Did you know that choosing the right web host and hosting plan could actually make or break your business? While this may sound harsh and preposterous to some, the truth is that your website needs the right kind of hosting for it to target the exact kind of audience and boost its sales. According to Wingard Creative’s digital director Adam Berry, great hosting is really about the 3S’s, namely speed, security and support. According to Simon Ball of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions, scalability should be added to this list because you need hosting that can scale your site quickly and resiliency to be able to handle high site traffic.
You will find web hosting plans ranging from free services, plans worth only a few dollars to plans worth thousands of dollars; so which one should you go for and why? It all depends on how much you can afford to spend on hosting and what your business needs are. Finding relevant coupons like the latest Bluehost coupons can help you save money on hosting services.
Things to remember when you are choosing a web hosting provider:
Uptime:
This is undoubtedly a key consideration because you will want your website to be up and running 24×7. You don’t want your customers to leave disgruntled and dissatisfied with not being able to browse through your products. So, before signing up, find out what their uptime guarantee is and ensure it is not less than 99.99%. Reading reviews and client feedback about the web host on third party sites may be a good way to know if your host is reliable or not. Finding the latest Green Geeks promo code will let you enjoy the highest uptime for discounted rates.
Storage:
When looking for the right hosting plan, you have to consider if it can cater to your need for data storage. When you run a small business your storage needs are also less, not more than some gigabytes at the most. But for larger sites, there is “unlimited storage” as many reputed hosting providers offer. However, be careful to read between the lines when you buy any of these plans as there are usually limitations.
Bandwidth:
Bandwidth refers to the volume of data that can be downloaded or uploaded by visitors per month. When you are hosting a media-intensive site or if your website is likely to get a lot of traffic, then you should make sure the hosting plan offers you ample bandwidth too. With insufficient bandwidth, the site will slow down, and you will end losing your visitors.
Domains:
If you need to run more than a single website you cannot keep creating different hosting accounts for each. It is best to choose a web host that provides you with multiple domain hosting. The plan is likely to put a limit on the number of domains you can install but you should ensure this works for you. The latest Hostinger coupons from Don’tPayAll can help you get access to free domains and free SSL certificates.
Email Accounts:
Just like domains and sub-domains you need email accounts too. So, choose a web host after inquiring about the number of email accounts you will be permitted to create for sending and receiving emails.
Database Supports:
Even the smallest of websites today need a database for the backend. So, while most hosting providers will offer MySQL, you need to see if they will offer Oracle, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, etc. if you need these for some reason.
Easy Installation:
You should look for web hosts that provide easy installation. Many web hosts even offer support for installing popular frameworks like content management systems, blogging platforms, etc. Finding a host that can provide a single-click installation for any CMS of your choice can be immensely helpful.
Support:
Without proper customer service support, you cannot expect your site to run smoothly. Technical glitches can happen at any time of the day and night and your host should be able to resolve or troubleshoot these problems for you at odd hours too. Find out about their customer support services like live chats, phone calls, and email supports and investigate about their response times. A Hostgator discount code will provide you with 24×7 customer service supports and 99.9% uptime guarantee.
Mobile Apps:
This is a feature that will come as a bonus for most customers. There are many hosting services that already provide mobile access for website administration; other hosting companies are expected to follow soon.
Backups:
You know that your web host is also vulnerable to data theft and data loss; so, you should ideally inquire about their data backup and data recovery options before signing up.
Variety of Hosting Plans:
Most reputed web hosting services will offer multiple plans with different prices. You should know how to select an appropriate web hosting server, depending on whether your business can work fine with shared hosting, virtual private server hosting, or dedicated hosting.
Operating System:
This is usually not a big factor for most businesses but if you develop in ASP.NET, you will require Windows web hosting only. This is not only harder to get but also costlier. For those using open-source languages, finding Linux hosting is easier.
Latest Updates:
Your web host should be able to offer you the latest updates and upgrades for the software they offer; else, your site will experience downtime. Some hosts upgrade on their own while others allow you to choose a version of your choice.
Shell Access:
When you are slightly advanced it may be a good idea to choose a web host offering shell access; or the ability of logging into servers from command lines above SSH.
.htaccess files:
You may be looking for a plan that allows you to add .htaccess files to directories. These are configuration files used by Apache servers and can be used for password protecting directories, rewriting URLs, and redirecting web pages.
Language Support:
You have to ensure that the host you choose provides support for server-side languages. For instance, if you wish to use Ruby on Rails, then your host should have this on its list of supported frameworks.
So, get those hosting coupons at the earliest opportunity from Don’tPayAll, and get your website up and running!
