You should seek the best web hosting service as it directly influences how your website performs. ‘The best’ doesn’t always equal to ‘the most costly’, so you should know what features to look for to avoid overpaying for something that you don’t really need. There are two main questions you should answer to make a choice you won’t regret.
Questions to Ask Yourself When Looking for the Best Web Hosting Service
Do you need a shared, dedicated, or a VPS server?
The type of server you choose will affect three essential qualities of the website, its speed of loading, security, and the ability to adapt to an increase of traffic. There are other differences, such as prices, etc. However, it’s the first three that make the biggest difference for a business.
Loading speed, in particular, is an essential consideration these days. According to this Kissmetrics infographic, every second of loading time loses you prospective customers.
Please note that there isn’t a single best web hosting service type, as each option has its own benefits. Choose the one with your business needs in mind.
- Shared server.
Web Hosting Media states that this is the most popular type of hosting service used today. It’s cheap, but only fit for small and maybe medium-sized websites. It’s less secure and reliable than dedicated hosting. It also offers little in the way of adaptability to changes in traffic volume. - VPS server.
A VPS (Virtual Private Server) is a more advanced version of shared. In this case, the servers are divided into virtual machines that have some measure of independence. A VPS hosting is better suited for medium-sized and growing businesses. - Dedicated server.
This type of hosting is the most expensive as the website gets a whole server to itself. This means the highest possible level of security and functionality, as well as top loading speed. It’s the best web hosting service for big and rapidly developing businesses.
Which web hosting resources are most important for you?
Read a web hosting guide that offers a detailed breakdown of the service’s technical features. In fact, you can skip some of them, but you shoud know which ones really matter and understand them to make the right choice.
- RAM and storage.
Shared hosting services often offer ‘unlimited storage’, which is no more than a marketing trick as explained by Exprance. However, small websites rarely have problems with storage space and you can negotiate it in dedicated plans. What you need to look for are the highest possible RAM as it determines the data processing speed. Also, the best web hosting service of 2018 should use SSD (solid state drives) instead of HDD (hard disk drives). That type of hard drives is faster and more efficient. - Bandwidth.
Bandwidth determines how fast website visitors can access information. It defines the amount of uploaded and downloaded data from a website. In simple terms, the higher the bandwidth, the more people can assess your website at the same time without it starting to lag. - Domain.
The best web hosting service should provide not only a chance to register a unique domain name for your business. It also should include an advanced email service to go with it. - Uptime rates.
The reliability of your website is essential, as is proven by a disastrous Amazon Cloud failure that cost over $150 million to various businesses. The best web hosting service will guarantee reliability and uptimes, as well as reimburse you in case of any losses. - Security.
Over 40% of websites are compromised because of inadequate protections of their web hosts. Therefore, you should study the hosting service’s security measures and consider the guarantees they offer.
Your ability to find the best web hosting service determines how reliable, secure, and efficient your website will be. Never sign anything without going over every technical detail and verifying all info.
