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How to Choose a Web Host

Posted by admin in Blog
15
May
2015
How to Choose a Web Host

If you're a small business, large enterprise, creative professional or freelance blogger, you likely realize the importance of establishing a website to grow your audience and build your brand. Websites have largely surpassed traditional brick-and-mortar storefronts as the most effective tool to attract viewers or customers, and are therefore critical to the success of any business today.

While there are many factors that contribute to the success of a website (success being measured in traffic or conversions), perhaps the most influential factor in a site's success is its web host. Web hosting refers to the platform that runs a website: the server that powers a website, the network on which it operates, the control panel that manages individual site features, and so on. Without hosting, websites couldn't operate. And though an individual website owner could purchase his or her own server, connect to a stable network, and manage their site in full, for most, this is too costly and time consuming an endeavor.

That's why so many have turned to web hosting providers.

The Importance of Choosing the Right Web Host

While hosting is an integral part of running a website, choosing a web host isn't simple, as there are varying levels of web hosting and thousands of hosting providers that offer packages for each level. Choosing the right web hosting provider for your website is essential, as web hosting affects the performance of your site's:

  • Uptime
  • Load time
  • Resources
  • Security features

And those are just some of the more essential site features hosting can affect.

Given the growing demand for web hosting, some hosting providers are taking advantage of customers and failing to deliver on their promises of quality hosting. This makes finding a quality provider all the more difficult for customers, who already are faced with thousands of potential companies from which to choose. However, though choosing a web host may seem a daunting task, customers can increase their chances of finding the right web host by considering the following steps.

Step 1: Determine your Needs

To effectively choose the right hosting provider, you'll first need to determine your site's specific needs. Will you be in need of shared hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated hosting or cloud hosting, or are you interested in hosting that specifically accommodates the content management system your site relies on?

Shared Hosting: Shared hosting is the most basic level of hosting, and at this level, multiple customers share the same server. Websites all operate on this server, and in turn, they share resources. While shared hosting increases the possibility that high traffic from one website on the server could slow the performance of another site (though this is rare), shared hosting offers inexpensive monthly costs and is perfect for those new to web hosting, as it offers easy-to-use control panels and a high level of host provider involvement.

VPS Hosting: VPS hosting stands for virtual private server hosting, and is a step up from shared hosting, but not quite as powerful as dedicated hosting. VPS hosting is a great intermediate hosting option for those seeking more resources, but who aren't ready for the power and price of dedicated hosting. A virtual private server creates multiple virtual copies of operating systems that process data independently of each other. VPS hosting therefore allows individual web masters the opportunity to make changes and install software at will without affecting other customers on the server.

Dedicated Hosting: Customers of dedicated hosting will have exclusive use of their own server. This affords sites optimal resources, privacy, and full use of core processing units and hard drives. Dedicated hosting is by far the most desirable level of hosting for large businesses, particularly when these businesses have a great need for customization, as owners have complete control over their servers.

Cloud Hosting: Cloud hosting has emerged as a more cost-effective and economic alternative to dedicated hosting, as it leverages a network of virtual servers to afford users greater fault tolerance, scalability, and quick and easy deployment.

CMS Hosting: If your website will depend on a content management system like WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Moodle or Magento, or will operate as an ecommerce site, it may be a good idea to seek out hosting companies that offer specific hosting packages for these content management systems, as this ensures that hosting will be tailored to the exact needs and features of your site.

As you consider each of these levels of hosting (which also include reseller hosting and CDN hosting), take time to anticipate how your website's needs might evolve in the coming year. For example, if you're launching a new small business website on a shared hosting platform and are unsure of how much traffic it will garner over the next 6 months, it may be a good idea to ask a hosting provider about opportunities for upgrading resources, or alternatively, opt for something like VPS hosting.

Step 2: Set a Budget

Once you've determine which level of hosting makes the most sense for your website, you'll want to set a budget. While cost may not be of utmost importance for every site owner, it can serve as a valuable tool for filtering out hosting companies. Almost all hosting packages will require payment be made on a monthly basis, and some may ask that customers commit to a 12 month or 24 month fixed-rate contract.

To get a sense of average monthly costs for varying hosting levels, check out our comparison charts on the PickupHost site, which can be filtered by lowest cost. Remember that low cost isn't everything; instead, set a price range so as not to rule out companies that offer higher quality services.

Bonus Tip: Decide whether or not you'll consider hosting companies that charge when services exceed terms of your hosting package. Additionally, consider questions like: Does the provider charge for additional domains? Will I be charged if I cancel beyond a certain time frame?

Step 3: Review Key Features

Equally important to a monthly budget will be the key features offered by a hosting package. These features will vary depending on your site, but you'll definitely want to pay attention to a package's basic resource allotments, which include:

  • RAM
  • Bandwidth
  • Disc Space

Though some companies will claim that these features are unlimited, be sure to read the fine print. Unlimited isn't always unlimited, though providers often advertise their resources in this manner on the assumption that most sites won't come close to surpassing them.

 

In addition to these basic resources, which you can view on our comparison charts and hosting details pages, you'll also want to review:

    • MySQL databases (a computer language used to house a site's data)
    • Server side scripts (which make responses to each user's request to a website)
    • Control panels like cPanel or WHM (what you'll use to manage your site)
    • Supported OS platforms (such as Linux or Windows)
    • Central Processing Units (How many? Of what model?)
    • Number of free domains and subdomains
    • Hosting on solid state drives (SSDs)
    • Daily site backups (to ensure site content is never lost)
    • Free one-click installations for image libraries, design tools and more
    • SEO Analytics and ecommerce tools
    • Opportunity for secure webmail services

Choosing web hosting features

Step 4: Consider Uptime

Uptime refers to the average time websites on a provider's server remain up and running, and operation is not disrupted in any manner. Though many providers are able to provide uptime averages that seem impressive (such as a 98% uptime guarantee), others still guarantee 99.99% uptimes. Keep an eye out for these companies. Investigating data center location and its security features is another important strategy for predicting any disruptions with uptime; data centers should be Tier 1 centers that rely on redundant networks, have backup generators for uninterrupted service in the case of a natural disaster, implement plans for fire protection, and more.

Step 5: Assess Technical Support

Customer service is a critical consideration when choosing the best web hosting provider. For hosting plans that aren't fully managed, a provider's customer service liaison will likely be your only route to finding a solution for whatever hiccup your site is experiencing, and when money and traffic is on the line, you don't want to have to wait for an email response. Customer service should not only be available for live communication 24/7, it should also be staffed by truly knowledgeable individuals that understand the complexities of web hosting. Many providers will make clear their reliance on in-house, rather than outsourced, customer support staff.

Bonus Tip: One of the best ways to judge customer service before making a purchase? Give a provider's customer service line a call yourself.

Step 6: Test Speed

Consistently competitive load times and fast site performance are critical to a website's ability to maintain a low bounce rate. The majority of internet users today won't wait around for content that takes more than 3 seconds to load, which means that if your hosting provider isn't "up to speed," your traffic and profit will undoubtedly suffer. While every company will claim to be fast, users can actually test a provider's speed in real time by using the PickupHost speed test tool, which displays average load times and displays how this time compares to others.

To ensure your site is truly fast, look for companies that also provide content delivery networks to expedite site performance for users in more distant geographic locations. Selecting companies with data centers that are physically close to your main base of traffic can also be advantageous to your business; if you're a small business based in Colorado, it's smarter to choose a company with a data center in Denver than opting for a company based on the East Coast.

Authentic reviews for choosing the best web host

Step 7: Read Authentic Customer Reviews

Customer reviews are a valuable, yet sometimes overlooked, part of the web host decision-making process. As mentioned, there are truly thousands of hosting providers on the market, and to the novice webmaster, nearly all will seem to offer a package that could in some way work for them. To discern top-tier providers from those at the bottom, you'll need to do more than simply rely on a provider's own information. Customer reviews that are objective and authentic, such as those we feature on PickupHost, can help illuminate the true quality of a web hosting provider. Real customers, not those paid to make false claims by hosting providers themselves, will make known whether or not a company really does conduct daily site backups, whether its customer service can be reached at any time of day, or if scaling resources is made easy.

Additional Considerations

Areas of Specialty: Is a hosting provider known for catering to a specific level of hosting? For example, while DreamHost provides hosting packages for varying levels of hosting, they're best known for their cloud hosting services. Look for companies that don't just offer, but specialize, in the type of hosting you seek.

Years of Experience: While years of service shouldn't necessarily be the determining factor when choosing a web host (as there are some exceptional new companies out there), there is something to be said for a company that's stood the test of time and has been able to provide quality service for over 15 years.

So what are you waiting for? Let PickupHost help you find the best web hosting provider for your website today!

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