Looking To Host A Website? Read These Tips First!
No doubt, you have heard about website hosting, but you may have questions about it. In its most basic form, web page hosting refers to the concept of providing server space for sites to reside on. Could web hosting benefit you?
Different hosts may have different features and add-ons like website builders or one-click installs of third-party content managers. As you compare your options, you should also take into consideration the expected service levels and support for each of the most important features. As an example, a host may only offer a price cut if you choose to go with their cheaper package that doesn’t include what you need.
When using online reviews or customer recommendations, try to find several positive comments. Relying on just two means, there is more room for error within your decision given that those two people may be a different experience level or be directly affiliated with the business that offers the hosting services.
Shared or dedicated hosting, which one fits your needs? Shared servers are not ideal for websites that enjoy high traffic levels, design-driven layouts and sensitive customer and payment information. It is probably a good idea to look for a dedicated host.
Find out each potential web host’s uptime–the percentage of time the server is up and working correctly–and avoid web hosts that have a lot of outages. A lot of companies make up excuses for outages, but this is a sign that are not planning ahead of time. Regardless of how little they charge, you should never sign on with a host that experiences frequent outages.
Choose a web hosting service that will accommodate your site’s eventual growth. A single page composed of HTML may not take up too much space, but images and videos quickly gobble up space. You need about 100 MB to adequately develop your site.
Find out if your host backs up your data for you or if you’re required to do it yourself. This is absolutely necessary to ensure your data is safe besides complying to what your server’s requirements. Your site will be fully protected if you take the time to back it up locally.
Expensive Host
To increase your overall profit margins, research the prices of the hosting companies gunning for your business. You can be asked to pay as little as $1 per month to hundreds or thousands for your own dedicated server, but the least expensive ones can often prove the most reliable. Even though an expensive host might offer more bandwidth, there are no guarantees you will have less downtime than a less expensive host.
When selecting a web host, look for a company that offers you detailed site statistics and traffic information to your website. Add your own site counter to track the number of visitors your site gets, then compare that to your web host’s stats to check for accuracy. If you have an online business, use this information to adjust your methods to your audience.
As you have learned, web hosting is a service which allows anyone to create a website and have it readable online. Reading the above article should have illuminated some of the nuances involved in choosing a web host. As a consumer, your purchasing power should be harnessed with knowledge and expertise, so continue to educate yourself!