Choosing the right web hosting provider is, at the very least, more crucial than ever. In the event that you choose the wrong provider, you will undoubtedly find yourself getting a hard time getting enough support during website downtime.
But when it comes to choosing a web hosting provider, what should you look for? Well, essentially, a great web hosting provider abbreviates to the three S’s. These S’s are security, speed, and support.
Selecting the right hosting provider for your business can be a puzzling and confounding process. Therefore, no one should ever take it lightly. There are several factors that you need to consider when selecting a web hosting provider. And in this post, we’ll walk you through all the things that you need to know when choosing a hosting service.
What is Web Hosting?
You have most probably heard of web hosting before. And for sure you will agree that it is quintessential. However, what exactly is web hosting? Without web hosting, your site cannot operate or cannot go up and running on the Internet. Web hosting service provider provides you with server space and tools that you need to get your website live, hosted, and accessible for your visitors.
Web hosting is essential and vital for any website. Do you want to know why? It is because web hosting is the physical location of your site on the confusing world of the Internet. It is online storage that keeps your website’s content, video, images, and other information.
A web hosting service provider is an institution that provides you with the tools you need to host your website. And there are quite many of them in the world. These website hosts supply you the servers that dish out your site to your visitors.
In a nutshell, web servers are data processing machines that dish out web pages. These servers act as a storage for data that links your website with your users. Furthermore, web hosting is, for the most part, gauged in the extent of disk space you are allocated on the web server and the amount of bandwidth you require for worming into the server.
Free (shared) vs Paid
Website existence is crucial to all types of businesses. And to build a website presence, you will undoubtedly need a website, and for it to go live on the Internet, you need a dependable web hosting service.
But how can you know if a hosting provider is truly reliable? Does paid web hosting means more reliable, better services? Well, that is not inevitably true. Most of the time paid web hosting, and free web hosting offers the same port speed, network bandwidth, and security.
However, the only dissimilarity of the two is the hosting features. These characteristics include more email accounts, more scripting support, data transfer, and more disk storage. For any regular website or for a business commencing a new website, data transfer and disk storage provided by a free hosting provider would not be enough.
It is good to stress that it takes some time for a site to grow and amass enough visitors to max out the data transfer limits or storage of a free hosting plan. But when the time comes when you’ve accumulated enough visitors, you can always switch from free to paid hosting.
All in all, unless your site needs particular features that are mostly offered by the paid web hosting packages, then free web hosting may be what you need. This is especially true if you want to save money without putting the performance in jeopardy.
Cloud Hosting vs Regular Hosting
The difference between a regular web hosting and cloud web hosting is how each service is organized. Let’s say regular web hosting such as shared hosting. This hosting plan has multiple servers with many websites on them.
Most web hosting companies create and establish these servers, and they integrate or include several sites on them. Meaning, if a shared server hosts your website, then it is vying or competing for the same resources as other websites do.
A lot of web hosting providers place a bunch of websites onto each shared server, which can strangulate your website’s performance and speed.
You need to select one of the fastest web hosting services in order to get the page load times for your site.
Also, it can introduce some restrictions in security. So, when a fraudster hacks into one of the sites, your website could be vulnerable or susceptible as well.
On the other hand, cloud web hosting is a hosting service that occurs on many servers. Rather than getting hosted on a shared server, your website gets hosted in the cloud. Meaning, the hosting provider can put your web hosting between web servers as it fine-tunes to other stresses such as performance spikes.
Also, cloud web hosting is more effective compared to shared hosting. And this can mean that cloud hosting can perform much better and be more protected compared to some regular hosting services. If you ask which one is better, well, the answer is that it depends on your business needs.
What Parameters or Features Matter in a Web Host
When choosing a web host provider, it is vital to know that there are some features that you need to look out for. Although there are features that are almost always there such as site stats and file management, some features are not always there as well.
These features are the one-click installer, FTP/SFTP Access, and .htaccess File Access. The goal of the one-click installer is to, for the most part, make your life much easier. On the other hand, FTP/STP Access is an essential feature for moving files safely. And lastly, .htaccess File Access is another feature that is powerful and can aid you in making any administrative changes. This feature is fundamentally important for your future endeavors.
How to choose the Hosting
How do you select the right web hosting for your business? Here’s how you can do that.
Know Your Tech Needs
Before anything else, you will need to determine what your business needs or your basic needs. Then make sure to assess your website’s potential growth. Keep in mind that most web hosting providers usually charge different costs depending on your website’s traffic. And lastly, understand the difference between the various web hosting plans.
For example, if you are a Kubernetes hosting user or developer, going with a traditional web hosting service can’t be the right fit for your needs. So, always figure out your project needs before purchasing from any web host and make sure it supports the required specifications.
Compare Service Features
To do this, find out which features or services are offered. Make sure that the web host you select has all the services you need for running your site — for example, email support, analytics, FTTP access, WordPress, and cPanel.
Moreover, check the storage space. Ensure that you have room to grow and expand. Also, compare bandwidth allotment between web hosts. Lastly, go and check the technical support of various web hosts.
Research a Web Host’s Reputation and Claims
Before you get a web hosting provider, be sure to test the speed of the websites that they have hosted because the time it takes for your site to load can break or make your business. Also, check the uptime claims of the web hosts, read reviews or feedbacks, and ensure that you understand the costs.
How to Choose the Domain
Selecting a domain is like deciding your business’s name. It needs tons of consideration and thought. Keep in mind that your domain is your identity on the Internet. As such, you should ensure that your domain is easy to find and fits your business.
Here are tips on how you can choose your domain name:
- Make it not complicated to type.
- Keep it short.
- Leverage keywords.
- Refrain from using hyphens and numbers.
- Make it memorable.
- Research it.
- Use the right domain name extension.
- Act fast.
How to Set Up Hosting on WordPress
We all know that WordPress is one of the most well-known publishing and blogging platforms available today. It is essential to know how you can set up hosting on WordPress so that you can enjoy the benefits or rewards it gives. Here’s how you can set up hosting on WordPress.
WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org
The dissimilarity between the two comes down to customization and flexibility. WordPress.org enables you to have more control when it comes to uploading content and blogging. On the other hand, WordPress.org offers more options and is more advanced.
However, it is not a content management system. Instead, it is a software that you install in your drive, connected with a website that’s hosted elsewhere on the Internet.
Find a Host and Register a Domain Name
Look for a dependable hosting service to register your domain name and host your WP website. Although there are many options to choose from, mainly, ensure that it meets WP’s requirements.
Download and Install
Download and install WordPress on your web host. The steps can get complicated, so, be sure to know what will be doing beforehand, here are some detailed instruction to help you out.
Takeaway
Of course, there’s never one solution that meets all web hosting needs. Different sites all have different demands. So, the web host you choose depends on what your website needs. When you’re choosing and comparing a hosting provider, keep in mind that you need to select the web host that suits your needs. Also, it is not about getting the best web host. It is about getting the right one. Visit different hosting websites such as Host Namaste to streamline your options.
