Most people don’t put a lot of thought into their choice of web host. In fact, we’d be interested to hear from website owners on this one. Why exactly did you choose the web host that currently supports your site? We’re willing to bet than 80% made their decision based on price. We instinctively choose the lowest price for our web hosts. After all, $3 a month vs $30 a month, is there really that much difference between web hosts? Well, yes, there is!
If you’re feeling a little lost already, your web host is the foundation of your website. It’s the plot of land, or server, that your site stands on. As such it needs to be strong, fast, secure and reliable. The more you pay, the better service you get. So, what else should you look for in a good web host?
Data center full of dedicated hosting servers: source
- Support – Your website often represents your livelihood. Perhaps you’re running an online store, or hosting a blog that brings in money. If you rely on your website for income, you need to know that there’s a powerful support team behind the scenes. You need to trust them. If your website is down, you need to call them and have it back online immediately. Start looking at reviews and interviews with web users. Find out who has the best customer support and help service.
- Uptime – A website lives or dies by its uptime. If your site goes down, even for a short period of time, you could lose lots of potential sales. That is why your minimum target should be an ‘uptime of 99%’, which is often offered by the best web hosts like WPX Hosting–you can check out their reviews by looking up website fueled by WPX on the Web.
- Shared, VPS, or dedicated servers – As we mentioned previously, your web host is the plot of land your website sits on. Now, there are a few different plots of land you can buy. The first is a shared server. That means you’ll build your site on the same plot of land as hundreds of other websites. You’ll use the same resources and share the weight of web traffic. A VPS server is private corner within a shared server, fenced off just for you. As such, it’s a little more reliable. Lastly, you can opt for a dedicated server, which is an entire plot of land all to yourself. You’ll have to search hard for cheap dedicated servers, but it’s the best choice for a big business.
- Backup and security – The last thing you want is hackers breaking into your site. If your site is destroyed or corrupted, it could threaten your entire business. You could even lose vital data. With that in mind, you need a web host with excellent security credentials. Following that, you need a host with a great backup plan. If the worst happens, and your website is lost, there must be a quick and easy way to regain the backups.
There you have it, folks! Don’t rush into your web host decision. It matters more than you think. You’re looking for speed, strength, and security. Don’t compromise.
