How to Make the Best Website Hosting Choice

If you have your own website, you are probably wondering how to make the right choice from among the top web hosting companies. There are lots of options to choose from, but not all can offer the same services so you should take the time to compare what is available to you and read a range of best web hosting reviews. Choosing the right hosting company is essential to the success of your website, so you need to familiarise yourself with the important factors that will help you to make the right selection.

Why Choose A Top Web Hosting Service?

Hosting a website on your home PC is not a viable option as any power outages will cause your website to go down while slow connection and upload speeds will make your site slow and difficult to use. The dynamic IP addresses linked with home broadband services are also a problem while maintenance is another issue, as should your PC break down, you may have to wait some considerable time before it is up and running again, and you may even lose all your files.

The best web hosting sites eliminate these issues, guaranteeing the speed and reliability of your website thanks to their fast upload speeds and stable connections. Their back up generators mean your site is unlikely to be affected by power outages and they guarantee static IP addresses so customers can always find your site. Their on site maintenance teams also ensure equipment runs efficiently.

The Benefits of Choosing the Best Shared Hosting

The top shared hosting companies are considered to be the most popular choice when it comes to finding a host for the majority of websites. As the most commonly purchased hosting service, shared hosting is the most inexpensive choice but yet is a much better and more professional service than free web hosting.

The best shared hosting companies are the perfect choice for private individuals and small businesses who are looking for great value and reliable hosting options. The top shared hosting websites host many sites on a single server and are therefore an economical option, with prices starting as low as $1 a month. The best shared hosting websites are able to handle around 30,000 visitors every month, making it an ideal choice for those operating a small to medium sized company.

The best shared hosting companies usually offer free 24/7 support to customers, which is extremely useful for getting problems solved around the clock, especially when a business is reliant upon their website. This is an advantage over dedicated server providers as they generally charge extra for this service.

Shared hosting also gives peace of mind to the user. Instead of having to monitor and control their own server, they can have the reassurance of relying on the hosting company to handle any issues and handling all of the associated maintenance.

Although shared hosting is easy to set up and operate, there is a downside to this type of hosting as it generally has limitations on bandwidth and there may be restrictions on the type applications that can be used. For example, streaming of video and audio is usually not permitted.

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Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best Web Hosting

When looking for the best website hosting service for your needs, there are plenty of aspects to consider.

Is the Web Hosting Reliable?

Firstly, you need to find a reliable and trustworthy web host that has a good reputation in the industry. One way to check on the reputation of the companies that you are interested in using is to read reviews and testimonials to find out about other users’ experiences. There are expert review sites for you to read and find out a deeper insight from those who are in the know, however you should bear in mind that they may be affiliated with web hosting providers and therefore may be biased. You should also bear in mind that user testimonials may not be 100% accurate either as they may be paid reviewers. Look for an uptime of at least 99% and preferably 99.5% as any less than this will run the risk of your website being unreliable and losing you business. The best web hosting companies will offer you a high percentage of uptime and will also offer you guarantees to back this offer up.

Consider Long-Term Needs

Remember that if you opt for one of the top shared hosting companies, there will be some limitations on your website. You need to find out where these limitations lie and decide whether or not they will affect the effectiveness of your website. You may want to think long term about your hosting requirements as if your business is likely to develop or expand, even the best shared hosting service providers may not be adequate to meet your needs. For example, even top shared hosting providers will not allow you to host streaming of video or audio, so if this is going to become essential to your website, you may want to consider using a dedicated server from the start. Think in advance before taking out a subscription how much web space you are likely to need to cover your requirements, both now and in the future. It may also be worth finding out how easy it would be to change your web hosting type at a future time should your needs change, and even whether your hosting provider would be able to offer you a different type of hosting server. Although most can offer more than one type of hosting, others may just specialise in one, for example they may simply be a top shared hosting provider without any other options offered.

Can I Benefit From FTP Access?

FTP access is an essential part of running an effective website. This gives users the ability to very rapidly and simply upload new web pages without any delays or problems. The best web hosting companies usually offer this facility as standard, however some others only allow customers to design their web pages using the provider’s own web page builder which is very restrictive. Although this may be fine for someone who is new to operating and designing a website, this option may not work out well if the business expands or the website develops further and requires more complex options to be added. Your choice of web hosting provider should be future proof so that you won’t have to make changes of company in the future.

Where is the Hosting Located?

The location of the data centre of the web hosting provider is very important to the speed of your website. You should pick the top web hosting provider with a data centre (where the provider’s servers are actually located) that is closest to you i.e. a UK or European based server for companies with an EU base. This ensures that your website will function more rapidly and will lead to an improved user experience for your website’s visitors. The advantages of this are clear, as if your website is easy and rapid to use, it is more likely to develop repeat traffic. If the provider is in your time zone, it also means that you can get any support that you require straight away without having to wait to compensate for time differences.

Is There a Good Customer Support Team?

Part of choosing the best web hosting service is determining whether or not they have a high quality, professional customer support team that can assist you whenever a problem arises. Don’t forget to check that the provider can communicate in your language so that you can get the help you need easily. The speed within which a web hosting company can rectify any problems is another factor that is worth considering. You don’t want to be losing business while you wait for the provider to sort out any issues, so you need to find out whether the company handle their own technical side or whether they outsource this aspect of their business as this may affect the speed with which your problems are dealt with. You should never choose a web hosting provider which does not offer an expert 24/7 coverage by qualified professionals for technical issues and you can discover whether or not your chosen company offers coverage at off peak times by calling during night hours with a technical query to see if there are any personnel who can respond to your question. You should also consider which methods there are of contacting the customer support team. The best web hosting providers allow customers to contact them via a number of routes including telephone, email and online live chat options.

How Fast are the Website Hosting Speeds?

You don’t need to be reminded of how important speed is to the effectiveness of your website. If your site is speedy, it will be easier and more pleasant to use as well as being able to handle more traffic at once. The more people visit your site, the more business you will do and the more profits you will make, so it makes sense to invest in one of the top web hosting services which guarantee faster website hosting speeds. Check the speeds of your shortlisted providers by carrying out a test on the provider’s Ping speed and how long it takes for a page to load – a speed of less than 200ms is recommended by Google.

What is the Security of the Provider Like?

You should always consider the security features offered by your chosen web hosting provider before signing up to a subscription. Your security requirements very much depend on the nature of your website. If, for example, you are simply wanting a host for a personal website for a blog or hobby, security may not be high on your list of priorities. However if you are operating an online business from your website, security is paramount to your customers’ safe of use of your website and it will be well worth your while to pay an extra premium in order to benefit from heightened security features. Check the features of the top web hosting services to see if they have good firewalls, isolated accounts and automatic updates for programmes like WordPress and Joomla.

Will the Web Hosting Service Back Up Your Files?

It goes without saying that backing up your files is essential just in case there is a problem with an accidental deletion or a virus infecting your system. Don’t run any risks with your data as it is vital to the success of your business. Make sure that you choose one of the best website hosting providers that offer a full back up service to protect your information, and be certain to check to find out if these back up services are free or whether you have to pay an extra fee to benefit from this service.

How Many Emails Does the Web Hosting Provide?

This is an important factor when considering which of the top web hosting services to choose. How many emails are provided to you by the hosting company and are there any space limitations? Another question to ask is whether or not the web hosting provider will offer emails for all domains that are hosted on your account, or will you only be permitted one?

Which Technologies can be Accommodated?

This is another vital factor to consider when deciding on the best web hosting provider for your needs. Can the hosting service accommodate the basic scripts required to operate your site, for example PHP, MySql, contrabs, Perl and .htaccess? You should also check to find out how often these are updated as the latest version may be necessary to run your applications.

How Much Should I Pay for the Best Web Hosting Services?

One of the most important things you might want to think about is how much you are prepared to pay for the best website hosting services that meet your needs. You should always compare rates on a yearly basis as some providers appear to offer a cheaper service by promoting a three year plan while their single year plan is not such good value. You should always find out whether your chosen web hosting service offers a money back guarantee and learn how long this guarantee lasts. That way, if you try the provider and then decide that you are not happy with any aspect of their service, you can cancel your annual subscription and obtain a refund. While considering cost, remember that frequently, you only get what you pay for. If you opt for the cheapest possible choice, you may well be getting a substandard service. Although the trade off may be acceptable to you if you are not reliant upon your website to generate an income, for example if you only require your site for personal use, this is not a good option if you are a company looking for a good quality, reliable website. If the price seems incredibly low, make sure to check all the features you are receiving in detail to determine whether any corners have been cut in order to lower the cost. If, on the other hand, your choice of provider seems to be very expensive, you need to look carefully at whether you are getting good value for money. Are any extras that you are receiving within your subscription worth it?

Other Types of Top Web Hosting Available

As well as the top shared hosting websites, there are also other hosting options available which may be more suited to other website types.

Dedicated Hosting

A dedicated hosting service is an ideal choice for anyone who requires a very fast loading website, or require a lot of traffic to be handled. A dedicated hosting service can handle at least 100,000 visitors every month because it is a server that only handles a single website. Although this is a more expensive option than shared hosting, often costing upwards of $75 per month, it is well worth it if top website performance is your goal. Dedicated hosting is a secure option that is easy to use and has access to a large amount of processing power.

VPS Hosting

For those who have a strong technical knowledge, such as web programmers and designers, a VPS (or cloud) hosting is a good choice. When you use a virtual private server, you are buying a portion of an enormous computing resource and have access to vast amounts of storage space and terabytes of RAM. This is a good option for those who need to expand a small site to a large one without having to change server provider as VPS hosting is perfect for all sizes of website. Prices depend on the size of the website being hosted and can start at around $15 per month, although fees tend to be charged by the hour rather than on a monthly basis. This type of hosting also allows for a great range of software and hardware options.

What do I Need to Know About Choosing the Best Web Hosting Service?

Although there are many top web hosting services to choose from, you will need to weigh up all the advantages and disadvantages of each one before making a choice. You should always have a clear idea of exactly what you are looking for in a web hosting company, whether that is a service with the lowest possible cost, a high performance, high speed host or a company that offers excellent reliability with good value for money. Take into account the amount of web storage space that you will need now and in the future and don’t forget to consider other important aspects such as customer support, server locations, security features and back up facilities. As long as you take your time to read reviews of the best website hosting services and compare the top contenders in the market, you are sure to find the perfect service to suit your needs.