Web hosting is a service that allows organizations and individuals to post a website or web page on to the Internet. A web host, or web hosting service provider, is a business that provides the technologies and services needed for the website or webpage to be viewed in the Internet. Websites are hosted, or stored, on special computers called servers. Establishment of a business is vital for a perfect growth, while foundation of an online business depends on the hosting services. Since, an online presence has become a must for all types of businesses, thus the choice of the best web hosting company is also crucial. Among many web hosting companies present today, 8 Important Factors You Should Consider When Choosing A Web Hosting:
- Purpose
Whether you’re choosing hosting for an existing website, or looking to start from scratch, what you intend to use the site for will influence your hosting choice. For example, do you plan to make money from your website, or is it something you’re setting up for fun? If the website is personal, free hosting will usually serve your needs.
- Space & Scalability
The basic service that a web hosting company provides is a space on the web for hosting different websites. The availability of the amount of space and bandwidth according to a hosting plan is a vital point to be considered
- Speed
After hosting a website, the prime feature that binds a user to the website is the speed at which its web pages load. A website should load within seconds or the visitor will move away from the website. So, before buying a plan, ensure that the hosting company uses a high-speed connection to allow your website to show up faster.
- Security
Faster loading is an essential feature, but it is useless if your website isn’t secure. A fast website might attract a lot of visitors, but the lack of security features will force most of them to leave the site. So, the host must have plans that offer high security for the personal, financial and private data
- Usability
As well as features like bandwidth and storage, you should look at the usability of the service. This will affect you if you are new to hosting and don’t have much coding or technical knowledge, or if you’d like more freedom to customize your website and hosting options. The first usability feature to look for is whether the hosting provider has cPanel, Plesk, ispCP or ISPConfig.
Additional services might add extra to your monthly bill, but they’re worth it – especially if you are hosting a website for business purposes. Additional services your hosting company should offer include email services, for example the ability to create an email address that is yourname@yourdomianname, which will make your business look more professional. If you plan to run any kind of e-commerce site, you should also check whether the hosting company offers a secure server using https:// so that customers can carry out transactions on your website. Although these services might cost more in the short-term, leaving customers’ details unsecured could damage your reputation and income over time.The other important service to look for in a hosting company is whether they provide website statistics.
Web hosting packages differ wildly in price, ranging from a few to thousands of dollars per month.If you’re just setting up your website or business, it might be tempting to choose the cheapest package to reduce the number of start-up costs you have. A proficient web hosting company provides almost all the features listed above. You are likely to find more than one company offering such services, from which you can make a better choice by considering the cost of the services provided by them
- Reputation
The last factor to consider, and potentially one of the most important, is the hosting company’s reputation. Websites should have testimonials or statistics that can demonstrate customer satisfaction, and it’s also helpful to look at hosting forums to see what people are saying.