Do you need to find a hosting provider, but aren’t quite sure how to start searching for one? Or perhaps you’ve narrowed down the search to several options and still can’t decide which one is right for you?
Whether you’ve already done some research or not, we lined up some tips to help you focus on the most essential aspects of business web hosting. Avoid getting stuck with high fees and poor service by asking the following questions before you sign up for a website hosting plan.
1. What Support Does the Service Provide?
Everyone knows that time is money, and that saying couldn’t be more accurate when it comes to running a business website. When things go wrong with your website host, you’re potentially losing money with every hour your site is down. You need to know support is available to help you solve the problem quickly, so look for a business hosting provider that offers 24/7 technical support via a free helpline.
2. Does the Service Offer Domain Parking?
Domain names can easily be misspelled by users and similar domains can be purchased by competitors. Since as a business, you wouldn’t want to lose customers because of a typo, companies often buy several versions of their domain name, such as the .net and .org versions of the .com domain, as well as misspelled versions. The best business web hosting providers will let you to park these extra domains, allowing them to lead to the same page on your website. Managing the domains in the same control panel as your main domain, will makes things much easier and save you time.
3. What Backup Options Are Available?
The best business hosting providers will automatically back up content on your site at regular intervals. If you accidentally delete important content, you can use these automatic backups to restore the data you need. You should also make sure that the host has a backup of its own, protecting data in case of a calamity. This way you can be sure the content you have worked hard to produce will never be lost.
4. How Much Uptime Does the Server Guarantee?
Business web hosting companies usually guarantee a minimum amount of uptime. You should look for a guarantee of at least 99% so you can be sure your site will remain online and accessible to your customers almost all of the time. Unscheduled downtime can result in lost business and cause your reputation among users to plummet.
5. Does it Support Your Favorite Web Platform?
If you plan on using any specific web creation tool to design your site and/or run a blog, it’s important to make sure your hosting service is compatible with the platform. Many business owners prefer WordPress, for example, and find it the easiest way to construct their first website; so, it’s best to check with the host fist and see if it meets the minimum WordPress requirements.
6. Shared, VPS, or Dedicated Hosting?
Many businesses choose to purchase a shared hosting package for their site, but this budget option may cause some problems. Since shared hosting means you’re sharing a server with multiple other sites, problems with another site could influence your site’s performance.
Dedicated hosting means the server is available only for your business. This avoids the risk of other sites on the same server slowing yours down, although it’s a much more expensive option.
A virtual private server, or VPS, is a good compromise for many businesses. With this option, you still share a server with other sites, but you’re guaranteed a certain level of performance. Read our article to find out how to choose the right type of hosting.
7. Are There Any Add-Ons?
Watch out for business hosting web companies that lure you in with great headline rates, and then charge you extra for every additional feature you require. Make a list of features you would need from a hosting provider and compare quotes for that level of service, rather than comparing headline rates.
Need help choosing a host for your business website? Check out our reviews of the most popular hosting providers online to see which ones offer the best service.