwidth limitations; so if you can’t afford a dedicated server at this point in your career (they’re pricey), then this is probably your best bet.
- Shared
Shared web hosting is the basic package that services offer. Your website sits on the same server along with many other websites, so you’re sharing the server, and any other resources, such as memory or CPU. You have limited storage space and bandwidth, but if your website doesn’t grow too much or traffic isn’t very high then it’s a good way to save money. It’s also an easy option for beginners who want to get their feet wet before jumping into more advanced packages. Dedicated: A dedicated server is one that belongs exclusively to your company. - VPS
A virtual private server is designated for your direct purposes, more than a shared server. You still may be sharing an actual server, but the service creates a virtual server of your very own. It’s like having your own personal website that nobody else can touch or use! VPS is also really good if you plan to run scripts or applications on your site because there won’t be any other sites that can mess up with it.
The downside of this option is that while it might not cost as much as dedicated servers, there will still be monthly fees and potential costs when downtime occurs. - Dedicated
Dedicated hosting is already another level. In addition to getting your own server, dedicated hosting lets you take full control over your server. This means that you can tailor the specs of your server to suit the needs of your website or e-commerce store. Dedicated hosting comes with unlimited storage space and bandwidth, so you never have to worry about running out of space again or having a slow website because of too many people trying to access it at once. - WordPress
The most popular option for beginner bloggers is the WordPress platform. There are many different types of WordPress hosting options available, but the most popular WordPress hosting service among bloggers today is WP Engine. WP Engine offers reliable, high-performance website performance with a host of features to help keep your blog running smoothly. Plus, it’s one of the more affordable options out there!
Some Top Features When It Comes to Top Hosting Quality
Hosting quality is affected by several factors that are important to weigh during your decision making process. Some of the most significant ones include: -Uptime (how often it’s available) -Bandwidth (the amount of data it can handle at one time) -Hosting location (the closer, the better) -Customer Support (if something goes wrong, who do you call?)
How Hosting Quality Impacts Your Site’s Performance: When deciding on a host, it’s important to consider how hosting features affect your site’s performance.
- Uptime Guarantee
We mention this in more detail below, and really it’s one of the most important factors to consider, so don’t skimp on uptime. Website hosting uptime depends on how reliable your hosting company is (they can’t control your site’s downtime). You need at least 99% uptime with any provider, but there’s a difference between 99% and 99.9%. The difference might seem negligible (since we’re talking about 0.1%), but at the end of the year that could translate into 3 days or 13 hours of downtime, depending on which percentage you choose. - Load Time
Load time is also really important. Recent studies show that the average attention span has shrunk over the years to smaller than that of a goldfish! So, if your website takes even a drop too long to load a page, your business is dead before it’s even started. Hosting load time affects how fast your website loads. A hosting company with better servers will usually have less chance of slow loading times. The hosting company you go with can often affect whether or not people stay on your site for longer periods of time, click through more pages on your site, or abandon it altogether. There’s nothing worse than losing visitors because they can’t view any content due to slow loading times on a site that’s hosting three hundred products and constantly updating blog posts. - Customer Support
Because having an issue with your website is nothing to take lightly, you want to make sure customer service is available, knowledgeable, and easy to work with. Your host should offer 24/7 live chat as well as a phone number or email address to use in case of emergencies. And don’t be shy about asking questions – this way you can figure out if the company will be a good fit for your needs before signing up! - Location
The number of servers and location plays a huge part in the speed of your website loading and service. Obviously, the more servers available, the faster the service, but where those servers are found in the world will also affect the quality. If it’s close to where your visitors live (Europe or North America), then it won’t take as long to load. Hosting locations in Asia can be much slower due to the distance from potential customers – so that’s something worth thinking about when choosing a provider. - Web Hosting Pricing & Value
Some choose web hosting providers based solely on price. While that’s not a great strategy, you should certainly take pricing into consideration. The best providers offer plans for every budget and in some cases, signing up for longer subscriptions will qualify for extra discounts. Web hosting providers also offer tiered plans with different levels of storage space and bandwidth depending on your needs. Web hosts with more than one data center usually provide disaster recovery facilities for off-site backups as well as additional security measures like website malware scanning. In other words, there are plenty of reasons to compare web hosting prices before making a final decision.
Conclusion
As tempting as it may be to choose a web hosting provider quickly and just get on with your life, it’s undeniably better to take your time. In doing so, you’ll be able to find a provider you can stick with for the long time.
Below is a list of our most recommended web hosting services. They’re all great, but we think they’ll work best for different types of people.
1. If you want an affordable option that’s easy to use, go with Resellerclub!
2. If you need lots of space for big files, then Bluehost is perfect for you!
3. If security is your biggest concern, then check out HOSTINGER. Their encryption policies are second to none.
4. If you’re looking for something that will help you grow your business, then DreamHost has just what you need!
Check them out
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