There are three main reasons why a business wants to partner with a reliable web hosting service provider, and they are the following:
- A good web hosting affects one’s ranking on the search engine pages positively
- You get your value for your money, resources, and efforts
- You improve your business’ online authority
As early as 2015, a projection was made that by 2020, more than 78% of businesses will shift to cloud solutions.
This means that people and companies are increasingly moving to online hosting solutions.
With the upward trend, it’s crucial that business owners understand the benefits or disadvantages of what they’re investing in.
Maybe you’re wondering if the fastest WordPress hosting provider is enough, or if you should look for a provider that can guarantee 100% uptime.
Before you make the ultimate decision of choosing a web host provider, here are a few things you should consider:
#1. Determine the hosting you need
Before shopping for a hosting provider, take time to evaluate what your business needs, and know what kind of hosting fits these needs.
If you have a personal portfolio site, you won’t need a dedicated server. On the other hand, if you’re operating a high volume, high-traffic online store, a cheap shared hosting plan is not ideal.
Shared hosting is best for small to medium-sized sites, while fast-growing sites are compatible with Virtual Private Servers (VPS).
#2. Know the kind of site you’re creating
Will your website require unique software to run? If yes, can your prospective host handle it? Will you need a WordPress site for your business? If yes, does your potential hosting service offer the fastest WordPress hosting? These are some questions you should be asking yourself. These should also be the basis of your decision, not the price.
Also, determine the volume of traffic your website will be getting. If you’re running an e-commerce store, then expect that your website will be frequently visited. In this case, go for a web hosting service provider that supports e-commerce functionalities.
Low-priced hosting services may not give you all the necessary features your website needs to run. To know more about the features offered by your web host, check their site, or read third party feedback online.
#3. Itemize and determine how many and which resources your website requires
Instead of merely going after the most lucrative offer, find a provider that compliments your website needs best.
Some businesses may prioritize storage over email functionality, while developers prefer stringent security and higher bandwidth rates.
To beginners, these technical features might sound confusing but don’t stress yourself with mythical plans of unlimited email accounts, bandwidth, or storage. All you have to know and understand are the following hosting limitations and components imposed by your chosen provider:
- Support and security
- Reliability and uptime rates
- Email and domains
- Data transfer
#4. Check the uptime guarantee
While no web hosting service can offer a 100 percent uptime guarantee, you should choose a host that has a superb track record of high uptime guarantee.
Hosting downtime is measured by “Nines” and this is how website downtime is translated for 30 days:
- 99% – 2 Nines = Downtime of 7 hours, 18 minutes, and 17 seconds
- 99.9% – 3 Nines = Downtime of 43 minutes and 50 seconds
- 99.99% – 4 Nines = Downtime of 4 minutes and 23 seconds
- 99.999% – 5 Nines = Downtime of 26 seconds
- 99.9999% – 6 Nines = Downtime of 3 seconds
99.99% or 99.9% uptime guarantee is ideal for businesses with critical functions like one engaged in sales, asset management, accounting, and more.
#5. Partner with a host that you can grow with
Think about the bright and prosperous future of your business. Budget-driven hosting solely focuses on shared hosting, which means you will have to say bye-bye when you’re ready to partner with dedicated servers or VPS.
For your WordPress hosting needs, go for WP Suites. They have a variety of hosting plans you can choose from so you’ll find one that suits your business.