When it comes to choosing a web hosting service, there are endless options available. So, how do you decide which host is best for you and your needs?
The key to picking the right hosting service is simple, really – you just have to know your hosting needs. Before you start your search, take a moment to ask yourself a few key questions:
- What kind of website are you looking to build?
- Do you want to work with a more common, well-known hosting service, like GoDaddy, for example?
- Do you need Windows applications?
- Will your website require special software or a special version of software, like PHP?
- How much bandwidth will you need to handle web traffic volume?
The ability to answer these few questions alone will put you on the right path toward signing up for the right hosting service that best fit your needs. For those entirely new to web hosting, it’s a good rule-of-thumb to start small with a good shared hosting account. These are cheap, easy to maintain and sufficient for getting started. Here at Realnets we also offer hosting services.
What You Should Look for in a Web Host
Once you’ve established just what it is that you need your hosting service to do, you can move forward in researching web hosts. Here are some key components that you should look for:
1.Server Reliability: You are going to want a web host that operates 24/7 on a powerful, stable network connection. Look for uptime scores of 99.5% and above.
2. Upgrading Options: These days, most shared web hosts are very powerful and can sufficiently support a WordPress blog with 30,000 – 40,000 unique monthly visitors. However, if you expect your website to significantly grow over the next couple of years, then you should consider web hosts that allow room to grow or upgrade. By upgrading, we mean to say that your web host will go from shared hosting to a virtual private or dedicated server for more memory, processing power, storage and security.
3. Signup Pricing & Renewal Cost: Though many hosting deals, especially shared hosting sites, have cheap signup prices, the renewal charges are much higher. This is pretty standard, though. To avoid any sticker shocks, be sure to check the TOS to make sure that you’re going to be ok with the renewal prices before signing up. Generally, a shared hosting site priced below $10 per month is good.
4. Refund Policy: It’s not bad practice to double check policies before signing up. Ask yourself the following questions of your chosen service:
- If I choose to cancel during the trial period, does the company provide a full refund?
- What’s the refund policy after the trial period?
- Are there any cancellation charges?
Know your hosting provider’s policies so that you don’t end up losing money if things don’t work out.
5. Hosting Features: Look for basic hosting features like:
- Cron for day-to-day operations
- Auto Script Installer for easy web apps installations and updates (e.g. Quick Installer, Simple Scripts, Fantastico, etc.)
- .htaccess access for security, page redirects, etc.
- Server Side Include (SSI) for easy site maintenance
- FTP access for easy file transfer
6. e-Commerce: If you’re running an e-Commerce, site, then you need specific features to accommodate those needs. Ask yourself:
- Will you be using specific shopping cart software?
- Will you be processing business transactions on your website?
- Will you need special technical support?
If you answer ‘yes’ to any of these, you’re going to need to ask yourself a couple of questions.
SSL certification, Dedicated IP and One-click Shopping Cart Software Installation
1. User-Friendly Control Panel: An easy-to-use hosting control panel is absolutely essential. It doesn’t matter if it’s a cPanel, a Plesk or even a third-party control panel just so long as it is user-friendly and can perform all of the necessary functions.
2.Email Features: If you know you’re going to be hosting email accounts through your website, then you’re going to want to look at each service’s email features before signing up. Most come with the ability to host your own email (e.g. @yourdomain.com), but you should still double check to make sure. If this feature isn’t provided, you can still own an email account at your own domain through things like free Google Email Apps.
3. Subscription Periods: You shouldn’t commit to long-term hosting contracts beyond two years (upfront). Only do this if they clearly provide anytime money back guarantees.
4. Backup & Support: If your site should ever crash, you get hacked, etc., you absolutely need to make sure that you have site backup in place. Should anything ever happen, and you’ve chosen a server that does regular backups, then you should have no worries. The hosting service will be able to restore your site in no time. On this same note, you’re going to want a server that provides 24/7 support. Whether through chat or by phone, you will have questions come up that you will need real-time answers to.
No matter how you go about choosing the right web hosting sight for you needs, the truth is there is no simple, fix-all solution. Different sites have different needs. So, when you are narrowing down your selection, remember to pick the one that best suits your immediate needs, because it’s not about finding the best web host, it’s about finding the right web host.
At Realnets, we are proud to offer flexible solutions that are tailored to the individual needs of our clients. To learn more, contact us today at 773.631.6851 or via email at [email protected].
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