Introduction
Every website needs a “home” in order to be visible on the internet. Web hosting is the service that enables your website’s content to be accessible to everyone online. And in order to do that, you need access to a physical server. When you make use web hosting services, you are in theory renting a space on a server that stores all of your website’s files and data.
Web hosts provide the hosting technology and resources that are required for your website to operate effectively and securely. This includes ensuring that the server is up and running on a continuous basis as well as implementing various security steps. And finally, they ensure that all of your content is successfully transferred to your customer’s browser. In other words, web hosting is the online service that facilitates publishing your website on the internet.
Choosing the right web host is imperative, as the wrong plan will impact your business negatively through poor performance. Your goal is to always keep your website running as efficiently and smoothly as possible. And most importantly, web hosting providers ensure that your website is up and running 24/7 allowing your customers access at any time convenient to them.
Types of hosting
When it comes to hosting, there are three main options, shared, Virtual Private Server (VPS), and dedicated.
Hosting plans can be managed or unmanaged. Unmanaged plans are cheaper because the hosting company only provides you with server space. You are responsible for all maintenance, security, optimisation, and updates.
On the other hand, managed plans are more expensive as the hosting company provides additional services that make your life a lot easier, freeing you up to focus on your business. They are responsible for maintaining the server and ensuring that it is updated when necessary, as well as looking after other functions like security and optimisation.
Shared Web hosting
With shared hosting, as the name suggests, your website is hosted on a server that you share with other websites. This option is better suited to smaller businesses with low to medium traffic which make use of simple or static sites, like blogs or promotional sites. Shared hosting is the most cost-effective option as the associated costs and resources required to run the servers are split between the various users.
Virtual Private Server Web Hosting
The VPS hosting solution is suitable for websites with a higher amount of web traffic and who also require more storage. When you use a VPS, your site is also hosted on a server with other websites; however, it is able to segregate the servers into multiple VPS hosting packages. These work independently from each other and have their own individual operating systems and dedicated resources.
This has the advantage of being more reliable than a shared hosting option from a performance perspective. This is because your site has dedicated resources which prevents other clients from impacting your site’s service. VPS hosting also enables the installation of control panels like cPanel, which allows you far more flexibility and customisation. Finally, control panels also contain features that make managing domains and installing software far easier.
Dedicated Hosting
With dedicated hosting, you rent the entire server for your exclusive use. No other clients are hosted on the server, entitling your website to dedicated access to all the various resources. In addition, this option provides more customisability as you can choose between different hardware specifications like CPU and RAM as per your unique requirements.
This type of option is best suited for medium to large size businesses who experience high levels of traffic and manage large amounts of data. A dedicated server provides significant storage space and will also ensure that your website’s response times are fast.
Dedicated hosting is also the preferred option when a business operates multiple smaller websites. A dedicated server will simplify the maintenance involved and you can ensure that all of the sites are running smoothly.
What you need in a web host
A web host will generally offer a number of hosting solutions. Choosing the best provider can be overwhelming as there are a wide array of options out there. Some key aspects to look out for are reliability in terms of server uptime; security is always important, as is customer service. And can they keep up with your business as it grows?
Reliability
As a business, you require your website to be available 24/7. Your website needs to be reliable, and an uninterrupted service is crucial. Choosing a reputable web host is integral to your business, regardless of its size. If the server goes down, your website is no longer accessible to your customers, which can negatively impact your revenue and reputation. A key factor to take into account is whether they offer any guarantees from an uptime perspective.
All servers will experience occasional downtime at some point for maintenance or update purposes, but a professional host provider would advise you well in advance so that you can prepare accordingly. If you are experiencing regular downtime interruptions, it is definitely time to start looking for a new provider!
A disadvantage of shared hosting plans is that they can experience a decrease in their bandwidth and even crash if various sites sharing the server unexpectedly have high levels of traffic. This can occur, for example, with eCommerce sites offering limited special deals or sales and this could lead to a dramatic increase in traffic.
Your web host provider will be in the best position to recommend the perfect option for your business’s unique requirements.
Security
Security is a critical factor for both you and your customers, especially if your site stores personal information or facilitates payments. Your site’s security and vulnerability should always be a top priority as you never want to experience privacy breaches or lose any of your valuable data. Security breaches tend to cause reputational damage and there is nothing worse than having to advise clients that you have had a security breach. The hard work you have put in to building a relationship between your business and your client can be put at risk due to a perceived lack of trust in your site.
When it comes to choosing a web host, you want to be assured of the integrity and viability of their business and you should take into account what security measures they offer. For example, do they provide daily back-ups and offer the use of a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate, which protects your business and your customer’s data.
At Expanza, security is our first priority ensuring your hosting accounts, websites and information are always safe and secure!
Customer Service
Quality customer service is often assumed and not necessarily provided. Your web host should always be able to provide consistent and efficient support assisting you in troubleshooting challenges as and when they arise.
A key attribute of any customer support is not only their experience and expertise but also their willingness and availability to assist you, no matter how big or small your issue is. There is nothing worse than an unresponsive support team.
A critical factor is knowing how your provider reacts when things go wrong. It is always worthwhile ensuring that your web host provider has a solid reputation. Experience and expertise make all the difference between a few minutes of downtime versus a few days of downtime.
Customer support should also be able to provide you with solutions for your current challenges as well as advice when needed. For example, on how to optimise your site’s performance or potentially recommend a different hosting option if required. It is important that whoever you choose knows you and what your business requires.
Keeping up with your business
As any business owner knows, your goal is growth and as your business evolves, so do your requirements. Ideally, you want to choose a web host provider who is able to accommodate your changing needs and who makes it easy for you to scale up or down accordingly.
Your provider must be able to support you at every stage of your business. When choosing a package for your current needs, it is important to note what other packages are available so that in a year or two you won’t need to go through the whole process of looking for a new service provider again.
For instance, your needs may change regarding the disk space and bandwidth your require. Additional things to look out for are how many websites you can host per package and the number of email accounts that are offered.
Effective website management
Web hosting should always provide you with flexibility and control and the relevant tools that you need to manage your website effectively. You may want to be able to host multiple websites on the same cPanel, create and manage your own professional email accounts. And as previously mentioned, you don’t want to worry about whether or not your cPanel is being automatically backed up on a daily basis.
Conclusion
Many factors influence the development of your website; the server it will run on will be the determining factor when it comes to performance in terms of reliability, security and page loading speed.
How your customer experiences your site is key, and the quality of your hosting service will play a major role in enhancing their experience. In addition, your customers will base their perception of your business on the experience they have on your website. As mentioned in previous posts, 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience and 39% of people will stop engaging with a website if images won’t load or take too long to load
Choosing your web host provider is one of the first and most important decisions you will make when it comes to your online presence. Businesses globally are paying far more attention to web hosting than ever before. So, make sure you spend the time identifying your needs and then matching them with a professional and reliable web host provider.
