Web hosting is a web service that allows companies to post their website online and maintain it there, without being burdened by the cost of the relevant equipment (servers). Choosing the ideal web hosting company plays a very important role in establishing a website on the internet and is therefore a very important process.
Not knowing the importance of a good web host, it is natural to tend towards the most economical package offered by large companies in the field. You may still prefer to buy your web hosting from the developer who is responsible for the implementation of your website because you trust him. What you may not know is that he has also bought the specific site from a web host company.
We would suggest that you do your research first to find the ideal provider for you, starting with the following tips.
Types of web hosting:
Free Hosting
The saying “you get what you pay for” is also true in the case of web hosting since most of the time, the services that are available for free cost you in the long run. In case you choose it, know that if at some point you decide to transfer your domain name and the content of your site to another website provider, you will have a lot of difficulty.
Shared Server
If you are just starting to create a website, this option is ideal both from a financial point of view and from a potential point of view. The only downside to a shared server is that you can’t be sure which companies will share it with you and the size of the files they’ll transfer, potentially affecting your website’s load time. But most web hosts offer you the possibility to upgrade your package whenever you wish and transfer your “hosting” to a digital or dedicated server.
Virtual and Dedicated Servers
Hosting on such servers is much more expensive because it provides you with autonomy and security. It is no coincidence that it is usually chosen by sites dealing with large databases.
Cloud hosting
Many of us use Gmail, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook every day, so we know how a cloud environment works. The main advantage of cloud hosting is that it only charges you for the services you use during your contract, instead of buying an expensive package of services that you may never use.
How will you know you’ve found the right web hosting?
Customer service
Especially if you don’t specialize in building websites, a provider that gives you the ability to contact customer service by phone will be very helpful if something comes up.
Terms and Conditions
No one wants to spend time reading them but when it comes to such a significant investment it is good to know exactly what you are going to get after your purchase. Many times in web hosting contracts there is a commitment for a specific time frame. Before you sign, make sure there is a way to end the contract if you need to, as well as the ability to get your money back if you’re not happy.
Backup
If the web hosts you have chosen do not backup the files on their servers at least once a day, then you should keep looking.
Server location
A good tip is for the server that will host your website to be in the same country as your target audience. This way you will be able to claim a better position in the organic search engine results.
Downtime
The word downtime refers to the period during which the servers will be down due to a problem or for maintenance reasons. During this time your website will not be accessible by users. Usually the big web hosting companies take care to reduce this time to the minimum. Ask them to make sure.
Capacity
In any case you should know the capacity you have purchased, so that you can freely upload your content. For example, if you often upload videos or large files that take up a lot of space, then you should seriously consider the server capacity. A good tactic that many companies follow is to post videos on their website via YouTube or another platform. Thus, website visitors have the possibility to watch the video, while at the same time the file does not take up space on the server.
Email addresses
Your web hosting package should include at least three email addresses. They will be very useful to you in the long run.
Domain name
If you haven’t bought your domain name yet, you don’t lose anything to look at the packages offered by web host companies. Some economic packages are compensated by the acquisition of an expensive domain. Of course, you are not obligated to get your domain name from your hosting provider.
Domains are easily transferred from server to server and most companies provide you with instructions and “how tos” on how to transfer your domain on or off their server. Caution. Some providers may charge extra for this freedom of movement.
We hope we have helped you understand more about web hosting and how to choose the best company to host your website. If you feel you need any further clarification then please do not hesitate to contact us.