Your Web Hosting Checklist: How To Choose the Right Plan

Your Web Hosting Checklist: How To Choose the Right Plan

Whether you’re thinking about launching a new website or switching to a new theme, browsing the various web hosting packages out there can be overwhelming. To help you navigate this process, we’ve compiled the following tips to assist you in securing a reliable and affordable web host.

What You Ought to Know When Choosing a Hosting Plan

  1. How extensive the Website should be: Websites vary from small and simpler ones to large and complicated ones, sites with hundreds of pages and sophisticated infrastructure to simple paged-sites. Complex websites have more web hosting requirements than simpler ones; therefore, consider your current level of extensiveness as well as involvement, and the possible expectations for growth in the future before settling on a preferred choice.
  2. The level of Security: All websites require some level of security. You don’t want yours to get hacked, and therefore, going for the most secure host will be worth it. Besides, websites that require information from their clients need more security measures, especially for the online marketers. It is, therefore, necessary to ensure your site provides adequate security.
  3. The Nature and Purpose of Your Website: An e-commerce website ought to have unique purchase-selection features. Your clients should be able to select products and make purchases with utmost ease; choose a web host whose software is compatible with the e-commerce software you intend to use.
  4. Amount of traffic expected: For a new website, expect a lesser amount of traffic earlier on unless you already have a reputable brand, as compared to old and established sites.
  5. How fast should the Website load? The average person spends a few seconds before deciding whether or not a website solves their problem. Therefore, it is paramount to ensure yours is at the top of its speed to keep visitors from leaving to other sites.
  6. Your level of Experience at running a Website: For fresh owners, go for web hosting companies with reliable customer support and beginner resources to be ahead of your competitors. But for the experienced, considering features like compatibility, scalability and customization options would be all you might require.
  7. Who will Design Your Site? When doing it on your own, you can utilize the website builder templates to make the process easier. Otherwise, hire a professional developer to do the job for you.
  8. Will you own a blog? If yours will include a blog, or already has one, go for a hosting package that best suits you. If you’re running a blog, you will need to ensure every feature is considered; from the title of the page, the heading, the URL address to the Meta description. Ensure your web hosting provider can provide all the features you might require.
  9. How much customization do I want? While shared plans have limitations on what you can do, it won’t be anything that affects what you wish to accomplish. Website developers, on the other hand, can go for VPS plans or a dedicated server as they are diverse in their capabilities.
  10. How many Domains do you intend to own? A program that supports multiple parked domains is ideal if you plan on registering several domains.

5 Factors Services to Consider when Choosing a Web Hosting Plan

  1. A reliable server: You would want everyone trying to navigate to your website to get to you. Therefore, go for reputable web hosting providers, who can guarantee at least 99% of uptime. If a provider you’re considering doesn’t offer that much, then you better look for another.
  2. Compatibility with your web design needs: Whether you own a simple or complex website, your host should be able to equip you with all the necessary functions you may require.
  3. Ability to handle traffic: If you anticipate more traffic in the future, consider going for a higher-level plan, which can accommodate those higher numbers.
  4. Cost: You can only invest in what you can afford. Therefore, go for a package you can manage. For example, the shared hosting plan can offer you much of the services you will require and are also very affordable. More expensive programs offer more features, more customization options, or better bandwidth and speed.  However, there’s no need to pay for what you don’t require.
  5. Quality and reliable customer service: Whether you’re a newbie or a veteran web designer, you will want to know that customer support will be there when you need it.

Match Your Needs to Your Options

Now that you know what to look for from web hosting packages, choose your preferred pack from among the following;

Shared Hosting

It is the best option for new website owners, especially the starters. So if you’re looking for an easy and affordable plan, the shared hosting should do.

Cloud Hosting

Another affordable option, with impressive speed, is the Cloud Hosting. The main reason as to why you should go for cloud hosting is its affordable speed. It offers easier maintenance and better response to sudden spikes in traffic. Therefore, if you want your site’s visitors to enjoy the highest speed, then this is the best option.

VPS Hosting

For websites anticipating dramatic growth, VPS hosting should be a step up from the shared hosting regarding the amount of traffic and storage it can handle. Your site will enjoy significantly more bandwidth since you won’t be sharing the package with many other websites. Also for the developers looking for more customization options, VPS should give you the advantage.

WordPress Hosting

Website owners with blogs should go for WordPress Hosting as it has a unique platform designed specifically for blogging.  It has an intuitive back-end feature that makes it easy for website owners of all skill levels to make changes. This package ensures your website is stable irrespective of the number of visitors. It also allows for any customization options your developer could need.

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About the Author

Though his chief ambition is to one day control the entire Internet, Jim busies himself in the meantime running our little web development and marketing agency. He's a certified super nerd who ranks coding in old, outdated languages and watching Star Trek reruns just a bit too high on his list of fun things to do. Outside of work, Jim enjoys Hockey (Tampa Bay Lighning, to be specific), more genres of music than most people realize exist, riding his Harley (he calls it "two wheel therapy") and exploring the world through travel.