Choosing a web hosting provider can be a daunting task that can lead to problems if carried out too hastily. If you’re new to this area, you might not know how far things have come in the last decade. In addition, you may not be aware of the kind of bang you can now get for your buck.
The key to choosing a web hosting provider is knowing that you’ll be able to scale your online operations as soon as you need to. You can’t be sure how quickly your business could grow in the future, so you must have flexibility when it comes to scaling your technology. However, getting the right services and features from the get go is just as important for a growing business too.
To help you make the right choice in selecting the best web hosting provider for your needs, we’ve created a useful guide for your convenience. Read on to learn more or head over to our Leadership page to find more of our recent articles there.
Establish the amount of support your company will require
There’s no shame in needing technical support when it comes to web hosting. But, it would be a real shame if recklessly going it alone ended up costing you customers or profits.
Normally, a web hosting provider will have basic customer service options, such as email, ticket queries, and phone support. However, there are some providers out there that will offer you 24-hour support.
It’s important to note that your web hosting provider won’t be able to act as a systems manager. Unless, they offer a managed service in some capacity. With this service, your provider will ensure your system is properly configured for your needs, take care of your security, keep everything up to date, take care of routine backups as well as other managerial duties.
Think about how much internet traffic you’ll be dealing with
More often than not, determining the right amount of internet traffic you’ll be dealing with will be a deciding factor in pricing when choosing a web hosting provider. Why? Well, providers typically charge their customers on storage capacity and data bandwidth usage.
So, it’s vital that you don’t be overly conservative or hopeful when working out this figure. Think about how big your audience and customer base is now and where you see it in the future. But, the future isn’t set in stone. You should select a provider that will allow you to scale your bandwidth and storage limits when you need to.
Work out which kind of server you’ll need
If you’re on a tight budget you’ll want to consider opting for a shared server. But, there are compromises you’ll need to accept for this option. For starters, your website’s performance is going to depend on certain factors. This may include the amount of load that the other websites sharing your server require at any given moment. Additionally, you’ll face issues in regards to server access and may be restricted on the kinds of programs you can run and database access in general.
You could also opt for a VPS (virtual private server), which works as a virtual machine. While a VPS will normally run more than one server, the performance is accepted as being superior to that of a standard shared server. However, you’ll need at least a basic understanding of server maintenance and management to get the most out of it.
If you’re not into sharing, a dedicated server that would give you total control may be the way to go. But, it’s important to note that you would need to be skilled in system management and maintenance if you’d like things to run smoothly.
Lastly, there’s the option of renting a cloud server. Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure are two notable options to check out. Essentially, cloud servers give you a huge amount of freedom in terms of custom configurations and scale to your needs. This is no matter the growth you experience.
Don’t skimp on your security obligations
Security is obviously a hugely serious issue that you need to take into account for your website. If you’re going to be processing payments or storing sensitive customer information, you’ll have to ensure your web hosting provider follows all their legal obligations as well as industry standards.
Do you think you’re good to go when it comes to finding the best web hosting providers on the market? If you still need help in choosing a web host that you can count on, simply contact a member of our team now.
