Finding a suitable hosting provider for your new website can often be a daunting task. There is so much ground to cover before your choices come down to just a few. So, what are the facts that you need to look at for your future hosting provider?
Loading speed is the key
Waiting is one thing that people are getting more annoyed with every day. Consumers want everything – yesterday. It’s the same for a website. Loading speed is one of the key factors that mustn’t fail. Every time a visitor is waiting more than a few seconds for a website to load, there is a high probability he or she will leave before the loading completes. It’s similar to Google crawler – slow websites get penalties that affect their rankings, and vice versa. Your hosting provider should provide good speed on a server that is not burdened by a lot of traffic.
Hosting should grow with you
If you own a brick and mortar shop, you should provide enough space for all your customers to see the products that you offer. It’s the same thing with your website. Everyone should feel comfortable, and performance should not be impacted by a high visitor count. Once you outgrow your present capacity, there should be an option to grow, so be open for plans with decent upgrade possibilities.
There are never enough nines
Whenever a hosting provider offers a plan, there is an availability figure, often something like 99,99%. More nines behind a 99 comma mean more guaranteed uptime and less downtime. Think of downtime like a “Closed” sign on your front door in the middle of the day. The Internet knows no time, and so shouldn’t your website. Make sure that stays open 24/7/365 and look for more nines in the availability section of your future hosting plan than you can count.
Data highway
Depending on your visitor count, your provider should provide a substantial amount of bandwidth for your visitors. This way you make sure no one is waiting. Ensure some headroom for the peak visits, and that you can buy additional bandwidth in case you need it someday.
Closer = faster
Distance from your visitor and server that hosts your website is an important aspect. The closer the servers are, the faster the response will be, and the other way around. Look for hosting providers with strategically distributed servers that can better suit your needs
Safe and backed up
Security is an issue not to be taken lightly. Like every other fact, it makes sure the communication between the server and the client is safe. Usually, SSL covers encrypted communication, and additional security features cover malware protection and other unwanted attacks. With a lot of features that cover advanced security, Hostinger is a hosting provider with SSL and BitNinja as standard protection in all of their plans. Regular backup can be very helpful in situations like this. In the worst-case scenario, with regular automatic backup, you should have your data safely stored on a remote location, and ready to bring your website back in no time.
Trust your support
When you have a problem, you want it resolved as soon as possible. If your website is down, you want to know why that happened and how can you bring it back. The difference between good and bad support measures in time and that is the most expensive value these days. That is why good support is important, and you should not cut corners on this one.
Feature-rich
Your new hosting provider should always be up to date with new tech. Whether we are talking about regular updates or intuitive and fast control panel, your hosting plan should have a lot to offer. Look for free sub-domains, script language support, CMS optimization, SQL databases, free domain registration, business e-mail accounts, install wizards, hotlink protection and a lot more. The more advanced options you have – the better.
Get what you paid for
You shouldn’t be drawn to low prices, rather see what you get for the money you pay. Better service often costs much but can have a significant impact on your business. Also, beware of low starting prices, because they tend to come with high-cost additional options that are usually free with other hosting providers.
Your website is your business. You want it to be efficient, and to grow. Look for a hosting provider that can give you everything you need and more. Always spend some time researching and going through different plans. It is always better to invest some time in the beginning, then to do it all over again later.
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