Your website is very important for your business. It presents your company online and the people’s first impression is highly influenced by what they see here. In this case, a professional look is crucial and your host has to keep up with all the requirements imposed by online marketing rules.
Your provider has to make sure that the website is available 24/7 and that customers see what your business has to offer. Considering this, is not easy to choose a good web hosting company, especially when there are so many options. The offer is so diverse that it can be confusing.
You can make the right choice if you know what to look for
A hosting provider should be chosen based on important criteria – can the company prioritize your business? How can they return value? The answer to these questions should be the following factors: affordability, security, non-stop accessibility, good customer and technical support and speed.
When you start analysing these elements, you figure out that it’s up to you to find a good web host. Before you decide, do your homework and look for more information on each of the hosting providers you consider suitable. Here are a few tips to help you in this quest:
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Your business needs a reliable host provider
Like we mentioned before, your website has to be accessible anytime, anywhere. A reliable host will be very careful with uptime record. You can ask to see their records if you want a full picture. You can choose a host provider which has a 99.9% uptime percentage.
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Consider affordability and compare it with added value
Like in every other case, price is an important element in choosing a host provider. You can consider that the price is affordable when it’s not too high and not very low. Also, compare the price with the offer and uptime charts. Don’t rush into making a choice until you check several offers.
Be careful with free web hosts, because they can give you low-quality services. The same can happen when you choose hosts which charge less than $1. If you want an estimate, basic plans should cost somewhere between $2-9.
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Control Panel should be easy to use
Every person who has a website should be able to handle simple operations like installing WordPress, setting up emails and others. It becomes easier when your provider uses Plesk or cPanel. In this case, you could modify and update your content fast and without unwanted complications.
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Make sure that your host has strong Customer Supports services
Not everyone is an expert in handling a website. Problems or technical issues might appear anytime, so you should have the possibility to receive support anytime. Make sure that customer service is accessible on every channel – chat, email or phone, because you have to have several options in case your system collapses. It is recommendable to avoid companies which externalize their customer service.
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Check the provider’s hardware and infrastructure before making a choice
Start a thorough research and see if the hosting provider’s infrastructure can cope with your website’s specifications. It’s in your best interest if your provider uses new gear and hardware. You can ask them; they should be transparent and give an honest answer.
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Don’t forget about email features
Emails are crucial for communication between parties. Your host should give you security solutions for preventing issues like spam threats. Also, you should have the freedom to administrate the website’s email address.
Last, but not least, you should choose a web host provider which is flexible and open to improvements. Communication and trust are the key to a successful collaboration.
