Finding a top web hosting service is no easy feat with many out there providing such services. Nevertheless, a top web hosting service should feature the 3 S’s, and that is Security, Speed and Support. Additionally, you can consider scalability because as the audience expands, the web host should be resilient enough to take care of such a sudden surge of high web traffic.
Web hosting services have price ranges depending on the service provided and web host provider. It can range from small amounts of dollars per month to huge amounts in the thousands. As a small business owner, you will probably be better off choosing a web host in the range of $9 to $150 a month depending on your requirements. Experts in the field have offered various suggestions on how to find reliable web hosting services, and we will be discussing some of those suggestions.
Take a decision on the level of hand-holding needed
The fundamental customer service offers basics like phone support and email. Nonetheless, the request turnaround time will differ. Even thou some web host service vendors will provide all-day phone support. However, the restrictive factor to this kind of non-managed set-up is that although the provider might provide answers to fundamental configuration questions. Nevertheless, it is still not your systems manager.
To delegate your site management totally, you might need to contemplate the use of a managed hosting service. Vendors of managed services will ensure your system is appropriately configured to meet your load requirements, provide software when the need arises, monitor issues regarding security, as well as managing backups, etc.
Carry out Honest Traffic Estimation
The way web host vendors charge for their services depends on the bandwidth and storage usage. A Bandwidth is the measurement of the number of bytes you serve across a specific time. For example, if your website is only expecting a small number of visitors then you will be using low bandwidth. However, if all of a sudden the website gets a boom in visitors then the bandwidth usage will also rise.
An honest evaluation of the amount of traffic your website will be generating reduces the risk of you conflicting with your provider limits.
Unlimited Offers may not be Unlimited after all
Often you come across web hosting services flashing the unlimited plan in your face for little money. Most times the deal is a ruse and it is not what it appears to be. If you key into this kind of vendor plan, there is a high tendency that there is a service term. That can enable the hosting vendor to shut you out after a specific level of usage or throttle you.
Know the Server types
A web host offering cheaper options is most likely based on shared servers in which one box could be running several websites. The rate at which your website will perform will be based on the amount of load the remaining sites are putting on the server. Running on a shared host will restrict your access to server’s capacities as well, mostly restricting you to files upload through SFTP or FTP. Thereby Inhibiting shell access, restricting the level of database access afforded to your website, and limiting the number of programs, you can operate on the service.
Another type of server is the Virtual Private Server (VPS for short). It is a virtual machine running a simulated environment on a box. Generally, web host vendors operate several VPS environments on a single box. However, the performance fares better than the above-mentioned shared web hosting service. To utilize VPS, you have to be acquainted with fundamental server management and maintenance.
In case you do not desire a shared host with other websites, then it is advisable to go for a physical box housing a dedicated server that you can rent from a web host provider. However, it is housed in a web host vendor data center, and just skilled individuals that have system management skills should apply for it.
On the other hand, another alternative server type is the cloud servers mostly operated on huge public clouds such as Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services (AWS). The vendors can create any configuration that is tailored to their customers’ requirements. The advantage you get with cloud servers is the seamless scalability. In case you want to take care of huge traffic flow, all you need to do is just to increase your payment, you don’t need to rebuild or move anything.
Select a Content Management System that is Portable
Although lots of web hosts are quite good, however, things can change so can managements. Technological and acquisitions change can affect your hosting plans. That is why you have to ensure your site content management system is portable and not locked to a single host. As well as having a backup on standby.
Get a Domain Name
It is advisable for every business to have its own domain name unique to its business especially startups. Ensuring you have a domain of your own will help you own and retain all SEO work on your domain even if you change the web host vendor.
After going through all these suggestions, you should have a better idea of what to look for in web host providers to ensure they are reliable and dependable.
