Looking for web hosting? Once you’ve chosen what kind of hosting you need (shared, VPS, dedicated, or cloud), there are certain boxes to tick to make sure you’re choosing the right hosting provider for your website.
Here are 9 web hosting essentials you should look for in a provider. These things will ensure fast loading speeds, maximum uptime, and smooth sailing through potential problems.
Keep in mind that you’ll still be limited if you’re sharing resources. But if you can find a provider that offers all of these things, you’ll be on the right track.
1. 99.9% Uptime Guarantee
A 99.9% uptime guarantee means your website has an average of about 1 minute and 26 seconds of downtime every day. That’s perfectly acceptable and ensures that your website is available practically 24/7.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that a web host with a 99% guarantee is basically the same thing. In comparison, having 99% uptime instead of 99.9% means there’s a chance of your site being down for 14 and a half minutes every day!
But also, don’t take a company’s word for it. Check user reviews on the internet to see if their 99.9% claim is accurate before you sign up.
2. High Bandwidth
Bandwidth is the server’s capacity to transfer files to and from your site in as fast a time as possible. A higher bandwidth means downloads happen faster, which keeps your visitors happy.
It’s important to know that “unlimited bandwidth” doesn’t exist in traditional hosting types, so if a company is advertising it, it’s not quite accurate. When it comes to cloud hosting, companies like SiteGround offer “unmetered” bandwidth, which isn’t quite unlimited but close enough!
3. SSD Storage
If you aren’t opting for cloud hosting, then choosing a web hosting provider who offers SSD storage will significantly improve your website’s performance. A solid-state drive is faster, more reliable, and more stable than regular hard-drives, so it’s a big plus if you can choose a web host with SSDs instead of HDDs.
Not all web hosting providers will be open about what kind of drives they use, so if there’s a hosting company that you like the look of, it may be worth doing detailed research or reaching out and asking upfront before making your decision.
4. Daily Backups
You never think it will happen to you… But if you don’t plan for it, that’s when you’ll find yourself in trouble. Make sure your website host backs your website up on a daily basis, because a crash can happen at any point.
Keep in mind that unmanaged hosting plans may not include backups, in which case, you’ll have to do them yourself. This can be tricky and take up a lot of space, so we highly recommend going with a managed solution unless you’re very tech-savvy.
5. 24/7 Customer Support
Your web hosts are the experts on hosting. When something goes wrong, they’re the ones with the knowledge and expertise to fix it… So it’s essential that they’re available 24/7 for you to contact if something goes wrong.
Look for a web host who puts their customers first. It’s a big plus if they have multiple points of contact, like email, phone, and chat.
6. A CDN (Content Delivery Network)
A CDN isn’t isn’t always a necessity, but it can make a huge difference depending on where your target audience is. If your audience is worldwide, then a CDN is a worthwhile feature.
For example, WP Engine is an excellent WordPress hosting provider, so they’re a great choice if you have a WordPress site. They have 3 data centers—Texas, London, and Tokyo—which means if your target audience is near these areas, their loading speed should be pretty good.
However, if your target audience is somewhere else, their loading speed may be negatively affected as they’re far away from the server. This is what a CDN solves—it stores your data on a number of servers across the world, rather than just a few main centers, so anyone, anywhere can experience excellent loading speeds.
7. Layered Security
When it comes to keeping your site secure, you want a web host who’s serious about keeping your information safe. That means they should offer regular firewalls, malware protection, encrypted data, and an SSL certificate.
But ideally, you want a host that offers more detailed security options: think two-factor authentication, Secure Socket Shell (SSH) access, and hardware protection if you’re not using cloud hosting.
8. Add-Ons
The add-ons that would be relevant to you depend on your website and your business. Hosts offer various things, like free email addresses, free domain names, DNS services, and more.
Check what your chosen host offers before signing up—this could end up saving you money in the long run! Don’t make the mistake of choosing a host for their extras when you don’t need half of them, though—they’ll only slow down your site.
9. Excellent Reviews
Don’t always believe what a company tells you. Your best bet is to spend some time researching each web hosting provider, but navigate away from their website and search for real-people reviews.
Keep in mind that there will always be some people who complain about silly things. But reviews from real customers will give you far better information than the company itself will, so take some time to Google around and see what people say.
Conclusion
These web hosting essentials will help you choose the right hosting provider for your new website. With these boxes ticked, you can look forward to excellent performance, high speeds, and overall, a higher level of success with your website.
On the other hand, get lazy with your decision and you may end up regretting it in the long run. Your web hosting provider is like your website’s landlord, so make sure you choose a reliable one to be the foundation of your site.
If you’ve already got a website and a web host, you’re not stuck with them forever. You can easily make the switch to a safer, more reliable one if you feel that something else out there would better serve your business’s needs.
About the Author
Paul Wheeler runs a web design agency that helps small businesses optimize their websites for business success. He aims to educate business owners on all things website-related, at his own website, Reviews for Website Hosting.
