Websites are now part and parcel of every business even if it is not related to anything digital. In fact, all companies need an online presence considering the digital world we are living in now. Thus, it is crucial to know how to choose best website hosting for your business.
Below are 11 Key factors that you should keep in mind while choosing best website hosting for your website.
Customer service
The idea of creating a website for your business is to communicate with your customers. Similarly, you should be able to communicate with your service provider. So, it is important to choose one with reliable customer service. In other words, they should provide a way of communication like live chat, phone call, email or ticket generation. Moreover, the time their customer service takes to respond to your queries matters. At the end, all of us need our issues solved as soon as possible. Not to forget choosing a service provider with 24/7 available customer service on call.
Traffic
Web hosting providers usually have limitations to the number of people visiting your website. Thus, choose a service that estimates the traffic based on the type of website. For example, if you are going to spend on a marketing plan to attract more visitors, you need to estimate the potential traffic. After that, you can choose a suitable web hosting for your business.
Server type
There are different web hosting server types. For example, shared, dedicated, cloud, capitalised and VPS. Each of these servers has its own functions. Therefore, you need to have the opportunity to choose what suits you more.
Shared plans are limited in resources but suitable for beginner websites as they are the cheapest. If you choose shared servers, what server configurations and what maximum limits are provided to individual domains or nodes per domain?
VPS is more advanced but you need to have some knowledge of server maintenance and management. Whereas dedicated servers are dedicated to your website only. It is kind of having your own system where no one shares the server resources with you. However, they are more expensive.
Cloud servers allow for scaling and upgrading the hosting features.you can upgrade the server resources according to your requirement, Examples of these servers are Microsoft Azure, Google Compute Engine and Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud.
Storage
Does your website hold a huge amount of data? If yes, you need a huge disk space which is certainly more expensive. However, it is always advisable to opt for the needed storage and a little more to avoid running out of storage.
There are different types of storage drives as HDD and SSD. HDD is suitable for small-scale websites as it offers low data read and write speed. On the other side, SSD has higher data read and write speeds. In some cases, you will find unlimited space plans. However, these will also have limits even though the provider names them unlimited. So, you need to ask about details before opting for any plan.
Bandwidth allocation
If your website grows bigger, you need a web hosting service that can accommodate all that bandwidth. Thus, your website can transfer data to all the customers with no lagging. Therefore, bandwidth allocation is important. Moreover, checking the data and upload limits is more important as some web hosting providers may issue limits to the whole plan or per second or minute.
Content management
The next question is how are you planning to manage your website? If your web hosting provider doesn’t support a content management system, this will be a hassle for you.
Cpanel, Plesk, Ubuntu
These are the control panels you will work with to manage your website. Different panels provide different features. Today, most website owners prefer Cpanel as it is easier. However, you might need a different thing. Also, ask about the add ons and apps provided with the control panel.
Cost
A very important factor to check is the price of course. However, it is not just about the initial price as you won’t be paying only once. Check for long-term packages as years or so. Also, don’t forget to ask about the renewal costs.
Security
A very important aspect is the security of your website as customers won’t keep visiting a below security levels website. SSL certificates enable an encrypted transfer of data. Thus, your visitors guarantee they are visiting a secured website. Typically, SSL certificates come within the web hosting package.
Server Locations
The more the server is closer to you, the faster your data transfers. Consider using a web hosting server that is near to you. Most probably, service providers have more than one server in different locations. So, pick the nearest one for a reliable and faster speed.
Supported PHP versions
A good web hosting provider will support the latest PHP versions. So, your website runs fine. According to the CMS, you are using for your website, you should choose a suitable PHP version. In all cases, it should be at least a 7.4 version. Newer versions as the latest 8.0 version are recommended in some cases as well.
Best web hosting services in 2021
After we mentioned the key aspects of how to choose the best website hosting provider for your website, here is a list of the best 5 web hosting services in 2021.
It is the lowest price among all. Moreover, you get $175 during offers in addition to a free domain and site builder. Other features include 24/7 customer support and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
When you opt for this service, you get unmetered bandwidth in addition to unmetered disk space. Also, you have a 45-day money-back guarantee. Further, it provides a $200 search credit along with the package.
Hostinger provides disk storage starting from 200Gb. Furthermore, it offers daily backups, free domains and free SSL certificates.
If you need WordPress hosting, then InMotion is the best option. Also, it is a perfect business host with 24/7 US-based customer support. One significant feature of this particular web hosting service is the web design services it provides.
Hostwinds is the ideal web hosting service for any kind of website starting from classic company websites to gaming servers. The reason for that is that they provide a wide range of dedicated server hosting with powerful configuration options. However, they offer their services at competitive prices. Also, they have high-spec servers and can provide SSL certificates.
The cheapest models have a quad-core single processor and start with at least 8GB of RAM, which would make them ideal for most typical users.
