Before a website can come into existence, it must first find hosting. Without a domain and hosting, your website won’t reach the countless people of the internet. Knowing this, choosing a host is an extremely important decision for anyone to make.
Join us as we look at five considerations you should be thinking about when it’s time to choose a hosting solution for your website.
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5 Things to Consider Before You Choose Your Web Hosting
Your hosting choice defines the future of your website. Before you commit to any one company, start by looking at these five considerations, and ensure that you’re choosing what’s best for your future.
1. Establish Your Needs
First and foremost, you need to establish the needs of your website. Consider some of these questions:
- What type of website am I creating?
- Do I want to work in WordPress? Drupal? Joomla?
- Will I need a special kind of software?
- Do I want freedom or simplicity (based on your skill level)
- How much traffic am I expecting?
When you’re looking between shared, VPS, and dedicated hosting, questions like these will help you decide what you need. It will also help you decide which features you need, and which ones you don’t. This is the perfect place to start.
2. Check Prices For Signups and Renewals
With hosting, the signup price is only for the first term of your contract. If you sign up for a year, you’ll face a different price when it comes time for renewal. Now, many people will switch hosts to avoid this jump in price, but that’s far easier said than done.
Instead, look for the pricing before and after your initial signup. Some hosts will offer a good deal, even after the initial period is over. Either way, you should know how much subsequent years will be with the host before you commit.
3. Read Hosting Reviews
Many hosting companies have been around for years, decades even. During this time, countless companies and people have written reviews about them. A great place to learn more about the top 10 website hosting is on these sites. Here you’ll be able to find out how the host performs for its customers, and whether they reliable.
The best review sites also go into personal experience, giving you the opportunity to look into how they manage their hosting and how their customer service handles situations.
4. Reliability and Uptime
Every second a website is down, they are losing money. It’s not a position you want to be in, which is why many hosts will promise 99.9% uptime. While issues can happen, it’s important that they are minimized.
Furthermore, you should look into the history of the host and ensure there haven’t been hacked situations or breaches of customer information. They should have excellent security to match their promises.
Overall, this contributes to the reliability of the host and ensures that you’re signing up with someone you can trust with your livelihood.
5. Cancellations and Money-Back Guarantees
Finally, you should look at the policies the host has for cancellations and money-back. Some hosts offer longer money-back guarantees than others, and some will even let you cancel at any time. Beyond these things, you should also look out for any fees associated with canceling your hosting, as these can eat into your refund pretty quickly.
It’s important to stay educated on these types of things for the best results and to give yourself flexibility.
Final Thoughts
Your hosting company is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as a website owner. By keeping these things in mind, you can ensure that your host is the ideal solution for your needs and the needs of your website. Let us know how you chose your host in the comments!
