The following is a very common question: What web-hosting provider should I trust to install my sites? For developers, bloggers, small business owners and others. In addition, choose a web hosting could be a complex matter.
However, if you choose correctly, you can spend a lifetime of happiness with a reliable and high-performance host that will always be available by phone, chat or email to answer your questions (no matter how absurd they may seem) overnight. In contrast, rushing to hire a housing relationship without doing proper research could lead you to feel trapped, cheated or extorted.
Choosing the wrong host often ends with headaches and an expensive and messy divorce. You are also alone again, retaining all the files you used to share.
1. Shared, VPS or dedicated? First identify what type of web hosting you need
Before you choose a web hosting, take a moment to think about what you are looking for. Like people who are light sleepers, who should not date snoring people, your needs may not be compatible with certain providers and hosting services, no matter how good they may be.
To mention an example, a personal portfolio website does not need a dedicated server, just as a high-volume, high-volume online store should not cut corners with the cheapest shared hosting plan.
Shared web hosting: Ideal for small or medium sites
In a shared web hosting, several clients and websites share the same server. On the one hand, shared accommodation is a simple and uncomplicated classic dating material. Most hosting clients for the first time must resort to a shared package when they enter the world of web hosting and then decide when it’s time to upgrade to a VPS or a dedicated plan to meet your growing needs.
However, from a strict perspective, a shared host is sharing your love with hundreds or thousands of others. Because server resources are divided between so many sites, performance is sometimes affected as those sites grow. If you’re ready to get serious and really increase your traffic, you probably won’t want to establish and formalize relationships with a shared hosting plan.
Price, support, storage and performance are important features to consider when buying a shared hosting service. Other differentiation include e-commerce offers and free domain options, along with advantages such as advertising credits, a website creator and updated hardware.
VPS: More flexibility for fast growing sites
VPS (virtual private server) is a middle ground between the informal dating of shared hosting and the commitment of a dedicated server. The server is divided into virtual machines that act as independent dedicated servers. VPS clients still share a server, but each has much larger portions and greater control than those with a shared hosting plan.
Because you can add or remove additional computing resources, as needed, VPS hosting plans are similar to appointments: you may have a relatively serious relationship with the compression of your primary server, but that does not mean you cannot have someone else waiting. Finally, when you have itching, you need to scratch.
Favorite VPS hosts generally include storage with high-speed SSDs (solid-state drives), along with managed services for software patches and updates. Depending on your level of comfort with the technical aspect of things, you’ll want to look for a free cPanel license or full root access. You will also see that the main VPS hosts include monitoring, security and CDN services to keep you close.
Dedicated hosting: Maximum resources and security
Finally, you have found the Maximum. High performance sites need dedicated hosting, which implies the use of a complete server to power your website or applications. As the name implies, dedicated servers are ready to wait for you, dedicate your entire life and meet all your configuration needs. Customers have complete control over the “doting” architecture, which means they can customize security systems, operating systems, load balancers and more.
However, the kind of dedicated love is not cheap. Dedicated hosting plans are among the most expensive, due, of course, to top-level hardware, managed services and 24-hour support. However, high-end hosting comes with a host of luxury features, including automatic migrations and backups, dedicated IP addresses and the choice of operating system.
2. Determine what type of site you are building
Just as the amount of traffic expected or server load affects the type of hosting plan, you want to find, your type of website will determine which features are most important. Some hosting providers, for example, promote e-commerce functionality, while others focus on blogs and search engine optimization.
Is your site a personal blog? Consider a web-hosting provider with WordPress
With WordPress recently crossing the 28 percent mark, boosting more than a quarter of all websites on the Internet, this content management system is an easy choice for writers looking to share their thoughts online. Apparently, each host offers optimized WordPress installations with just one click, but the best providers include updated hardware, unlimited storage and bandwidth, pre-installed programs, dedicated WordPress experience and support.
Online store? Consider a hosting service for e-commerce
For more than just marketing your brand, an online store is a must for business owners. In 2016, comScore analysis companies, in collaboration with UPS, discovered that consumers buy more things online than in stores. More than half of the US population buys online, so companies must find a web host with strong e-commerce options.
The main hosts take care of the additional security requirements associated with the protection of customer information and payments, while providing beautifully designed templates, access to shopping cart software and integrations with services such as PayPal and mail marketing tools electronic.
Portfolio or online curriculum? Consider a website creator
Job seekers find it increasingly important to have an online presence, even if the desired industry has nothing to do with web design or marketing. For those job seekers without any technological knowledge, or, let’s be honest, tech-savvy people who simply don’t feel like developing a site, website creators are the fastest way to produce a professional online presence that displays your job.
Many hosts are associated with a website creation program, such as Weebly, to provide customers with drag and drop tools to create a website, but we really appreciate hosts that create their own customized solution. InMotion hosting even created a unique website creator of its kind BoldGrid, which relieves the stress of site owners for the first time struggling to design something in WordPress. Other website creators, including Wix and Squarespace, offer independent services and personalized themes to help you get an interview.
Personal site? Consider a low cost and high value host
Whether you share photos of a recent trip to the beach or provide information to your friends and family about an upcoming event, personal websites should still convey information in a visually appealing way. Hosting clients do not need to open the piggy bank to create an impressive site: hosts attract beginners and fans making web hosting extremely affordable and easy to use.
However, just because you see low prices, do not assume that services will be poor. Many offer unlimited storage, bandwidth and email accounts with 24/7 support and online marketing credits. To get the best deal, stay tuned to hosting providers that include high-speed solid-state drives or a content delivery network.
Business site? Consider a host you can grow with
Even if you don’t plan to use your website to sell products, your company has an online presence to increase brand recognition. Entrepreneurs can expect your company’s website to grow from 10 to 20 percent every month if everything goes well, so you’ll want to find a hosting provider that can run a booming business.
Ideally, a successful hosting relationship is a lifetime commitment. Searching for a new hosting provider is a nuisance, not to mention all the headaches and discomforts associated with transferring files and domains. Instead of constantly looking for the next best option, look for a web host that is there for the long term. In addition to a strong-shared hosting plan, companies such as HostGator offer top-notch features in the VPS and dedicated hosting levels, which means the host, will be at your side as you become more and more successful.
3. What kind of resources do you need and how many?
New web hosting clients naturally go to the providers and plans that offer the most features for the least amount of dollars. However, instead of just looking for the most attractive partner, you can find greater accommodation happiness by looking for a service that is compatible with your specific needs. To mention just one example, companies can prioritize email functionality over storage, while a developer may prefer high bandwidth rates and strict security.
The technical characteristics of web hosting can be confusing for beginners and hosts sometimes use confusing jargon to market their services. You don’t need to be so careful with the mythical plans that offer unlimited storage, bandwidth and email accounts, but you must understand the various hosting components and the limitations that providers may impose.
Storage and RAM
Storage, or disk space, is probably the easiest to understand hosting feature, as well as the component that you should probably worry less about. Many shared hosting providers offer unlimited storage; While that may not be technically possible, most personal or small business site owners will not reach the limits. As you progress to VPS and dedicated plans, storage can be configured during the process.
The most important thing to keep in mind when it comes to web hosting storage is a small acronym: SSD. Solid-state drives are much faster and more reliable, but are priced higher. Traditional hard drives, on the other hand, are more common in unlimited plans, as they usually come with higher capacities.
As with your personal computer, RAM in web hosting has a similar purpose: to quickly process stored data. The hardware interacts with your storage units to accelerate page load times, and many consider RAM to be one of the most important features to consider when choosing a host.
Bandwidth and data transfer
Bandwidth and data transfer also affect the performance of your site. Bandwidth represents the amount of data downloaded or uploaded from a website. Also called data transfers, bandwidth is about how quickly visitors can access your site information: the higher the bandwidth, the greater the number of people who can see your site at the same time. While most hosting clients will receive much more bandwidth than they will use in a given month, increasing your data transfer limits is a sure way to increase your site traffic without losing performance.
Domains and email
Although commonly grouped, domain registration and web hosting are two different services. The domain name serves as the address of your website and you can register and stay with a different company with which you host the files of your site. You may consider keeping all your hosting resources in the same account. Many of the best domain hosts include free transfers and migrations. Some providers even offer free domain hosting during the first year of newly registered addresses.
Email hosting especially attracts business owners who want notoriety and name recognition by including the domain name in email addresses. Hosting providers often include advanced email features, such as forwarding and filtering services, auto responders and enhanced security for customers who need multiple inboxes or marketing tools.
Availability and reliability rates
As entrepreneurs know, time is money. Every second that your site is inaccessible can mean hundreds of lost sales opportunities, damaged brand reputation and lost productivity. The interruption of Amazon’s web services in early 2017 cost companies an estimated $150 million for three or four hours of interrupted service.
Most hosts guarantee a certain amount of uptime and will reimburse you for any unplanned outages beyond the service level agreement. Guarantees typically range from 100 to 99 percent, although most shared hosting clients will feel perfectly satisfied with the ultra-common activity time threshold of 9.99 percent. However, larger companies may prefer to pay a premium for a few additional nine.
Security and support
Although the security of a website depends largely on the behavior of the administrator and the security of the password (among other features), the infrastructure of the hosting company can represent one of the greatest weaknesses. More than 40 percent of websites are compromised due to a host’s vulnerability, so be sure to look for providers that include firewalls, monitoring services and other security plug-ins.
It would be difficult to find a provider that does not offer 24/7 support across multiple channels, but the actual execution varies greatly. Whether you have a billing question or need technical help to free yourself, customer service must be responsive and ready to help you. Unfortunately, this critical aspect of accommodation is difficult to discern until you are already enrolled in a plan and need help. At this point, it is convenient to investigate references to see if the support of a host accumulates.
4. Understand how web hosting prices work
We know that price is usually an important factor when you choose a web hosting. While costs should definitely influence your decision, don’t sacrifice support and performance.
Also, don’t forget to budget services such as domain name registration and any topic or add-on you need to add. The accommodation itself can cost only a few dollars per month, and most providers will give you a discount for signing up for a year or more. That, in addition to the offers that many hosts allow to transmit through different sites.
Why free hosting is not always the best option?
As for free web hosting services, proceed with caution. Convenience and savings are attractive, but the additional features, support and security you can get when you sign up with a reputable hosting provider are well worth it.
Wix, for example, offers platforms for creating favorite sites on vibrant themes and secure e-commerce tools. You can design and implement your site for free, but you will be restricted to a subdomain of Wix.com. The upgrade to one of the economic plans eliminates the restrictions of email, domain and electronic commerce.
Why cheap hosting providers have more added value to offer?
Because hosting companies can pack thousands of hosting clients on a shared server, providers can afford to include dozens of value-added services with hosting plans. By subscribing to an affordable hosting plan, you can experiment with luxury options, such as content delivery networks, automatic backups, website creators and e-commerce tools to explore different avenues of success online.
5. Think about the future: Choose a host you can grow with
Don’t be afraid to daydream about the bright future of your websites. Some of the cheaper web servers focus solely on shared hosting, which means that you will have to separate and take advantage of your possibilities in the hosting appointment group when you are ready to move forward with VPS’s or dedicated services.
Many prefer hosts with which they can stay long term. HostGator, is an excellent option for scaling, makes provisioning and deployment of VPS very simple. Flexible software options, along with powerful hardware and award-winning support, make the company an excellent choice to introduce your website from shared to dedicated hosting ranges. HostGator offers unlimited free cPanel migrations and up to 90 manual migrations based on the VPS plan you choose.