If you are launching your first business website, you will need to choose a suitable web host first. The host is where your website is essentially stored online so that people can access it. Selection of web hosting provider is an important decision that should not be taken lightly. Picking a wrong provider that has slow response time or, even worse, cannot keep the website up and running can have a significant negative impact on your business. Use the tips below to find the best web hosting provider that fits your business needs.
- Type of Hosting Provided
There are various types of web hosting services provided. One of the most common, and usually the cheapest, is shared hosting. However, this also tends to be the least secure because you are sharing your server with other websites. It is also usually the slowest option.
A better option would be using a dedicated server, where you don’t share the server with any other website. Or you might want to use cloud hosting, which has many benefits for business websites.
- The Amount of Uptime
Whichever type of hosting package you choose, you will want to choose a web host that offers a very high percentage of uptime.
Every host will experience downtime. However, you want the absolute minimum amount because downtime means your website will be offline, and this can seriously hurt your sales and your reputation.
Uptime should definitely be higher than about 99.8%. This is only about an hour of downtime a month, which is sometimes required for maintenance, but less is better. And the server should also be monitored, which helps to reduce downtime.
- Security of the Host
Security is a big issue for businesses, especially if you accept online payments. Some hosts will have excellent reputations, whereas some will not.
Take this very seriously, and also make sure your host has a comprehensive backup and disaster recovery system in place. That way if something does go wrong, you can get back up and running quickly without losing your precious data.
- Speed of the Hosting
A slow website is a big turn-off to visitors, and it can also affect your position in the search engines. Make sure your host provides fast hosting and don’t lose business because of something so basic.
Choose faster hosting and make sure you provide the best experience to your website visitors, which can lead to increased conversions.
- Customer Service
No matter how good your hosting package is, you will almost certainly experience problems at some point. When this happens, a good customer service division can make all the difference to getting your problems sorted out quickly.
Research different hosts to find out about their reputations for customer service. You might want to contact a few hosts to find out how well they deal with your requests before you buy their product because this will give you a good idea about how well they treat you.
These are a few of the most important issues to consider when you choose a host. Of course, another big factor will be the cost of the hosting package.
However, don’t base your decision on cost alone. Make sure you choose a trustworthy host that provides an excellent service even if this costs a bit more, otherwise it could cost you in the long-term.
Lily Miller is a business software consultant that specializes in business websites. She enjoys sharing her insights and research online.
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