To have a web page it is necessary to have a domain for it, and also hire the services of a hosting provider. Currently there are many options for hosting a website, which means that on many more occasions than it should be, the options and services that may be more appropriate for the needs of the company are overlooked.
Carefully selecting the secure and scalable hosting provider for a company’s website is much more important than it seems. But more often than not, due to pressure, lack of knowledge or time, only a few providers are taken into account, without also going into an in-depth assessment of whether their plans and offers really offer what the company needs for their websites. It is not enough to choose a provider that is reliable and has a good track record in terms of performance.
It is also important to select one that has the specific characteristics and functions necessary so that the company’s website is practically always online, offers reliable and agile access, and does not have performance failures, especially if you are making a website from scratch. If not, the company can face web crashes, options not available, pages that look slow or look bad, or endless product purchase processes that customers end up abandoning. But What should be considered when looking for a web hosting provider?.
Choose a hosting provider with several hosting options
The first thing to assess when choosing a hosting provider is the variety of services it offers. The most common service that they usually offer is the shared hosting but others with quite popularity are the VPS (virtual private servers). They will also offer, in most cases, dedicated hosting, specific hosting for websites with WordPress and other CMS hosting resale and cloud hosting.
Choosing the right type of hosting will allow the page to have an agile and fast performance, without having to pay additional costs or exceed the set budget. It is also important to look at what each service offers, because otherwise you may end up paying for services you do not need and could save yourself.
For a basic blog, a cheap shared hosting option with adequate security options is sufficient. But if you need a page with an online store and data management functions, a VPS or a dedicated hosting plan may be the most suitable. As for the hosting reseller options, they are suitable for companies, professionals and developers who want to offer their users service packages that include web development and hosting.
Prices and payment options
For a company, sticking to a budget is important for any activity, so the prices, and the payment methods of the different providers to choose from are one of the variables to consider when choosing a hosting provider. It is important to ensure that the payment systems they offer, and the invoices, are transparent and detailed.
Check the billing of the pre-selected providers, whether or not they have automatic renewals or if they have subscriptions for specific periods (and discounts for them). Most hosting providers they accept payment by card or PayPal, which makes payments much easier. On the other hand, it is important to look for reviews of providers written by their users to see if they have had problems with hidden payments or fees that are not too clear.
Control Panel
From this screen is where you will have control of the services that you will hire from the chosen hosting provider. From it you will be able to manage the files of the page, the emails, the certificates and the base code of the web. All in one point.
most offer cPanel, a very popular modern and efficient panel, which makes web management much easier and is especially recommended for beginners. Of course, if you want it, make sure that the provider you choose has it, because some still offer their own panels or older systems.
Automatic backups from the hosting provider
Websites, even if they are hosted in secure spaces, can be attacked. Some of your files may also be corrupted, or the server where your files are stored may suffer a breakdown or catastrophe. That is why it is important to have backups. In this way, if there are any problems, the page can be restored without major complications.
Most hosting providers offer the possibility of creating automatic backups of the web pages hosted. But not all offer them in their standard plans. So not only do you have to make sure that it offers automatic backups, but you also have to check if they have an additional cost.
Hosting Provider Technical Support
Technical support is essential for a hosting provider. That is why it is important to check which support channels the providers offer, their response speed and the relevance of the response received to solve incidents. For a company it is It is important to have 24/7 support and if possible with attention via chat or even instant messaging.
Within this last point, we must also take into account the time it takes for the technical service to respond through the chat, since some providers do offer it, but it can take an hour or two to answer, therefore providing a service very poor. The latter should be avoided, so reviewing technical service opinions that have been published online can be very helpful.
If the chat support team responds to your questions quickly and provides compelling and relevant answers, they are a good choice. Especially if they do it even if you are not yet a customer.
SSL certificates and server uptime and speed
The ssl certificates allow web browsers to authenticate a website. Without it, the page is unlikely to receive visits, because potential visitors will identify it as unsafe and won’t enter. Luckily, most hosting providers offer free SSL certificates, even on their cheapest and most basic plans. But you have to make sure that it is. If it doesn’t offer them, it rules out the provider.
As for the server’s uptime, it refers to the time that the websites it hosts are online, and the server is running. Server speed refers to the time it takes for a website to load in a browser. In order for page visitors to have the best possible user experience when visiting a company’s website, you must choose a hosting provider that has a minimum of 99.99% server uptime, as well as a speed of 2 seconds approx.
Of course, most providers ensure that the uptime of their servers is 99.99%, but they do not always reach it. That’s why it’s important to make sure they tell the truth by opening their websites on services like GTMetrix.
migration options
You may need to migrate a website to another hosting provider in the future. Either because you are not satisfied, or because there comes a time when they cannot offer you what you need. That is why it is important to make sure, from the outset, that offers some options to carry out suitable migrations. It is very likely that they have them, but in some cases the service may be paid. Be clear before choosing the provider for the web.
