Top 10 Things to Consider When Choosing Web Hosting

There’s a lot to consider when it comes to web hosting. You see ads everywhere online for ‘lightning fast speeds’ or ‘unlimited bandwidth’, but what does it actually mean? And how do you know you’re actually getting what they tell you? In this article, we’ll try to help explain the ins and outs of web hosting, and what you should look for in a web host to get the most out of your website.

1. Performance

Everyone loves a fast website. If your website is loading slowly, there’s a high chance that a user is going to simply click away and find somewhere else. That’s why it’s incredibly important to make sure your website is loading as fast as possible, and your web host is a key factor in that. But what actually determines whether a web host is fast or not?

There are a few factors when it comes to the speed of a web host, such as:

• Server location: Is the server located near you or somewhere halfway across the world?
• Bandwidth: How much traffic can the server handle without being bogged down or running into shortages?
• Type of hosting: Is your hosting server shared with other websites, or is it a dedicated server just for you? Is the server cloud based or ran on hardware?
• Server hardware: How much RAM is on the server? How many cores does the server have, and what is their speed?

2. Storage

Having enough storage on a web host is vital, as not only does it ensure that your current website is accessible, it allows your website to grow as well. Most small business websites will never have to worry about storage issues, but if your site hosts a lot of videos or high definition imagery, you’ll want to make sure your web host has plenty of storage space, and perhaps even look into additional scalable storage options.

3. Scalability

It’s important to consider the future when starting or growing your website. When you look for a web host, check their scalability options to see if it’s easy to upgrade your current hosting situation or if you’re locked into plans with expensive features that you might not need.

4. Security

The online space is a wonderful world of information and community, but there are those out there that make it their goal to jeopardize your online presence. Hackers are constantly looking for new and inventive ways to ruin your website, and a strong security presence helps to keep them at bay.

Here are some key features to look for when it comes to web hosting security:

• SSL Protection: Does your web host offer free SSL or only purchasable?
• DDoS Protection: What features does your web host have to protect against DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks?
• Firewall: Does your web host offer server-level firewall to protect from malicious traffic or unauthorized login attempts?
• Vulnerability Scanners: Does your web host monitor and scan your website for any potential issues, notifying you of them when they occur?

5. Customer Support

Whenever something goes wrong, it’s important to know that someone has your back. Contacting customer service should never feel like a nightmare of having to wait through a 30 minute que just to get told there’s nothing they can do. That’s why it’s important to check out reviews about the customer service whenever you’re shopping for web hosting. It’s also great to have someone that can act as an intermediary between you and the hosting support, someone that can talk the lingo with them and get your problems fixed faster. Someone like the experts at Level 3 Web Services!

6. Domain Registration

Before you consider hosting your website, first you need to purchase domain registration and setup your URL. Many website hosts also offer domain registration as well, but some do not. In most cases, it’s preferable to keep your domain registration and web hosting in the same place for convenience, but if you choose to separate them it’s not a major issue either.

7. Email

There are two things to consider when looking at email options on your web host, and that is whether or not they offer a customized email address with your domain name, and if they have an SMTP system in place for email deliverability. If the web host does not offer DNS, you may need a reliable SMTP system like Elastic Email to send mail from your website.

8. Reliability

Is your current web host on top of their game? If they’re constantly disconnecting and having low uptime, odds are probably not. Check out reviews on your desired web host beforehand to see what other customers are saying about how reliably ‘online’ their service is before making a big commitment.

9. Backups

Sometimes websites break. This can be due to WordPress plugins updating and breaking the site, malicious attacks, or even John from IT forgetting to put an ; somewhere in the code. Whatever the case, your web host having a solid system for backups is crucial. Whether they’re on-demand backups, daily backups or ideally both, having a restore point to get your website back up and running as soon as possible is key to good website health and security.

10. Pricing

Pricing can be a tricky matter when it comes to web hosting. You want the most bang for your buck, but you also don’t want to shell out a fortune for quality web hosting. When it comes to pricing, it’s important to first come up with a budget of what you want to spend when it comes to hosting. This can be around $20 – $40, or you could be looking at enterprise solutions for upwards of $400. It’s important to consider all of your options and do some shopping around with the information we’ve provided above to find out which web host works best for you.

There’s a lot to think about when it comes to web hosting, but you don’t have to do this alone. If you’re ready to startup your online store or business, or you’re looking for a change of pace to save some money or improve your website’s speed and security, Level 3 Web Services is here to help. Contact us today to see how we can help upgrade your online presence to the next level!