Whether you are building a personal blog, a marketing website, or a page for your business, you begin looking at web hosting services and you are overwhelmed by how many there are available. You quickly notice that some (if not all) state that they are able to provide exactly what you need. You might be ready to commit to one particular service, but not so fast! Although most of these hosting providers do offer similar services and support, you may find the level of quality nowhere near identical.
Some web hosting services are better than others and you want to make sure that the company you go with is able to meet your needs. Below are several tips to follow when considering a web hosting service and being mindful of them will guarantee that you get what you are looking for.
1. Reliability
You want your website to be available and fast at all times and if it is not it could result in potential visitors going somewhere else, lost sales opportunities, and a bad reputation. To ensure that your website is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you want to seek out web hosting services that have at least a 99 percent uptime score.
While most companies will boast that they have such scores, this is not always accurate and just going by what is stated may result in you purchasing a service that has uptime that is dramatically lower. To avoid this, read reviews on all web hosting services you are considering. These will be posted by individuals and companies that have used the services therefore you can trust them. You can also check uptime scores if you have already purchased a hosting package by utilizing tools offered that measure the time that your website is up. If it is less than satisfactory you can then avoid renewing your agreement and go with a different company.
2. Backup
It is common for people to think that once their content is posted and their files are saved, all is well and everything is safe. In reality, accidents do happen and there have been many instances where important content has been lost because it was not backed up properly. Choose a web hosting service that has the ability to back up your files. That way, in the off-chance an incident occurs where your content is deleted, your website can be restored.
Also, remember to back up your content on your own hard drive in the unlikely event something catastrophic happens to the hosting service’s servers and all is lost.
3. Support
In the event that your website goes offline or you are having issues with administration it could equal losing out on visitors and, in turn, sales. To avoid this, you definitely want to be able to contact someone for support no matter what time of day it is. Hiring a web hosting service that is available immediately via phone or live chat is crucial to make sure you get the support you need.
Often, customer support representatives can quickly determine the issue and repair it remotely, meaning you will not have to follow any confusing step-by-step instructions and you will be back up and running as soon as possible.
4. Security
Improvements in technology have made lives easier for many but they have often lead to an increase in security threats. To avoid your webpage falling victim to viruses and malware, the web hosting service you choose should have protections such as firewalls and monitoring software.
It is estimated that more than 40 percent of compromised websites fall victim to vulnerability and insufficient security measures, so you want to confirm that the managed hosting service you choose has methods to protect you as needed.
