Choosing the right hosting solution provider is crucial for any business. The wrong choice can cost you thousands of dollars and even put your business at risk.
A web host provides space on its servers where websites can be stored. They also offer email, databases, and other tools needed to run a website. There are many web hosts, each offering different features and prices.
Selecting the right web hosting solution for your online business is a daunting task.
How can you decide which one is right for you with all the claims and offers presented to you by different hosting companies?
You can consider this article as a follow-up to my last article because, over the years, I’ve realised that one area some business owners don’t pay enough attention to in their online presence is their web hosting solution.
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Choosing the right hosting company is paramount to having a robust online presence. Click To TweetWith a paid web hosting solution, the following are some things you have to give serious consideration:
Types of Hosting Solution
There are three main categories of web hosts: shared, dedicated, and managed. Each has its pros and cons. For example, shared hosting offers lower costs, but it’s less secure because anyone can access your files. Dedicated hosting gives you complete control over your server, but it’ll cost you more. Managed hosting combines the benefits of both shared and dedicated hosting.
The first thing you need to do is decide what kind of solution you need.
Do you want a free hosting solution or a commercial hosting solution?
A free hosting solution will be ideal if you want to host a website for projects with no significant long-term goals, etc.
If this is the hosting solution you’re looking for, I’m afraid this article is not for you… please move on! Close this browser window now!!
But if you are serious about your online presence and thinking of hosting a website for your business, a paid hosting solution is your best bet. With a paid hosting solution, you get more options.
You can choose from Shared Web Hosting, Google Cloud/Cloud-Based Web Hosting, Virtual Private Server (VPS), Dedicated Web Server, Colocation Web Hosting, Self Service Web Hosting and Managed WordPress Hosting.
Ideally, your best bet is to go for a robust hosting plan such as dedicated hosting on a virtual server with unmetered bandwidth, email hosting and fast load time on a reputable hosting platform. A dedicated server is like your personal private server that comes with all the bells and whistles on Google cloud or any other cloud hosting services such as unlimited bandwidth, 30 days moneyback guarantee, uptime guarantee, control panel, daily backup, and server resource.
The cost of these varies from one provider to another, from a simple/basic plan to other hosting options. You also have various companies to select from, such as SiteGround, Liquid Web, A2 Hosting, WP Engine, etc. Although pricing is essential, please don’t be a cheapskate and make cost your only determining factor in choosing a hosting option. There are other things to consider.
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Stability and Reliability
Study any contracts carefully. Do they have a robust network or data center? What type of applications or features do they support? What kind of monitoring feature do they provide? Will they give you access to data on your site traffic, etc.? How prompt are they at resolving issues? Be sure that the company you intend to host your site or blog can offer you a reliable solution with at least a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee, no-questions-asked.
Visit their website to view to learn more about them. Look for a list of the clients or client testimonials.
Are their clients credible people or businesses? Check out the websites of these clients. Are they online or down? All these would help you form a better opinion of the company.
If they have an online chat facility on their site, try to engage their chat operator in a discussion to see if they are courteous, friendly and knowledgeable.
Pick up the phone and call their support lines (at night) to see if anyone answers and if they are courteous and friendly.
You never can tell when you might need tech support in the middle of the night!
Search Google to find out more about the company and if anyone has written anything positive or negative about their service.
Visit hosting web forums and ask about your desired company to see if anyone has had any unpleasant experience with them.
Find out if they are a new company or have been in business for many years. It’s often better to go with a company that’s tried and tested.
Being a new company does not mean that no new companies offer great hosting solutions.
Storage Space
How much storage space do you need? Well, if you’ve already designed your website, you know the total size of storage space you would need.
It’s always a good idea to add 50% or more extra storage space to the total size of your website files to accommodate the expected growth of your website.
Do not be lured by hosting solution providers who claim to offer unlimited storage space or unlimited domains for your online store and email account at low prices. It is a marketing gimmick to attract novice clients.
The average client does not need more than a few gigabytes of space at most on a physical server, single server, cloud server or cloud hosting plan!
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Bandwidth
In trying to calculate the amount of bandwidth for a website, it’s advisable to multiply the total size of your site by 10 to arrive at the amount or level of bandwidth suitable for your site.
Here again, some companies may claim to offer you unlimited bandwidth or a monthly rate on a single server/physical server. So be wise.
Flexibility And Ease of Use
It’s best to go for a company that offers you complete control, flexibility and ease to your hosting account.
Your hosting provider should make all the hardware and software available to enable you to register your domain, upload, track, and support your website with relative ease. They should also provide facilities to monitor your site speed, load time and other vital metrics.
Your hosting provider must also have a qualified customer support team and tech support team to help you when something goes wrong. You should be able to reach them via chat, telephone or at least an email address.
Things can and often go wrong! This is why you need at least a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee, so you need to make sure you have a hosting provider that’s there for you always.
Closing Thoughts
Choosing the right hosting company is paramount to having a robust online presence. As mentioned before, avoid going for the lowest price or gimmicks like an anytime money-back guarantee or unlimited bandwidth/unmetered bandwidth. Go for a provider that offers speed/fast loading time at no extra cost. Some providers may even provide their custom control panel, which is also okay. As a potential customer, before you select a cloud hosting provider or any other provider, make sure you check hosting review websites to see what others are saying about their services. Please pay attention to reviews about their 30 or 90 day moneyback Guarantee.
At Mauco Enterprises, we can help you find professional, reliable and affordable web hosting solutions to help you grow your business.
Contact us if you need help to find the right solution for your needs. We will be glad to help.
We no longer offer Hosting Solutions, but we can help you find the right solution.
