An internet hosting provider is the company or organisation that makes your website visible on the world wide web to your internet users, keeping the files safe on its servers. Getting the right host for your website will make it or break it.
Finding a great web host boils down to three things: speed, service and security. Try to read some reviews about the hosts that interest you; see if there are any issues or complaints from the customers.
Reliability
One of the most important basic services a web host provides is reliability: the ability to keep websites operational and running. This quality is defined by the service provider’s quality of hardware and software infrastructure, the ability to provide some type of network redundancy, and type of monitoring – all of which can affect how quickly and how reliably the site operates. Bad infrastructure quality or old software packages could cause a website to become unresponsive, to load slow, or become exposed to various security vulnerabilities across the entire web browsing experience. Good providers focus on reliability by implementing preventative measures and 24/7 support, and flexibility to add more resources as need. Organisations have some needs that must be understood before choosing a hosting provider: the hosting needs have to be assessed then matched with the features of the host and growth plans, so that an informed decision can be made as to which provider will get them closest to achieving that goal. Pricing and guaranteed uptime are also checked, while storage limits are noted to avoid performance problems and the high costs of data loss.
Security
Every 39 seconds a cyberattack happens, which means safety is one of the major concerns of owners of any website. A lack of hosting security may cause a breach of confidential information, and may lead to irreparable damage to business reputation. Don’t just look for the usual features, such as the amount of room you have to store information (called ‘allocated storage’) and the kinds of processes you can run, known as ‘coverage’. Instead, look for hosts that offer automation services where processes such as backups and the installation of new software can run for you. It’s possible that these programs will do a better job than you, without you having to remember to do them yourself – which might mean you get your life back. Another web hosting must is an easy to use user access control modules that allow you to assign database, emails accounts and FTP sub-users with password rules that should be of a particular length, be complex and have special characters. Backup and disaster recovery solutions are also useful safeguards against hacking your care is required, as would be a recovery for your website either due to a hacking attack or perhaps a natural disaster; make sure your provider offers this option.
Pricing
Oftentimes, when an online store has problems, web hosting is one of the first areas that need checking; it affects how well your store performs, how your brand is perceived, and to some degree, how your customers experience the online world. Make sure you understand how your hosting provider prices you: many providers offer low introductory rates for new customers – they may or may not be true; find out what regular hosting fees are after your introductory period. As you compare the features and prices of different providers, insist on plans with plenty of web storage and bandwidth (better still, look for unmetered bandwidth, to ensure your online store will never slow down due to traffic spikes that require you to buy extra bandwidth), as well as responsive customer support: this will enable you to promptly solve any technical issues that might arise, restoring your operations sooner, while demonstrating that your business is customer-oriented and helping you further solidify customer relationships.
Customer Support
While you might tend to believe that choosing a web host is not such an essential decision, being able to improve your site’s accessibility and availability on viewers’ screens (all over the world!) requires making a host with good page load times. Your hosting company should also securely host all the files and folders of your website for your visitors when they visit your site. Scalability is another thing to keep in mind when looking at hosting providers. Your website’s growth from users and resources will increase, so you should look at those providing some kind of scalability so you can upgrade as and when necessary. Secondly, ensure your host offers decent customer service and good documentation. Because something will go wrong, of course, and the tech support you receive will make or break your experience. Live-chat or phone-support where you can directly speak to someone – and answers won’t hang on waiting days for an email to reply – is preferable to email-based tech support.