The web hosting service is the foundation of your online presence so you want to make sure you choose a reliable, well-established company that will be there for years to come. Selecting the right one has become more difficult than ever with the rise of new companies in recent years, making it harder to separate the good from the bad. Here are some questions you should ask yourself before selecting a web host:
1) How Much Traffic Do I Expect My Website to Receive?
Your answer will determine if you need to be shared (cheaper rates but no root access), VPS (more expensive with root access) or dedicated (most expensive but full control) hosting. If your site is expected to get high volumes of traffic, opt for dedicated. It’s important to remember that your web host is only part of the puzzle – you’ll also need to select a domain name.
2) What Type of Website Do I Have?
If you’re running a small business, blog, or portfolio website, shared hosting will likely be the best option. However, if you need root access (to install custom software or make changes to your server), then VPS hosting would be a better fit. For larger websites with high-volume traffic, dedicated hosting is the way to go.
3) How Important are Features Like Unlimited Storage and Bandwidth?
If you don’t expect to use much storage space or bandwidth, then those features may not be important to you. However, if your website is image or video-heavy, then unlimited storage and bandwidth may be a necessity.
4) What Kind of Customer Support Do I Need?
Some hosts offer 24/7 phone and chat support, while others only offer email support. If you’re not confident in your ability to solve technical problems yourself, then you’ll want a host that offers good customer support.
5) How Much am I Willing to Spend?
Shared hosting is the cheapest option, while dedicated hosting is the most expensive. VPS hosting falls somewhere in between. It’s important to remember that you get what you pay for – so if you’re on a tight budget, shared hosting is probably the best option. However, if you’re looking for the best possible performance and features, then you’ll need to invest in a more expensive option.
By asking yourself these questions, you’ll be able to narrow down your choices and find the perfect host for your website.
Now that you have some basic questions to ask, it’s time to start looking at specific hosts. In this section, we’ll take a look at some of the most popular hosts and what they have to offer.
1) Bluehost:
Bluehost is one of the most popular web hosts in the world and offers a wide range of hosting options, including shared, VPS and dedicated hosting. They also offer a free domain name when you sign for a year-long plan, as well as 24/7 customer support.
2) HostGator:
HostGator is another well-known web host and offers shared, VPS, WordPress, and dedicated hosting plans. They also offer a free domain name and unlimited storage and bandwidth.
3) WP Engine:
WP Engine is a popular WordPress host that offers hosted WordPress websites only. This means that you don’t have to worry about setting up or managing your own server – WP Engine takes care of that for you. They offer a variety of plans, including a free trial, and offer 24/7 customer support.
4) GoDaddy:
GoDaddy is the largest domain name registrar in the world and also offers web hosting, VPS hosting and Dedicated hosting plans. They offer a free domain name with the purchase of a hosting plan, as well as 24/7 customer support.
5) InMotion Hosting:
InMotion Hosting is a popular web host that offers shared, VPS and dedicated hosting plans. They also offer a free domain name and unlimited storage and bandwidth. In addition, they offer 24/7 customer support via phone, chat and email.
As you can see, there are a variety of hosts to choose from, each with their own unique set of features.
The best way to decide is to try them out for yourself. Most hosts offer a free trial, so you can sign up for the service and test it out before committing to anything. This way, you’ll be able to find the perfect web host for your needs.
With that being said, if you’re having trouble deciding, here are some factors that I recommend considering:
1) Performance
If speed is one of your main concerns, then you’ll want to look for hosts with fast servers. Shared hosting plans tend to have slower loading speeds than VPS or dedicated hosting plans – however, price may also play a factor in this decision. For faster performance at lower prices, consider choosing a host that offers both shared and VPS hosting options (like HostGator). As mentioned earlier in this article, WP Engine is a good option if you’re looking for the best possible performance.
2) Features
All hosts offer different features, so it’s important to consider what’s important to you. If you need unlimited storage and bandwidth, then be sure to look for a host that offers that. If you need 24/7 customer support, then be sure to choose a host with that feature. By considering your needs, you’ll be able to find a host that has the features you’re looking for.
3) Price
Price is always an important factor when choosing a web host. As I mentioned earlier, shared hosting is the cheapest option, while dedicated hosting is the most expensive. VPS hosting falls somewhere in the middle. It’s important to consider what you need in a host and then find one that offers the best price for your needs.
4) Ease of Use
If you’re not familiar with web hosting and don’t want to spend time learning how to set up a website, then you’ll want to choose a host that is easy to use. Hosts like Bluehost and InMotion Hosting offer simple 1-click installers for popular content management systems (CMS), like WordPress, which make setting up a website easier than ever.
5) Customer Support
When it comes to web hosting, things can go wrong – and when they do, you’ll want to have access to customer support. All of the hosts I mentioned above offer 24/7 customer support via phone, chat and email – so even if you have a problem at 3am on a Sunday morning, you can expect to receive help.
Well there it is! These are the 5 most important factors to consider when choosing a web host for your website.